NFL Trade Rumors: Top 10 Players Who Could Get Traded Pre-Draft
As we patiently wait to see what happens with the Collective Bargaining Agreement and prepare for the influx of new talent in this year’s draft class, it’s time we take a look at some veterans desperately seeking new homes.
At this time of the year, we constantly hear rumors and murmurs about talent and management unhappy with their current situations.
Kevin Kolb seems to despise Andy Reid and Eagles management for having to back up Michael Vick in 2011.
Carson Palmer loathes Cincinnati so much he’s threatening to retire.
Tennessee is listening to inquiries about Vince Young.
There are just three of the 10 possible players who could and should get traded for their sake, or their team’s sake, prior to April’s draft.
10. Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers WR
1 of 10
Nobody else finds it funny that the Chargers tendered V-Jax, again?
He sat out for 12 weeks last year and complained for what felt like an eternity to receive a new contract. Now the Chargers do the same thing again. I doubt he’s happy and I love it!
Jackson is a fine receiver, but I’m actually with Chargers management when it comes to re-signing him. I wouldn’t pay him what he wants either.
He’s not that good. We all know Antonio Gates is really the No. 1 receiver on this team.
If San Diego’s special teams performed better in 2010, the Chargers would have made the playoffs and nobody would even care about Vincent Jackson. The Chargers offense barely missed a beat because Philip Rivers and Gates have an uncanny connection.
I think the Chargers could find a receiver who does very similar things he does and acquire a pick or two in the process.
9. Nick Barnett, Green Bay Packers LB
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Nick Barnett gets hurt and the Packers don’t miss a beat. Green Bay has no reason to keep Barnett for what they pay him. The Packers showed throughout their Super Bowl run they have a fantastic defense and the depth at the linebacker position to finally ship off Barnett.
This is a rather weak free agent market for linebackers, so perhaps the Packers could land a mid-round draft pick for a team in need of a veteran inside linebacker, who when healthy is actually good.
Barnett is a quality linebacker who totaled over 100 tackles in six of his eight seasons in the league, including two seasons with at least 130 tackles. Perhaps the Jaguars or Broncos would be willing to shell out a mid-round pick for a quality vet.
8. Reggie Bush, New Orleans Saints RB
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Sean Payton’s New Orleans Saints just re-signed Pierre Thomas. Chris Ivory did a fantastic job towards the tail end of the season before hurting his foot.
Bush isn’t as effective as they thought he would be. He’s still a quality receiver and return man, but it may just be time to move on at this point. He’s more of a main attraction than anything else.
I do believe he could have enjoyed his best season as a runner in 2010 had he not broken his leg. He was running with far more power in preseason and to open the year. He also displayed better toughness and decision making. He was hitting holes harder and danced behind the offensive line far less.
The Saints benefit from a three-headed monster, I’m not going to dispute that one bit.
I do think the Saints could find a running back similar to Bush in the draft cheaper than what they pay him.
It would make for a great story if the Seattle Seahawks traded for Reggie Bush to reunite him with his college coach, Pete Carroll.
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7. Albert Haynesworth, Washington Redskins DT
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Like a host of other players in Washington, Albert Haynesworth's time is up with the Redskins after a failed attempt. How he’s even still on the team is beyond me after head coach Mike Shanahan embarrassed him during preseason, barely played him during the season and then suspended him for the final month.
Granted, Haynesworth hasn’t been the easiest to work with and is now in trouble for sexually assaulting a woman. This only helps make the case that he should be shipped away with his monster contract for a late-round pick.
Perhaps the Lions, who already boast the best defensive tackle in Ndamukong Suh, would pony up as much as a fourth- or fifth-round pick to land Haynesworth. Could you imagine having Suh and a motivated Haynesworth next to each other on the same defensive line? That’s every defensive coordinator’s wet dream and every quarterback’s nightmare. They would easily make for one of the most intense and menacing defensive duo in NFL history.
6. Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers WR
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Steve Smith has done some controversial things in the past, but he’s still one of the very best all-around football players this league has to offer. He’s one of the grittiest and toughest players pound for pound. He’s the type of player everybody wants on their team.
Unfortunately for his sake, he’s been stuck on a Carolina team that really hasn’t been too good for the most part since that Super Bowl run in 2003. He’s made the most from Carolina’s abysmal quarterback play and in return, Panthers management should reward him with a chance to play for a contender. The Panthers are rebuilding and Smith doesn’t need to be part of that once again.
