The 2024 NFL season kicks off in September, which means teams have another month to make moves before Week 1 kicks off. With training camp underway, we’re highlighting 10 NFL moves we’d love to see happen in August including a few trades.
We’ll be as realistic as possible with the NFL moves we’d like to see, avoiding unfathomable scenarios like a Dak Prescott trade. Instead, we’ll highlight some actions clubs can take over the next month to either improve their roster or long-term outlook beyond the 2025 season.
Dallas Cowboys make Dak Prescott the highest-paid NFL player ever
It would be a colossal mistake for the Dallas Cowboys to allow this to be Dak Prescott’s last season with the team. From a financial standpoint alone, letting Prescott walk in NFL free agency next offseason would leave Dallas with a $40.137 million cap hit (Spotrac) with a void at quarterback. Plus, it would thrust the Cowboys into quarterback purgatory and they can ask the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears how long that lasts. It would be a franchise-altering mistake.
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The solution? Sign Prescott to a four-year extension with a $59 million average annual value. That might seem ludicrous on the surface, considering the highest-paid quarterbacks currently make $55 million annually. However, Prescott holds all the leverage and it’s widely believed he’d receive offers worth $60-plus million on the open market. If the Cowboys don’t extend Prescott’s contract now, they will be paying for it in 2025. Then again, it sure seems like Jerry Jones doesn’t learn from his mistakes.
San Francisco 49ers extend Brandon Aiyuk
We certainly could’ve included a Brandon Aiyuk trade among the NFL moves we’d love to see, but it just wouldn’t make sense for the San Francisco 49ers. Teams in Super Bowl contention can’t afford to trade an All-Pro talent for future draft picks before the regular season. It diminishes their Super Bowl hopes and sends a bad message to the locker room.
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So, extending Aiyuk’s contract is the only option. The mistake the 49ers’ front office made is waiting this long as many of Aiyuk’s peers did the work for him with contracts worth $30-plus million annually. Aiyuk is a legitimate All-Pro talent and one of the best route runners in the NFL. The connection he has with Brock Purdy and his importance to the 49ers’ offense warrants a four-year extension at a $30M AAV tag. Of course, it also means San Francisco has to part with Deebo Samuel next offseason but that’s the price of doing business.
Pittsburgh Steelers swing trade for New York Giants’ Darius Slayton
The focus on young wideout Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt doesn’t leave much room for Darius Slayton. He’s delivered 700-plus receiving yards in consecutive seasons and proven he can be a solid contributor. With a Brandon Aiyuk trade likely off the table for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Slayton stands out as an affordable option. Landing him, likely at the cost of a Day 3 pick swap in 2025, would give Pittsburgh a slot receiver who can make some plays in the intermediate area of Arthur Smith’s offense. Plus, Slayton’s arrival would put less pressure on rookie Roman Wilson.
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Kansas City Chiefs sign left tackle David Bakhtiari
Early in training camp the Kansas City Chiefs seemed to prefer rookie Kingsley Suamataia in the battle at left tackle with Wanya Morris. Starting either player wouldn’t dramatically change the Chiefs’ outlook this season, but there’s room for improvement. David Bakhtiari, near the end of his recovery from knee surgery in October, stands out as the best option. He surrendered just 19 pressures across 835 pass-blocking snaps (PFF) in the last four seasons, so while he might no longer be playing at an All-Pro level, he stands out as a superior option to Morris and Suamataia.
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Seattle Seahawks bolster offensive line with Connor Williams
The only thing preventing the Seattle Seahawks from having one of the best NFL offenses in 2024 is the offensive line. We feel confident in left tackle Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas brings some upside at right tackle. Unfortunately, there’s a big hole at center. Williams, who met with the Seahawks in July was an above-average starter with the Miami Dolphins before an ACL tear in Week 14 last season. If he’s medically cleared and can return to form, he would be a tremendous addition to the Seahawks offensive line.
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Philadelphia Eagles upgrade secondary with Justin Simmons
We’d have put Justin Simmons to the Philadelphia Eagles among the NFL moves we’d liked to have seen before June. Months later, the veteran safety is somehow still available. Among the reasons it’s a fit, Simmons has played for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio before. Considering the difficult transition many players have in the first few months under Fangio’s system, that experience could make a big difference. Plus, adding Simmons to the Eagles secondary would fill a hole and could help this defense really turn things around in 2024.
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Arizona Cardinals add Carl Lawson to pass rush
As if the Arizona Cardinals defense wasn’t big enough of a concern entering training camp, edge rusher BJ Ojulari went down with an ACL tear early in practice. Jonathan Gannon needs to find bodies at this point. Carl Lawson isn’t anything close to the player he used to be before suffering an Achilles tear, but he’s just two seasons removed from netting 24 QB hits and 7 sacks in 2022. Arizona can provide Lawson snaps and he’ll give them something of a positive impact.
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Indianapolis Colts finally address FS with Quandre Diggs signing
Don’t ask us to explain why it’s taken the Indianapolis Colts so long to address a glaring need. Fans wanted to see free safety added at the start of NFL free agency. It’s now August and the hole remains just as big. Fortunately, Quandre Diggs is still available. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Diggs is still a pretty solid starter and he knows what he’s doing on the field. Adding another defensive back with a high football IQ and an understanding of how to play his role would make a difference for Indianapolis, especially considering the youth in the Colts’ secondary.
Green Bay Packers trade for Atlanta Falcons QB Taylor Heinicke
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love will be an MVP candidate in 2024 and his ceiling rivals some of the top players in the league. It could also be argued that the Packers’ backup quarterbacks might not belong on an NFL roster right now. Even a multi-week injury for Love would be disastrous for the Packers. That is, unless they acquire a reliable veteran option to back up Love. Taylor Heinicke carries a reasonable $4.53 million cap hit this season and he should be expendable as Atlanta’s third-string quarterback. With a career 84.2 QB rating, he’s an ideal fill-in starter,
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