NFL Trade Rumors: 5 Unappreciated Players on the Trade Block

With the NFL lockout hopefully coming to an end soon, free agency will be right around the corner. Once the gun sounds, teams will be feverishly signing and trading players at a pace that would make Wall Street stock brokers envious.

Even with a shortened window of opportunity to make moves, this could be a year when there are more trades than usual in the NFL. There have been many rumors and much speculation on which players could be traded and where they may end up.

Players are traded for various reasons and sometimes they don't actually want to leave. This may leave them feeling a little offended and unappreciated by their teams.

Here is a look at five players who may feel that way, yet still find themselves in a different jersey in 2011. 

QB Carson Palmer

Palmer is taking the stand that he refuses to ever play for the Bengals again and may go as far as retiring from the NFL before he would don the orange and black cat striped jersey again.

Even though Bengals owner Mike Brown has maintained they will not trade him, one has to think they eventually will. I mean, the only reason to not trade him would be to punish him and that would be completely counterproductive for a team that seems to always be mired in some form of negativity.

With the exception of his interception total (20), Palmer put up decent stats last season. He passed for just a hair under 4,000 yards, 26 TDs, and close to a 62 percent completion rate. 

He was a little erratic last season, but any quarterback might find themselves on edge if they had a receiving tandem of Terrell Owens and Ochocinco. 

Though he has shown some signs of decline, he can still be a decent starter for numerous teams. Mike Brown needs to take the high road here and grant Palmer's request, get the best deal he can and move on.

Palmer may not be perfect but any player who can hang in with an organization like the Bengals for seven years deserves a reward. And Palmer's reward should be freedom.

WR Steve Smith

Smith has done nothing throughout his career except produce. With the lone exception of a broken leg suffered in 2004, he has been relatively healthy during his 10-year career with the Panthers.

He may be a little outspoken from time to time, but he is largely seen as a true competitor. For a player of diminutive size, he plays with tremendous heart and therefore has endeared himself to Carolina fans.

With Carolina seemingly rebuilding, Smith may be seen as an aging player that no longer fits in the team's plans. Though Ron Rivera has stated it's not a "foregone conclusion" that he'll be traded, the fact that Smith cleaned out his locker speaks volumes.

For a player that has given his on-the-field best to an organization, it seems unfair to be discarded at this point. Plus, the Panthers need all the weapons they can get.

But the NFL is a cold business sometimes and players will ultimately be viewed as business properties and treated accordingly. 

Look for Smith to be fired up next season and make Carolina regret ever trading him

RB Reggie Bush

Many people suspect that the drafting of running back Mark Ingram has sealed the fate of Bush in New Orleans. 

The former second overall draft pick has had a ton of baggage with him throughout his career. From NCAA investigations and lawsuits to surrendering the Heisman Trophy he earned through his stellar play in college, Bush seems to always be involved in some sort of controversy.

He is largely seen as a disappointment in New Orleans—a guy that has tremendous talent and explosive ability but hasn't seemed to be able to put it together on a consistent basis. He also has trouble staying healthy.

But even after all that, he is still a valuable commodity and will bring his unique talents as a runner, receiver, and returner to the fortunate team that can acquire him. 

Bush has stated he wants to remain a Saint. But both he and fellow running back Pierre Thomas have found themselves in Sean Payton's doghouse at times and one of them will most likely be shown the door.

Reggie has the better trade value and has the more expensive contract so therefore he's the more likely candidate to be shipped elsewhere in 2011.

QB Kevin Kolb

Is Kolb truly unappreciated? Not specifically, but he has been jerked around a little bit in his career with the Eagles. 

Considered to be the heir apparent to Donovan McNabb, he was slated to finally get his chance in 2010, his fourth season. He signed a one-year contract extension that paid him a healthy sum to be the starting quarterback for a trial season.

One Clay Mathews sack and a Mike Vick later, Kolb found himself again playing second fiddle. Heck, at one point Andy Reid declared Kolb as the starter one day then turned around and declared Vick as the starter two days later.

Kolb has never been given a full chance to be a starter in this league. He has shown promise but needs experience. He has been the good soldier in Philadelphia and has dealt with a situation that seems frustrating to say the least.

If and when Kolb gets traded, Eagles fans will be keeping a close track on his performances. If he proves to be a good QB, Philly fans will have fuel added to their eternal fire of agony.

QB Kyle Orton

Speaking of frustration, Orton has to be another quarterback who feels even worse than Kevin Kolb.

First he was shipped out of Chicago to Denver as part of the Jay Cutler trade so that may have left him feeling a little undesired by the Bears. After only one year as the starter for the Broncos, Orton had to deal with the selection of Tim Tebow.

The hype surrounding Tebow cast a large shadow over the future of Kyle Orton and after it was all but a certainty that the Broncos would miss the playoffs last season, Tebow began starting over Orton.

After two relatively productive years in Denver, Orton is once again being rumored to be on the trade block. His play hasn't warranted being replaced by a player such as Tebow and the main reason Denver suffered a losing season was their defense.

Heck, Orton even made Brandon Lloyd a hot fantasy football pick-up last season so he can't be all that bad.

But alas, in the not-so-distant future he may find himself in yet another town without any sense of security.