He’s simply too amazing of a football player to be stuck in Carolina for the remainder of his career. With a coaching staff ushering in a new era in Carolina, it’s finally time to move Steve Smith. He could be an important piece for a contending team like New England or San Diego.
5. Chad Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals WR
6 of 10
I don’t know why Cincinnati re-signed Marvin Lewis, but they did. Sorry Bengals fans.
They may not be willing to part ways with the Chief, but the Bengals need to part ways with some of the troublesome Indians. Chad Johnson is one of those Indians.
Johnson has run his course in Cincinnati. Terrell Owens is gone, Carson Palmer wants out and he clearly has a poor relationship with Chief Lewis. The Bengals have a fine young receiving core behind him. It would be advantageous to those receivers if Johnson was shipped away so they could shine in the spotlight.
The Bengals also won’t be competing for a Championship in 2011 and would have to hear Johnson run his mouth all season. They don’t need that as they rebuild for a future run. This is a deep draft and the Bengals need to acquire as many picks as they can to fill their holes.
I’m sure a team like New England or Oakland would be willing to shell out a fourth- or late-round pick for his services.
4. Donovan McNabb, Washington Redskins QB
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McNabb is the first of four quarterbacks to round out this list.
I don’t think any team would give up much for McNabb. Still, a team on the verge of competing for a Super Bowl and in desperate need of a veteran quarterback has to inquire about acquiring his services.
The Donovan McNabb Experiment in Washington was a complete disaster. Why the Redskins extended him I’ll never know but they’re not on the hook for much regardless.
It’s funny, or sad depending how you look at it, that McNabb would still be a far better option for teams like San Francisco, Miami, Tennessee and Minnesota. All four teams are in search of a veteran quarterback to take them back to the playoffs.
Minnesota, especially, needs to inquire about McNabb. They already have all of the pieces necessary to win a Super Bowl in 2011. Their only glaring hole is the quarterback position. With their running game, McNabb wouldn’t feel the pressure to do it all and would just need to manage the game like Brett Favre did two years ago. With Minnesota, he may finally be able to win it all and get the monkey off his back.
3. Vince Young, Tennessee Titans QB
8 of 10
After last season’s fallout, the Titans should be pushing harder to trade Vince Young. Although I think it’s rather foolish since I’m still a believer in him as a winner, the Titans appear ready to move on from this entire era. They already let Jeff Fisher and VY might as well be next.
His heart may not be in Tennessee anymore and at this point, I can’t even blame him. He could use a change of scenery.
Perhaps Andy Reid in Philadelphia would like to trade a mid-round draft pick to “rehabilitate” him.
Maybe Miami would be willing to do the same to create a buzz around the league and have the threat of the Wild Cat on every play.
The Titans are in a tough position given his contract, but if they are receiving inquiries, it’d be foolish to release him instead of receiving a mid- to late-round draft pick.
2. Kevin Kolb, Philadelphia Eagles QB
9 of 10
Kevin Kolb is definitely not happy about staying in Philadelphia.
If you ask me, I’m going to ask you, “Why should we care if Kevin Kolb is happy or upset?” He’s nothing but an average quarterback who was drafted far too high. The Eagles should get rid of him while they can.
Ask me who will back up Mike Vick? How about somebody with similar, albeit far less, talents like Troy Smith? He’d be a much cheaper option than Kolb and in Andy Reid’s offense, could be just as effective.
For some reason, the league has fallen for Philly’s self created Kevin Kolb mystique. The Eagles should ship him off now while they can get a good return on their "investment." He may hold resentment for the remainder of the year, especially if Vick doesn’t suffer a season-ending injury to allow him to start, and simply walk away when his contract is up.
The Eagles are extremely close to winning a Super Bowl with their electrifyingly explosive elite offense. Should a team like Miami, Cincinnati or Tennessee be willing to send a high draft pick their way, Philly should seize the opportunity.
1. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals QB
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I think it’s safe to say Carson Palmer doesn’t want to play in Cincinnati. He’s put his house up for sale and says he’ll retire before coming back to the Bengals.
What do you think?
Palmer was never able to live up to his massive potential in Cincy due to a myriad of injuries. The veteran is right to say he’d rather retire thank risk another for a team heading in the wrong direction.
There’s no way Palmer is leading this team to the playoffs again, let alone a Super Bowl.
Management needs to accept that this is the end of an era and move on to the next. There are plenty of quarterbacks in this year’s draft class for the Bengals to choose from.
There are a few teams on the verge of competing for a championship with the addition of a veteran quarterback of Palmer’s status. San Francisco and Minnesota should be chomping at the bit to acquire him for a mid- to late-round draft pick.
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