NFL Vets Who Should Seek a Trade Before 2022 Season

For the most part, player movement around the NFL has slowed to a crawl. There will still be the occasional signing, but the rosters we see today are pretty close to how they'll be when camps start in the fall.

Every NFL team enters the offseason with the same goal of trying to improve the squad as a whole. There's a flip side to that coin, though, as doing so can be good news for the group but bad news for the individual.

Land a coveted free agent pass-catcher, and suddenly a veteran wide receiver finds himself sliding down the depth chart. Make a change in scheme on defense, and a young player who was a high pick a few years ago can find himself miscast and riding the pine. Draft the future of the franchise under center, and the present starter's own future suddenly clouds.

For players like that, sometimes being sent packing can be a blessing in disguise. And for various reasons, every veteran listed here would probably benefit from requesting a change in mailing address.  

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers

Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

To his credit, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has handled the whole Trey Lance saga with an impressive amount of professionalism. When the Niners mortgaged the team's future to draft his replacement, Garoppolo didn't grouse, pout, post passive-aggressive good-byes to fans on Twitter or demand a trade.

However, at this point it would be understandable if he did.

Of all the potential trades in this column, Garoppolo is easily the most likely. The 49ers don't want to waste another season of Lance's rookie deal or spend the entire season answering questions about a quarterback controversy in the Bay Area. While speaking to reporters at OTAs, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted it's most likely only a matter of time until the 30-year-old Garoppolo is sent packing.

"I expect him at some time, most likely, to be traded, but who knows? That's not a guarantee," Shanahan said. "It's been on hold when (surgery) happened. When he's healthy, we will see what happens."

That Shanahan hedged a bit should be enough for Garoppolo (once his shoulder is cleared) to say "enough."

To be fair, Garoppolo isn't an elite quarterback. He makes significantly more than Lance, too, as his cap hit in 2022 is just under $27 million. Additionally, durability has been an issue, with Garoppolo missing 10 or more games three times while with the 49ers.

But over his five seasons as the starter in San Francisco, Garoppolo is 17 games over .500. He has completed 67.7 percent of his passes with a passer rating of 98.3. And twice in the past three years, Garoppolo led his team to at least the NFC Championship Game, including a berth in Super Bowl LIV.

That the 49ers wanted an upgrade is understandable. But between Garoppolo's play and the class with which he has handled Lance's arrival, he's earned the right to continue his career somewhere like Carolina or Seattle where he would have the opportunity to start.  

Jessie Bates, S, Cincinnati Bengals

Rob Carr/Getty Images

The Cincinnati Bengals are riding high after last year's run to the Super Bowl. It's a young team led by megastar-in-the-making Joe Burrow that doesn't have many weak spots on the roster. But all is not sunshine and puppies in the Queen City.

As Tyler Dragon reported for USA Today, veteran safety Jessie Bates made it clear in February that he wasn't interested in playing the 2022 season under the franchise tag.

"That's something that needs to be discussed at NFLPA a little bit. Some of the top guys got hurt under a franchise tag," Bates told NFL NOW on Feb. 23. "It's tough. You only get one shot at this. You just got to play your cards right, I guess you could say."

The Bengals either weren't listening or didn't care, because slapping Bates with the franchise tag is exactly what the team did. And sure enough, the 25-year-old was a no-show for OTAs, with Dragon writing that Bates has "no intention" of playing under the tag.

Bates has been mostly excellent over his first four seasons—he topped 100 total tackles in each of his first three years and shined in Cincy's playoff run last year. But he didn't have a great regular season in 2021, allowing completions on 80 percent of the passes thrown his direction with a passer rating against of 122.

Bates doesn't appear to be in the team's long-term plans. The Bengals entered the offseason with plenty of cap space with which to get an extension done but made no real effort to do so. Then they used their first pick in the 2022 draft on Daxton Hill, a player who is best-suited to play deep safety.

If Bates really is set against playing under the tag, then this is the kind of distraction the Bengals don't need. With the Philadelphia Eagles already being mentioned as a potential suitor and other contenders like the Dallas Cowboys in need of a boost on the back end, the best bet for all parties could be a clean break.

Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

Elsa/Getty Images

There was a time, not that long ago, when the idea of the New York Giants trading running back Saquon Barkley would have been laughed off as ludicrous.

After being drafted No. 2 in 2018, Barkley exploded onto the scene as a rookie. That first year, Barkley averaged five yards a carry, topped 1,300 rushing yards, caught 91 passes for 721 yards, scored 15 total touchdowns and took home Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Barkley missed three games the following year, but he still topped 1,000 rushing yards and 1,400 total yards.

Then the wheels fell off. In 2020, Barkley made it just two games before tearing his ACL. He missed four more games a year ago, and when he was on the field he looked little like his rookie self, averaging just 3.7 yards a tote and failing to hit 900 total yards.

Despite that precipitous drop in production, new Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka told reporters at OTAs that he believes that Barkley can still be a focal point of the offense.

"I think Saquon is that type of player that you want to be able to give him the ball and you want him to touch the ball as much as you can," Kafka said. "I think he's dynamic out in space, and he's done a good job in this camp here just being assignment sound, working on the fundamentals. Right now that's what we're looking for."

However, the odds of a big rebound in 2022 aren't good—at least in New York. The Giants are a rebuilding team that will probably face a lot of negative game scripts, and while the addition of offensive tackle Evan Neal will help the Giants up front, it doesn't mean the league's third-worst offensive line in 2021 per Pro Football Focus will be good.

Unless Barkley can overcome all these factors working against him, the final year of his rookie deal will probably be his last in New York. However, if a contender like the San Francisco 49ers or Buffalo Bills suffers an injury in the backfield during camp, then Barkley could be afforded a better opportunity to reboot his career.

Clelin Ferrell, DE, Las Vegas Raiders

Chris Unger/Getty Images

When the Las Vegas Raiders used the No. 4 pick on Clemson edge-rusher Clelin Ferrell in 2019, the hope was that the 6'4", 264-pounder would make an instant impact. However, as Bleacher Report's Matt Miller wrote at the time, the writing was on the wall that the pick could be a reach.

"Ferrell is one of the more NFL-ready pass-rushers in this class, but he also has less potential athletically than the players ranked ahead of him. Ferrell could be a day one starter at defensive end in a 4-3 scheme, but his lack of elite athletic traits could limit his upside."

As it turns out, Miller's concerns were well-founded. Ferrell has been nothing short of a massive bust over his first three seasons. Over that span, Ferrell has managed just eight sacks total, and more than half of those came during his rookie year.

For his part, Ferrell hasn't given up hope of making an impact in the final year of his rookie contract.

"I think for myself, my goal is obviously to be a leader on the team and whatever facet that is, be a leader I want to have. I want to have, a dominant season in regards to, this is my play," Ferrell said, via Brian Moore of PopCulture. "I want to have the best season that I've had so far. I think every year, everyone should strive to do that. But at the end of the day, that starts with what I'm doing right now."

With that said, it's hard to imagine Ferrell doing any more for the Raiders in 2022 than he did the past three seasons. He's all but buried on the depth chart, and with new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham set to utilize more three-man fronts, Ferrell is just flat-out a bad fit. He's not athletic enough to play rush linebacker and not big enough to hold the point of attack as a five-technique end.

Ferrell badly needs a change of scenery, and there are some 4-3 defenses with teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans that might be willing to throw a late pick into a dice roll on Ferrell's potential.

Corey Davis, WR, New York Jets

Elsa/Getty Images

Life comes at you fast in the NFL. Just ask New York Jets wide receiver Corey Davis.

When Davis signed a three-year, $37.5 million pact with the New York Jets last year, it was ostensibly to serve as the team's No. 1 receiver. That status didn't last long. After using a second-round pick on Elijah Moore, it was the rookie who led the team in receiving yards, while slot man Braxton Berrios paced the team in catches.

Davis didn't even hit 500 receiving yards while missing almost half the season, racking up exactly half as many yards in 2021 as he did the year before in Tennessee.

As Connor Hughes wrote before the draft at The Athletic, if the Jets ever viewed Davis as a No. 1 receiver, they don't now.

