NFL Trade Speculation: Five Trades That Won't Happen After the Draft's Results
Much has been made of how the 2011 NFL Draft would have played out differently had it happened after a free agency period.
That's spilled milk now. The draft is over, and free agency still hasn't happened. But barring a catastrophic ruling by the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, we may have free agency later this week.
So now the question is: How do the results of the draft affect that free-agency period?
More specifically, what trades were we talking about last week that now seem absurd?
There was a fair amount of trade talk—most of it surrounding veteran quarterbacks—heading up to the draft, as a number of teams looked to fill key roles with proven (if over-the-hill) players.
If the results of the draft are to be believed, here are five that almost certainly won't happen now.
Donovan McNabb to Tennessee/Minnesota
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The Donovan McNabb experiment in Washington never really got off the ground, and now there is little doubt of his departure.
But his landing spots are considerably more narrow now than they were last week. Tennessee and Minnesota both reached to fill their quarterback needs in the first round, so they would appear to be out of the running for McNabb's declining services.
Even if they look to keep Jake Locker and Christian Ponder (respectively) on the bench for a while, it's going to be difficult to justify paying an expensive veteran stopgap to play in front of an expensive first-round quarterback warming the bench.
In fact, it's going to be difficult to justify not playing those guys out of the gate, period. Both teams are already under scrutiny for taking second-round quarterbacks so high in the first round.
To reach for those guys, pay them first-round money, then bring in a guy like McNabb to play stopgap, can't happen and won't happen. They would look like fools.
Also notable is that the Redskins did not take a quarterback in the draft, which might indicate they're content to let this trainwreck of a quarterback controversy mar yet another season.
I hope that's not the case. McNabb is a professional who deserves better than he's gotten in Washington.
Chad Ochocinco to Detroit Lions
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Last week, there was a fair amount of chatter about the possible implications to Chad Ochocinco spending a day at Georgia Tech working out with the Detroit Lions Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson.
The Lions, needing a receiver, and Ochocinco, wanting out of Cincinatti, seemed to be a decent match.
Ochocinco even perpetuated some of the speculation himself on Twitter (as Ochocinco has been known to do).
As if in response to all the noise, the Lions went out and spent a second-round draft pick on Titus Young, a speedy, dynamic receiver out of Boise State.
And that should kill the Ocho/Detroit rumors in the water. There was some question regarding whether Ochocinco's colorful personality would fit in the Lions' locker room as it is.
Now that the Lions have completed their receiving corps through the draft, they don't even have to weigh the options.
Carson Palmer to Anywhere
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This probably seems confusing. The Bengals just drafted Andy Dalton, obviously as a replacement for Carson Palmer, so why does it seems so likely that Palmer won't be traded?
Owner Mike Brown doesn't have any interest in listening to Palmer's trade request, not just because he wants him back, but because he doesn't want a player telling him what to do. And it seems Palmer has no interest in playing.in Cincinnati, to the point where he's threatened to retire.
This is sort of a microcosm of what's wrong with labor relations in the NFL right now, too. It is in Palmer's best interest to play football, and it is in Brown's interest to ship him somewhere he's willing to play football and get something back.
Alas, both sides are too interested in "winning" the dispute to realize that leaving things as they are is the worst possible scenario for both of them.
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Vincent Jackson to Atlanta Falcons
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After an ugly contract dispute last year, Vincent Jackson is franchise tagged for 2011, a situation that Jackson is not terribly happy with.
It's possible that San Diego wants to either re-sign him to a long-term deal (what Jackson has wanted for a long time), or get a good price out of him via trade.
With Atlanta giving up half-a-draft's worth of picks for Julio Jones, they will be one less team looking for a the receiver upgrade.
Minnesota may still be interested, though.
Kevin Kolb to San Francisco
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Kevin Kolb just saw his options shrink considerably over the weekend.
While a number of options remain open to him after ignoring the quarterback position in the draft (I'm looking at you, Arizona), many more have closed off.
Kolb's situation is different than Donovan McNabb's. McNabb is reportedly drawing interest from San Francisco, which wants a veteran quarterback to start ahead of and mentor talented-but-raw Colin Kaepernick.
McNabb is a perfect stopgap. He's in the tail end of his career, he is a professional who will mentor a rookie QB, and when Kaepernick is ready, the 49ers will have no problem asking him to step aside.
Kolb is 26 and still looking to be somebody's quarterback of the future. Bringing him in to a situation like San Francisco, Tennessee or Minnesota (to play while they prep the rookie) would only complicate matters, much the way things were complicated for him in Philadelphia last year.
It's too bad, because Kolb might have been good for their system (while his West Coast style doesn't fit the Cardinals at all), and he needs a new home. But no first-year head coach has enough of a death wish to draft a rookie quarterback and then trade for his competition.
Quarterback controversies are the best way to be second guessed all season, which is not what Jim Harbaugh wants in his first year in San Francisco. He already has to figure out what in the world he's going to do with Alex Smith.
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