Mac Jones back to the AFC East? Maxx Crosby to Super Bowl contender? Five NFL trades we'd love to see happen
These five trades would turn the NFL upside down
We are already feeling the tremors before the NFL offseason truly erupts over the next week. While the start of free agency is primed to take center stage, trades are also an underlying story that can jump to the forefront at any moment.
When those deals come across the wire, they oftentimes leave our jaws on the floor. This offseason, in particular, has the ability to do that in a variety of ways, as there are a slew of notable, high-profile players who are in the thick of trade rumors.
Below, we highlight five players swirled in offseason trade rumors and roll out the deals we'd like to see go down.
Mac Jones to the Miami Dolphins
Proposed trade:
- Dolphins receive: QB Mac Jones
- 49ers receive: 2026 third-round pick, conditional 2027 third-round pick
The 49ers are adamant that they'd only move Mac Jones if a trade offer blew them away. GM John Lynch told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine that it would take a "fairly strong" offer for them to even consider dealing the backup quarterback. With that in mind, a team will need to pony up, and the Dolphins do fit the bill on a couple of different fronts.
First off, they are likely to move on from Tua Tagovailoa, and that'll be a costly endeavor as the veteran quarterback carries a $99.2 million dead cap charge this offseason. That means Miami would likely want to land a quarterback on the cheap to help offset the money they are still saddled with surrounding Tagovailoa. With Jones, he makes sense from a financial standpoint, owning a measly $3.07 million cap charge for 2026. Any team acquiring Jones would likely sign him to an extension, but keeping his number low for the coming season would make life easier for the Dolphins.
Moreover, Jones fits the scheme that this new Dolphins offense is expected to run under offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who is a Kyle Shanahan disciple after working under him from 2017 to 2022 in San Francisco. Jones, who went 5-3 as the 49ers starter last season, would adapt rather quickly to playing in a similar scheme to what he was in last year.
As for the compensation, that conditional third-rounder in 2027 turns into a second if Jones plays 80% of the offensive snaps next season. So, the Niners recoup a third-rounder in 2026, essentially moving up the compensatory pick they'd receive in 2028 if they simply let him walk in free agency, while attaining a premium Day 2 selection. That should fit the bill of Lynch's "fairly strong" characterization of what could get them to move Jones.
A.J. Brown to the Buffalo Bills
Proposed trade:
- Bills receive: WR A.J. Brown
- Eagles receive: 2026 second-round pick
If there was a team that should go all-in on trying to land a wideout like A.J. Brown, it's the Buffalo Bills. A part of the reason why they were unable to take advantage of the golden opportunity of a playoff path without Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow in the AFC last season was due to their deficiencies at receiver. The club's leading wideout was Khalil Shakir, who finished 2025 with 719 yards. Meanwhile, Buffalo had eight wide receivers with 100 or more offensive snaps in 2025, which was tied for the most in the NFL. That wasn't because they were deep at the position. Instead, they were desperately trying to find someone who sticks.
Sure, Brown enters his age-29 season and has shown some signs of slowing down, but he also topped 1,000 yards over four-straight years. Despite all the drama surrounding Brown and the Eagles, he produces. If he finds himself in a situation where he's once again a focal point of the offense and has Josh Allen throwing him the football, I think we see an invigorated version of Brown, which is a scary thought for the rest of the conference.
Philadelphia has kept the door open about moving Brown, as his relationship with the organization seemingly soured. On top of that, the 2026 season is the final year that Brown has any guaranteed dollars attached to this contract, so they must soon look at extending or sweetening his deal. If they want to get out in front of that and sell while they can still get a premium pick in return, now could be the time.
A 2026 second-round pick falls somewhat in line with what the Steelers sent to the Seahawks last offseason for DK Metcalf, albeit also inking him to a monster contract. If Buffalo needs to revise Brown's deal to facilitate the deal, that asking price makes sense. Given how desperate the Bills are to cash in for a Super Bowl run while Allen is still in his prime, it wouldn't be shocking to see Howie Roseman try and make them part with their first-rounder, but we'll keep the price at a second for now.
