We’ll likely see at least a couple NFL quarterbacks moved ahead of the NFL trade deadline on November 2. One deal of this ilk has already happened with veteran Joe Flacco being sent from the Philadelphia Eagles to the New York Jets following the injury to rookie signal caller Zach Wilson.
Whether it’s a contending team looking to either overcome injuries under center or another squad attempting to rebuild on the fly, there’s numerous options available on the trade block. Below, we look at five NFL quarterbacks who could be traded before the deadline.
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Green Bay Packers trade Jordan Love in win-now move
There’s absolutely no telling whether reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers will be back with Green Bay in 2022. This past off-season was filled with discontent on the part of the quarterback, leading to a trade request. Things were quietly resolved behind the scenes. At the very least, they were pushed until next spring.
With the Packers now at 6-1 and in the midst of a six-game winning streak, it might now be time for them to use Jordan Love as trade bait ahead of the Nov. 2 deadline. If general manager Brian Gutekunst is confident Rodgers will be back, moving off this 2020 first-round pick makes sense. Perhaps, sending him to the Houston Texans for Brandin Cooks could be in the cards.
San Francisco 49ers cut ties with Jimmy Garoppolo
There’s an off-chance that Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears could be Garoppolo’s final outing as a member of the 49ers. There’s a continued push for the struggling 2-4 team to replace this Super Bowl quarterback with rookie No. 3 pick Trey Lance. A loss to the Bears in Garoppolo’s home state would add another layer to that.
Now, we know Garoppolo isn’t one of the best NFL quarterbacks today. He’s also counting $26.38 million against the cap in 2021. Even then, there’s a scenario in place that suggests San Francisco could eat a lot of that salary in an attempt to acquire a mid-round pick for the 29-year-old signal caller. It needs all the help it can get from a draft pick standpoint after selling the farm for Lance. A team like the Denver Broncos or aforementioned Houston Texans make sense.
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One of the best young NFL quarterbacks heads to Philadelphia
We already know that Deshaun Watson is likely to be dealt ahead of the NFL trade deadline. A recent report from insider Josina Anderson also now indicates that it is not Miami or bust for the reigning NFL passing yards leader. There’s a rather simple reason for this. The Philadelphia Eagles have been linked to the stud young signal caller on a near never-ending loop over the past several months.
With Philly struggling to a 2-5 start to the season and Jalen Hurts looking like anything but a franchise-caliber quarterback, this could be the end result. The Eagles will likely have three first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft — two of which would be in the top 10 as of right now. They could also potentially use Hurts as bait to entice Houston into a trade. The lifeless Eagles are in need of a franchise-altering move. Watson would provide that.
Jared Goff sent packing to Pittsburgh Steelers
Acquiring Goff from the Los Angeles Rams as part of a huge bounty for Matthew Stafford was a means to an end. The Detroit Lions can’t possibly view him as part of what promises to be a long-term rebuild with the team at 0-7 on the season.
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Whether Goff provides much trade value remains to be seen. What we do know is that the Steelers are in need of someone to take over for the tapped out Ben Roethlisberger as soon as the 2022 season. Mason Rudolph is not that guy. Moving Rudolph and a third-round pick as well as change to take a chance on Goff should be the end game here. Pittsburgh isn’t going into rebuild mode. At the very least, Goff could act as a stopgap option while keeping Mike Tomlin’s squad in playoff contention.