Teams across the league are racing against the clock to finalize deals before the NFL trade deadline at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
Playoff contenders have already separated themselves from the rest of the league, and they're now hoping to find the missing pieces that will catapult them from contender to champion. For the nine teams that have already fallen short, the trade market presents an opportunity to shed salary in exchange for a brighter future.
As the league gears up for the second half of the 2024 regular season, the moves made — or not made — right now could impact which way the ball bounces in January and February.
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen rose to prominence during his time with the Minnesota Vikings, where he served as a complimentary weapon alongside wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Justin Jefferson.
After nine successful seasons in Minnesota, Thielen parted ways with the Vikings in 2022. So far, that split hasn’t proved to be beneficial for either side. Minnesota attempted to replace Thielen with wide receiver Jordan Addison, but the 2022 first-round pick hasn’t been able to produce the same results as his predecessor.
There was hope that the Vikings could work out a trade to reunite with Thielen, who has found himself rotting away in Carolina. Unfortunately, the 32-year-old veteran is unlikely to be traded since he is still recovering from a hamstring injury sustained in Week 3, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.
Breer also noted that Thielen has been seeking a trade to a playoff contender, and it’s hard to blame him. The Panthers haven’t been able to establish any semblance of a consistent passing game with quarterbacks Bryce Young and Andy Dalton. Carolina has young pass catchers that could receive more snaps without Thielen ahead of them on the depth chart, but they may just have to hang on to the veteran for the remainder of the 2024 campaign.
The New England Patriots have found out the value of former head coach Bill Belichick the hard way. Sloppy play, penalties, and poor fundamentals have caused the team to lose seven of their nine games, placing them in the basement of the standings. With their season effectively over, the Patriots have been expected to trade some players that aren’t a part of their long-term plans.
Teams have called to inquire about the availability of cornerback Jonathan Jones, but New England hasn’t been interested in moving him, Breer reported.
Jones has emerged as a team leader and veteran presence in the Patriots locker room. The 31-year-old cornerback signed with the team as an undrafted free agent after the 2016 NFL Draft, and he quickly developed into a reliable starter in New England’s secondary.
New England’s defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington recently said he loves what Jones “brings to our team” and “what he’s going to bring to our team for the future,” per Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald.
The Buffalo Bills roster underwent a massive overhaul this offseason. The front office was forced to part ways with many of the team’s long-term starters to become salary cap compliant before the league year began. Simmering tensions with wide receiver Stefon Diggs also led to a blockbuster trade that sent the disgruntled veteran to the Houston Texans, and injuries since training camp have further depleted the roster.
Still, the Bills are among a handful of teams that aren’t expected to participate in the trade market, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported on Saturday.
There are certainly players on the market that Buffalo could use. Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane has been named as a potential trade candidate, and the Bills have needed help at the position ever since linebacker Matt Milano suffered a torn bicep in August.
The Raiders are clearly in a transition phase. They traded away wide receiver Davante Adams last week and fired most of their offensive coaching staff after their Week 9 loss. Spillane has emerged as one of the team’s defensive leaders, but he is in the last season of his two-year deal. The Bills appear to be satisfied with their current roster after they improved to a 7-2 record with a 30-27 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 9.