"The Jets have come a long way from trotting out Jermaine Kearse, Deontay Burnett and Andre Roberts as their top pass-catchers, but this group still lacks a legitimate outside threat. The coaches love Davis but realize he's a really good No. 2, not a No. 1. Compare his addition to when the Jets signed Eric Decker in 2014. Decker didn't reach his full potential until they traded for Brandon Marshall the next year. The Jets would love to create a situation where they have a true No. 1 on one side, Davis on the other, then Moore in the slot."

Sure enough, the Jets used the second of their two top-10 picks on Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Davis now appears to have slid from the all-time leader in FBS receiving yards and the No. 5 pick in the 2017 draft to the No. 3 wideout for a team that averaged 232.9 passing yards a game in 2021.

Paying a third receiver $12.5 million isn't ideal, so given his salary and a small dead-cap number in 2023, Davis' days with the Jets are probably numbered. And with teams like the Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns needing receiver help, the best thing for both player and team may be moving on now.

Bradley Roby, CB, New Orleans Saints

Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

The New Orleans Saints were as active in bolstering their roster as any team this offseason. The defensive backfield was no exception, as the Saints added two new starters at safety in Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye and spent a Round 2 pick on Tennessee cornerback Alontae Taylor.

The addition of Taylor might be good news for the Saints, but it could also leave veteran cornerback Bradley Roby as the odd man out. An eight-year veteran who the Saints brought back on a restructured contract this spring, Roby tallied 23 total tackles with one interception in 14 games (one start) for the Saints a year ago.

Roby has quite a bit of experience as a starter on the boundary, with 35 starts for the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans from 2018-2020. But after playing at least 600 snaps on defense every year from 2014-2020, Roby played just 394 snaps as a sub-package cornerback for the Saints in 2021.

That number isn't likely to increase in Roby's age-30 season. The Saints are set atop the depth chart at corner, with Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo starting outside and free safety/cornerback hybrid Chauncey Gardner-Johnson manning the slot. With Taylor and long-time Saint P.J. Williams also on the roster, it's entirely possible Roby could find himself sixth on the depth chart.

Barring an injury, No. 6 cornerbacks don't generally play much.

However, in a place like Cincinnati, Roby could challenge Eli Apple to start opposite Chidobe Awuzie. The New York Giants could use a veteran presence after cutting bait on James Bradberry to clear cap space. The Minnesota Vikings can use all the help they can get in their defensive backfield.

There is no shortage of teams that could offer Roby substantially more playing time than he appears slated for in the Big Easy, and if Roby is going to land one more significant contract in 2023, he needs to be on the field in 2022.

Marvin Jones, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Marvin Jones has actually carved out a solid professional career. It's just that many haven't noticed because he has languished on awful teams in Cincinnati, Detroit and Jacksonville.

Over a decade in the pros, Jones has posted at least 800 receiving yards five times, including 832 yards on 73 catches for the Jaguars in 2021. Jones has hauled in at least nine touchdowns four times, and in 2017 he posted a 61/1,101/9 stat line with the Lions.

Just like so many players for the Jaguars, Jones' 2021 season was rather forgettable. But as the 32-year-old told the Associated Press, he's eager to wash off the stink of last season's fiasco in Duval County.

"You have to flush it," Jones said. "Not just in football, but in any business. You just flush it and you keep going as usual and be a professional. I think everybody has done that. Everybody has taken their time off to do whatever they needed to do mentally, and I think we're on a good track."

The problem is that Jones' best bet for a bounce-back season likely lies with a new team. Even if you believe Trevor Lawrence is going to take a big step forward in his second season, it's not going to be easy for Jones to follow suit. Christian Kirk was given $18 million a season to serve as the Jaguars new No. 1 receiver, while Jacksonville also spent considerable coin on Zay Jones and also have youngster Laviska Shenault on the roster.

In Jacksonville, Jones is a lame-duck veteran in the last year of his contract nearing the end of his career. In Green Bay, he could easily be the No. 1 receiver for a Super Bowl contender. The Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans are all potential contenders who could use a boost at the position as well.