NFL Rumors: Latest on Possible O.J. Howard Trade, 49ers' Receiver Search, More

The 2019 NFL trade market is open for a little less than a week—it ends at 4 p.m. ET on Monday—and business is booming.

We've already seen players such as Jalen Ramsey, Marcus Peters and Gareon Conley moved over the past week, and another significant trade went down Tuesday morning. According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, the New England Patriots have acquired wide receiver Mohamed Sanu from the Atlanta Falcons:

The Sanu deal is unlikely to be the last one before the deadline, and the rumor mill is spinning. Here, we'll dig into some of the latest trade buzz ahead of Week 8.

Patriots Were Interested in O.J. Howard

New England boosted its receiving corps by making the deal for Sanu, but this was not the first option the Patriots explored.

According to Albert Breer of SI.com, the Patriots first inquired about Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard, only to be rebuffed.

"New England already asked, and was told no on, Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard. I'd expect they'll be turning over rocks this week at the position," Breer wrote.

It makes sense for the Patriots to inquire about Howard, who hasn't been heavily utilized in Tampa's passing attack this season. It also makes sense that the Buccaneers aren't interested in dealing the 2017 first-round pick.

As Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times pointed out, the Buccaneers control Howard's rights through at least 2020—possibly longer with the use of the fifth-year option and the franchise or transition tag. According to Stroud, a Howard trade "won't happen."

49ers Searching for Receiving Help?

Frank Victores/Associated Press

With Sanu off the market, the San Francisco 49ers are going to have to examine other options in their wide receiver search.

According to CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora, San Francisco is in the market for a wideout ahead of the trade deadline. He listed Sanu, A.J. Green, Taylor Gabriel and DeVante Parker as potential targets.

According to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, however, there isn't a tremendous amount of urgency to add a wideout via the trade market.

"I think less (urgency) than we've had in the last couple of years because I do see that there are guys in our building that I do think the answers are here," Shanahan said Monday, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports.

Injuries have hampered receivers Deebo Samuel, Jalen Hurd and Marquise Goodwin this season. Therefore, the 49ers could  see their receiving corps improve simply by getting and keeping players healthy.

However, it's hard to envision San Francisco not at least kicking the tires on some trades. The 49ers remain undefeated and are in prime position to push for a first-round bye. If there's a time to be deadline buyers, it's this year.

Falcons May Not Be Done Dealing

Trading Sanu may be just the beginning for the 1-6 Atlanta Falcons. Their season is crashing, and in all likelihood, a rebuild is looming next offseason. It makes sense for Atlanta to acquire draft capital now, and the second-round pick received for Sanu is a good start.

It probably won't be the last move that the Falcons make, however. According to ESPN's Jordan Schultz, pass-rusher Vic Beasley is also on the trade block.

While Beasley may be the only other player Atlanta is shopping, the Falcons appear likely to listen to offers for others.

"I don't think Atlanta will hang up on teams calling about [tight end] Austin Hooper or [outside linebacker] De'Vondre Campbell," Breer wrote.

Atlanta is unlikely to deal core pieces like Julio Jones, Matt Ryan and Grady Jarrett—and youngsters like Calvin Ridley and Chris Lindstrom. It seems possible, however, that almost anyone else could be had for the right price.