It was right around this time last year when one of the most shocking trades in NFL history officially became reality. Odell Beckham Jr., after three stellar seasons (and one injury-marred campaign) in New York, filled with incredible displays of athleticism and other-worldly catches, was shipped off to Cleveland in return for 2019 draft picks and Jabrill Peppers.
The move was supposed to help elevate the Browns to a tier far above the rest of the AFC North and even led experts and fans alike to consider them legitimate contenders for a Super Bowl title. We all know how that went.
Trades don’t occur too frequently within the NFL, which is part of the reason that this one can be considered such a disaster for the Browns. By trading for Beckham, they gave away several important assets, committed a ton of money to the wideout and are now stuck with a player who simply doesn’t want to be in Cleveland. Yikes.
This shouldn’t discourage teams in need of a boost from making trades, though, as some have worked out very favorably for both teams. Minkah Fitzpatrick helped turn the already-good Steelers defense into a completely dominant force. The Dolphins, on the other side, received valuable draft compensation and will look to capitalize on the Steelers’ 2020 first rounder in what looks to be a great draft class.
As we head towards that aforementioned draft, several trade scenarios will be brought up, and while only a few may go down, there may be some big names involved in some of those swaps. Here are four stars that could be playing elsewhere after a trade this offseason.
Cam Newton to the Colts
Like other quarterbacks in this year’s class of potential movers, there aren’t any definitive reports that Newton is heading out of Carolina. Similarly, Derek Carr may not be heading out of Vegas so soon, as recent praise from Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock seem to indicate that they’re happy with Carr’s progress. Jameis Winston could remain with the Bucs, Tom Brady might stay in Boston and the futures of other quarterbacks are equally up in the air.
Out of all the potential candidates, though, Newton may hold the most intrigue. He’s not too far removed from MVP-level play, and his ceiling is limitless. His floor, on the other hand, is a pretty deep chasm. Should his health be a factor, he may not even be able to play. His contract is a pretty heavy burden, too, though it expires after next season. For these reasons, a rebuilding Panthers squad very well may move on from their franchise centerpiece. Sam Monson, an analyst with Pro Football Focus, thinks that this rebuild is not complete without moving on from Newton.
For all these reasons, the Colts make sense as an ideal landing spot for the 2015 MVP. Though they’ve been linked to other quarterbacks like Philip Rivers, you’d have to think that a team with a win-now mentality would be willing to go for a bolder option. Rivers is what Rivers is at this point in his career. Newton, however, holds a wide range of possibilities.
If they take a gamble on Newton -- which, considering the $86 million in cap room that they have, is a gamble that is easy to stomach -- they have a viable backup in case of any injury problems. Jacoby Brissett led the Colts to a 7-8 record last season when he was a starter. It’s not great, but it could definitely be worse. He seems to acknowledge the very realistic possibility that he no longer will be the quarterback for the Colts amid all the rumors, too.
In return, the Colts can give up their first round pick of this year, an asset that we had assigned to Utah State quarterback Jordan Love. Mortgaging that pick for a proven MVP in Cam Newton seems to be well within the realm of possibility for Indianapolis.
Stefon Diggs to the Eagles
Nearly all the buzz surrounding the Eagles’ draft day plans involves them taking a receiver in the first round. With a slew of talented options that could fall to pick No. 21, including Tee Higgins, Justin Jefferson and ideally Henry Ruggs -- though GM Howie Roseman could theoretically trade up for Ruggs if his stock continues to rise -- the Birds are focused on adding useful weapons for Carson Wentz after a disastrous, injury-filled season from the receiving corps. Alshon Jeffery also seems to want out of Philly after being the oft-rumored source of locker room tension and disagreement throughout the season.
Similarly, though not to the same extent, Stefon Diggs displayed some chemistry issues throughout his 2019 campaign as a Viking. He complained about his role and how frequently he was targeted by Kirk Cousins both early and late in the season, including an outburst of frustration in the NFC Wild Card Game against the Saints.
If the Eagles are willing to part ways with their first round pick in return for Diggs -- which doesn’t seem like a bad idea, given that they’d receive a proven commodity at the position they’re likely to address -- it might be enough to convince the Vikings to let him go. The idea has been brought up before, and you'd have to think it's brewing once again.
Become a more informed bettor with BetQL. Keep up to date with betting the NFL at BetQL where you can find real time updated lines and spreads for every game this season!
Trent Williams to the Browns
There are more than a few teams that could seek out Williams’ services.
The Jets are one of them. Though much of the blame was placed on Sam Darnold and Le’Veon Bell for failing to play up to expectations, the offensive line should be held most culpable for the Jets’ misfortunes last year. Pro Football Focus ranked them as a bottom-five offensive line, and the potential departures of free agent tackles Kelvin Beachum and Brandon Shell are reasons as to why the Jets have been linked as a good fit for Trent Williams by some.
But the reasons against such a signing is that the Jets have so many other needs to fill and might not be able to commit the type of money Williams wants -- the highest salary for any tackle in football -- to just one player, as pointed about by Brian Costello of the New York Post.
The Arizona Cardinals, similarly, want to protect their young quarterback and have a solid amount of cap room with which they can pursue Williams. However, they also recently re-signed left tackle D.J. Humphries to a deal worth $45 million over three years, which is pretty serious money when considering they’d have to commit quite a bit to Williams in the long term as well.
Thus, the most logical fit for the 31-year-old may be in Cleveland, where another young QB struggled behind an inept offensive line. The Browns do have a great opportunity to address their offensive line weakness in the draft with the No. 10 pick. Fans have even proposed that as a reason not to acquire Williams, but Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot mentions his relationship with new coach Bill Callahan and the fact that Williams practically guarantees to be good whereas any draft pick carries the chance of flopping.
The Browns could still keep their first round pick given the injury risk, age and contract issues that come with Williams, lowering his value. Thus, they might be able to facilitate a deal with Washington that appeases both sides. Will they be willing to go all in on Williams, a player who openly complained about his time in Washington, after the whole situation that unfolded with Odell Beckham? Only time will tell.
Yannick Ngakoue to the Lions
Detroit had a multitude of problem areas last year on defense, so it makes sense that many mock drafts and rumors have them looking at either versatile phenom Isaiah Simmons or stellar cornerback Jeff Okudah in the draft. While both of those guys would likely make a huge impact in the team’s coverage defense (and Simmons in several other areas), the team’s pass rush is another major concern. They ranked dead last in 2019 with a 24% team pass rush win rate, according to ESPN Analytics.
An impact player that could change that stat immediately is Yannick Ngakoue, who was a large part of the Jaguars’ seventh-ranked pass rush win rate (48%). Jeff Risdon of LionsWire on USA Today thinks that Detroit “should make a play” for Ngakoue but cites that Darius Slay, likely the Lions’ preferred trade chip, would be a “tougher sell” given the Jaguars’ cap situation. But after releasing Snacks Harrison and enduring such a poor defensive season, the Lions could be looking to facilitate such a deal that would enable the Jaguars to take on Slay. The Jaguars are also in dire need of secondary support given the departures of Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye over the past year.
Adding Ngakoue and either Simmons/Okudah in the draft bumps the Lions defense into an entirely different tier than where it sits currently.
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM Sports
Twitter I Facebook I Instagram