Yogibear
Footballguy
I was looking on www.nfl.com, and they suggested at least 3 trades that just make sense and that should happen before the start of the season:
Teddy Bridgewater to the Jacksonville Jaguars
There's an argument to be made for New York ignoring this avenue entirely. For the first time in countless Earth eons, the Jets have their hands on two totally serviceable, young signal-callers: Bridgewater and Sam Darnold. Back in March, general manager Mike Maccagnan had no way to crystal ball the notion that Darnold would be available for him in the draft, wisely padding the roster with a back-from-injury Bridgewater at the outset of free agency. Playing under a one-year, $6 million pact, though, Teddy's also a short-term answer for a club that already has its quarterback of tomorrow.
With Darnold being groomed to start right away -- and reliable veteran Josh McCown due to make $10 million this fall -- Bridgewater is one of the league's most swappable signal-callers. New York could stumble onto a hefty haul if a playoff-hungry team suddenly loses its starter, but Bridgewater has a market either way. Not to completely dismiss Blake Bortles, who played strong football in the playoffs, but Jacksonville would make perfect sense. Even if you choose to stick with Bortles out of the gate, Bridgewater would give the Jaguars an exciting, accurate option to turn to if the wheels come off the QB1 on this otherwise Super Bowl-ready roster.
Earl Thomas to the Dallas Cowboys
The ponderous tug of war between the Seahawks and their star safety has doubled as a fruitless stalemate with no end in sight.
"If you're risking your body to deliver all of this value to an organization, then you deserve some sort of assurance that the organization will take care of you if you get hurt," Thomas wrote earlier this month in The Players' Tribune. "This isn't new, and this isn't complicated. It's the reason I'm holding out."
With talks nonexistent and the 'Hawks harboring no plans to offer an extension, it's high time to move on. Besides, Thomas promises to look almost out of place in a post-Legion of Boom secondary bereft of his former teammates.
Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said in July that no recent talks had unfurled, but front-office types enjoy playing coy. NFL Network's Jane Slater reported that there had been "no movement" as of Monday, but made clear that this could change in the wake of a preseason bout that featured multiple injuries in Dallas' secondary. When this deal finally happens, it'll feel dangerously anticlimactic after doubling for months as the most obvious of swaps.
Khalil Mack to the Seattle Seahawks
Trading away your finest player makes zero sense, but what if he refuses to suit up? Last we heard, there was "no end in sight" on a long-term extension between the Raiders and their pass-rushing whirlwind. Docked more than $1.6 million for missing a pair of preseason games, Mack looms as a growing threat to hold out into September.
Ideally, both Mack and Rams quarterback-killer Aaron Donald will see new deals before Week 1. But while Los Angeles has "increased dialogue" with Donald, Mack -- scheduled to make $13.846 million in the final year of his rookie deal -- is barely in communication with the team and carries zero shared history with coach Jon Gruden.
While refusing to acknowledge Mack's absence as a distraction, Gruden sits in a unique spot. Where 90 percent of the men in his position would be forced to think about the job-security angle of shipping Mack out of the building, Chucky is operating under a 10-year, $100 million guaranteed pact from owner Mark Davis. In the NFL, that doubles as pure power.
This offseason revealed Gruden's desire to part with certain players he doesn't align with (read: accomplished punter Marquette King) while injecting the roster with a heavy veteran presence. The Raiders are a lesser team without Mack, but Gruden might listen to a suitor floating multiple high draft picks in return. It would be fascinating to see which clubs might play ball, but for the sake of providing a destination in this piece, perhaps the rebuilding Seahawks -- in need of a foundation-changing pass rusher -- would view this as their first massive acquisition of a new era.
Teddy Bridgewater to the Jacksonville Jaguars
There's an argument to be made for New York ignoring this avenue entirely. For the first time in countless Earth eons, the Jets have their hands on two totally serviceable, young signal-callers: Bridgewater and Sam Darnold. Back in March, general manager Mike Maccagnan had no way to crystal ball the notion that Darnold would be available for him in the draft, wisely padding the roster with a back-from-injury Bridgewater at the outset of free agency. Playing under a one-year, $6 million pact, though, Teddy's also a short-term answer for a club that already has its quarterback of tomorrow.
With Darnold being groomed to start right away -- and reliable veteran Josh McCown due to make $10 million this fall -- Bridgewater is one of the league's most swappable signal-callers. New York could stumble onto a hefty haul if a playoff-hungry team suddenly loses its starter, but Bridgewater has a market either way. Not to completely dismiss Blake Bortles, who played strong football in the playoffs, but Jacksonville would make perfect sense. Even if you choose to stick with Bortles out of the gate, Bridgewater would give the Jaguars an exciting, accurate option to turn to if the wheels come off the QB1 on this otherwise Super Bowl-ready roster.
Earl Thomas to the Dallas Cowboys
The ponderous tug of war between the Seahawks and their star safety has doubled as a fruitless stalemate with no end in sight.
"If you're risking your body to deliver all of this value to an organization, then you deserve some sort of assurance that the organization will take care of you if you get hurt," Thomas wrote earlier this month in The Players' Tribune. "This isn't new, and this isn't complicated. It's the reason I'm holding out."
With talks nonexistent and the 'Hawks harboring no plans to offer an extension, it's high time to move on. Besides, Thomas promises to look almost out of place in a post-Legion of Boom secondary bereft of his former teammates.
Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said in July that no recent talks had unfurled, but front-office types enjoy playing coy. NFL Network's Jane Slater reported that there had been "no movement" as of Monday, but made clear that this could change in the wake of a preseason bout that featured multiple injuries in Dallas' secondary. When this deal finally happens, it'll feel dangerously anticlimactic after doubling for months as the most obvious of swaps.
Khalil Mack to the Seattle Seahawks
Trading away your finest player makes zero sense, but what if he refuses to suit up? Last we heard, there was "no end in sight" on a long-term extension between the Raiders and their pass-rushing whirlwind. Docked more than $1.6 million for missing a pair of preseason games, Mack looms as a growing threat to hold out into September.
Ideally, both Mack and Rams quarterback-killer Aaron Donald will see new deals before Week 1. But while Los Angeles has "increased dialogue" with Donald, Mack -- scheduled to make $13.846 million in the final year of his rookie deal -- is barely in communication with the team and carries zero shared history with coach Jon Gruden.
While refusing to acknowledge Mack's absence as a distraction, Gruden sits in a unique spot. Where 90 percent of the men in his position would be forced to think about the job-security angle of shipping Mack out of the building, Chucky is operating under a 10-year, $100 million guaranteed pact from owner Mark Davis. In the NFL, that doubles as pure power.
This offseason revealed Gruden's desire to part with certain players he doesn't align with (read: accomplished punter Marquette King) while injecting the roster with a heavy veteran presence. The Raiders are a lesser team without Mack, but Gruden might listen to a suitor floating multiple high draft picks in return. It would be fascinating to see which clubs might play ball, but for the sake of providing a destination in this piece, perhaps the rebuilding Seahawks -- in need of a foundation-changing pass rusher -- would view this as their first massive acquisition of a new era.
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