Maxx Crosby to the Philadelphia Eagles
Proposed trade:
- Eagles receive: EDGE Maxx Crosby
- Raiders receive: 2026 first-round pick, 2027 second-round pick
Maxx Crosby's tenure with the Raiders feels like it's run its course. Las Vegas strained the relationship by shutting the star pass rusher down at the end of the year, a decision he reportedly did not support. Beyond that, however, Las Vegas is undergoing an organizational reset. The team fired Pete Carroll and hired Klint Kubiak as head coach, and is going to draft Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick at the 2026 NFL Draft, in all likelihood. By the time this Kubiak-Mendoza pairing is ready to truly contend, Crosby will be exiting his prime, so he doesn't sync up with this new era. The most prudent move for GM John Spytek is to sell Crosby now for a king's ransom.
Given that he's older (entering his age-29 season) than Micah Parsons (26) was when the Cowboys shipped him to the Packers for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark, we shouldn't expect the same return. However, Crosby will certainly fetch a first-round pick among other assets, and a team that has never been afraid to push its chips in the middle for such deals is the Eagles.
The Eagles possess the No. 23 overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and Howie Roseman should be willing to part with it (along with a second-rounder next year) if it can land him Crosby. We saw last season how impactful a legit edge rusher can be with Philadelphia after they were the No. 1 scoring defense in the league after acquiring Jaelan Phillips at the deadline in a deal with Miami. With Phillips set to be a free agent, this is an opportunity for Roseman and the Eagles to not only replace him but improve off the edge with a game-wrecker like Crosby.
Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos
Proposed trade:
- Broncos receive: 2026 first-round pick
- Dolphins receive: WR Jaylen Waddle
The Dolphins are tearing it down to the studs. The team has new leadership in GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley, and this regime already started moving on from the old guard, releasing the likes of Bradley Chubb and Tyreek Hill, while also likely to part ways with Tagovailoa in some capacity. Could Jaylen Waddle be next? Waddle is still a talented receiver and only 27 years old, so Miami could look to keep him in-house as they rebuild. That said, the guarantees on Waddle's contract run out after the 2026 season, so they'll be looking at a potential contract dispute next offseason. At that point, do the rebuilding Dolphins want to extend a receiver that takes him into his 30s? The savvier move would be to trade Waddle now and get a massive return.
If the Dolphins entertain offers for Waddle, the Broncos should be willing to put their first-rounder (No. 30 overall) on the table. Denver sought another top receiver to pair alongside Courtland Sutton and around Bo Nix for quite some time, and seeing Waddle inside a Sean Payton offense could see him reach new heights.
After making the AFC Championship, the Broncos are in a win-now window, but need to improve with the division/conference only getting more competitive, so a pursuit of Waddle makes loads of sense. For Miami, they get a first-round pick to further help in the rebuild process.
Anthony Richardson to the Minnesota Vikings
Proposed trade:
- Vikings receive: QB Anthony Richardson
- Colts receive: 2026 fifth-round pick
The Colts permitted Anthony Richardson to seek a trade, so a divorce seems likely, especially after the team placed the transition tag on Daniel Jones and continues to work on a long-term extension with him. Given that Richardson hasn't shown much over the course of his young career after being the fourth overall pick back in 2023 out of Florida, the return is hardly going to be anything to write home about. At best, Indy could be looking at a fifth-round pick in return for Richardson, given his injury history and iffy play when he's been on the field.
If you're the Vikings, this could be an option, however. Really, it depends on how Minnesota wants to operate with J.J. McCarthy. If they want to truly allow the 2024 first-round pick to firmly establish himself as their franchise quarterback, but also want to give him a little push this summer, bringing in Richardson is a nice way to do it. Richardson is a project but does have elite traits. Kevin O'Connell could have the two quarterbacks duke it out in training camp and see if they can catch lightning in a bottle with Richardson as the latest QB to revive his career. That possibility could be worth the dice roll of sending out an early Day 3 pick.
That said, if they are completely out on McCarthy, they'll be better served looking elsewhere to more established signal-callers like Kyler Murray or Kirk Cousins.
