The 2020 NFL trade deadline is quickly approaching. It promises to be more active than in previous seasons with two additional teams slated to make the playoffs this coming January.
Even if some of these players remain with their teams through the Nov. 3 deadline, there’s a good chance that they will ultimately be subjected to trade rumors once the 2021 NFL offseason comes calling.
From a former Super Bowl MVP in Mile High to a star wide receiver in Ohio, here’s a look at eight NFL stars who will be wearing news uniforms in 2021 via a trade.
Von Miller trade makes sense for the Denver Broncos
It’s almost a foregone conclusion that Miller has played his final game with the Broncos. As far as NFL trades go, we fully expect Denver to kick the tires on this possibility after the former Super Bowl MVP suffered a serious ankle injury during training camp. In fact, there were rumors of a potential Von Miller trade leading up to the start of the 2020 NFL season.
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Miller, 31, is set to count $22.23 million against the cap next season. He registered a seven-year low eight sacks in 2019. With Bradley Chubb as the future face of the Broncos’ defense, it just makes too much sense for this team to trade Miller. Among those potentially interested, the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles would seem like reasonable fits.
Patriots already kicked the tires on Stephon Gilmore trade
The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year was absolutely awesome for New England last season, registering 20 passes defended and a league-high six interceptions while yielding a sub 50 passer rating when targeted. That’s why it was a shock to learn that the Patriots nearly traded Gilmore this past offseason.
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Then again, this does seem to be the MO of one Bill Belichick — the ability to acquire draft-pick capital for players in the back end of their primes. At 30, that’s exactly what the game’s best cornerback is. Gilmore is also slated to count $17.17 million against the cap in 2021, the final year of his contract. If Gilmore is traded, the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos out west would make the most sense.
Browns could decide to trade Nick Chubb
This NFL trade could be seen a mile away. Cleveland’s decision to hand running back Kareem Hunt a two-year, $12 million contract in September seems to signal that something is up with Chubb. He’s slated to become a free agent following the 2021 season and will likely demand a contract on par with what Christian McCaffrey received in Carolina.
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If the Browns were to kick the tires on this possibility, there would be no limited number of teams interested in Chubb’s services. Still only 24 years old, Chubb tallied 1,772 total yards and eight touchdowns at a clip of 5.9 yards per touch as a sophomore back in 2019.
Giants could opt to trade Saquon Barkley
We focused on this immediately after the Barkley suffered a torn ACL during Week 2 of the 2020 NFL season. Having already been hobbled by injury as a sophomore back in 2019, the former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year’s durability might now come into question. One of the most-explosive backs in the NFL, Barkley will also be looking for a huge extension come March. Would the Giants be able to justify that?
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From a pure on-field standpoint, trading Barkley in order to acquire help at other positions of need for quarterback Daniel Jones would make sense. The former Penn State star would still be a valuable trade commodity given that he’s tallied 3,563 total yards in 31 games. The Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers pop up as teams that might be interested in the stud back.
A Derwin James NFL trade could make sense for the Chargers
An All-Pro performer as a rookie back in 2018, James missed all but five games of the 2019 campaign to injury. He then suffered a torn meniscus in the knee during training camp in August of 2020. This means the former first-round pick could have potentially played in just five games in two seasons once the 2021 campaign comes calling.
As for a potential trade, it might now make sense for Los Angeles to move on from the stud safety. The team has an ultra-talented young cover safety in that of Desmond King who could take over full-time duties. Netting a valuable pick from a safety-needy team would also be key for the Chargers. It’s in this that the Dallas Cowboys would make sense.
Further injuries could lead to 49ers trading Jimmy Garoppolo
This could be about injuries more than anything else. Garoppolo suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 2 of the 2020 campaign. That came after the Super Bowl quarterback missed all but three games during the 2018 season to a torn ACL. In the modern NFL, teams need their quarterback to remain healthy. Throughout his near three-year tenure in San Francisco, Garoppolo has not been able to do that.
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In terms of a potential market for Garoppolo’s services, it would be pretty darn vast. The 28-year-old quarterback is set to count just $26.9 million against the cap in 2021. That’s a smallish figure given how the quarterback market continues to reset itself. Garoppolo has also accounted for nearly 6,700 yards with 43 touchdowns and 21 interceptions for a 100.4 rating while posting a 20-6 record in 26 starts for the 49ers. A team like his hometown Chicago Bears would view Garoppolo as a major upgrade.
Lions could start anew with rebuild by trading Matthew Stafford
Matt Patricia is on his last legs as the Lions’ head coach. It never really made sense for the team to hire a defensive-minded head coach with a franchise quarterback in Stafford still calling the shots. Now that Detroit needs to go into full-scale rebuild mode, it makes perfect sense for the team to trade the 32-year-old signal caller. Additionally, one has to wonder if Stafford wants to take part in a rebuild given the drama we saw unfold between him and the team during the 2020 offseason.
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As for a potential market, over half the NFL would view this former No. 1 overall pick as an upgrade at quarterback. Stafford has put up 261 career touchdowns compared to just 136 interceptions while throwing for north of 4,000 yards seven times in his career. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears would likely top the list of interested teams.
Odell Beckham Jr. trade seems inevitable
The one NFL trade that looked inevitable ever since he was acquired from the New York Giants ahead of the 2019 season, further trade rumors have surrounded Beckham Jr. That has been the case during the 2020 season, too. If Cleveland is intent on keeping Baker Mayfield as its franchise quarterback, the team is more than likely going to move on from OBJ. Simply put, the two have not meshed together.
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With that said, there would still be a nice amount of interest in Beckham’s services given his previous success with the Giants. Remember, the San Francisco 49ers actually offered more to New York for OBJ before he was traded to Cleveland. The Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders would also make sense.
Video has been added and this story has been updated.