With the 2025 NFL trade deadline in the rearview mirror, it’s a natural break point to start looking ahead to the 2026 offseason when the trade window will open back up. Plenty will happen in the meantime to impact the league landscape, from the second half of the regular season to the playoffs and more, but we can already start to see what the picture will look like. This past deadline continues to prove that we are in a new era of player movement, with front offices willing to be more aggressive and more creative to lean into contending or rebuilding or whatever they view as their window.
Here’s a handful of players who weren’t traded this past week but who could be on the move come the spring. This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list, just a teaser for some of the bigger names.
Browns DE Myles Garrett
The Browns spent this past offseason rebuffing all trade callers for Garrett despite the veteran’s attempts to pressure a trade to another team, one he thought might be better positioned to win. In the end, Garrett caved and took the money, signing a deal worth $40 million a year that seemed like it would put an end to all trade speculation.
Yet once again Garrett popped up in trade rumors this season. It was more understated than when Garrett took to the media row at the Super Bowl to lobby for a trade; the buzz mainly consisted of a couple of different national writers separately publishing columns articulating the stance for why Cleveland should trade Garrett, even after the extension. That might have been a clue about teams calling the Browns to check their resolve after a poor start to the season. All of it was enough for the team to put out the word they still weren’t trading Garrett.
Those calls figure to continue into the offseason as the Browns continue their multi-year rebuild. There will be opportunities for the Browns to change their mind, and there’s a strong case to be made for trading Garrett even though he’s one of the two or three best defensive players in football. Cleveland’s roster is in rough shape, even with a promising start by the 2025 rookie class. Over The Cap has the Browns $34 million in the red in effective cap space for 2026, which accounts for filling out a full roster and signing a draft class. The Browns have just 34 players under contract with major needs at wide receiver, probably four out of five offensive line spots, defensive tackle and defensive end, linebacker, cornerback, safety and, of course, quarterback.
Cleveland has 10 draft picks, including an extra first, to start chipping away at those needs, but that makes 2027 the earliest the team can realistically expect to be competitive, and that’s if the rebuild goes well. Garrett turns 32 in 2027 and will be playing out the last of the guarantees in the contract he signed. While he’s a phenomenal player, expecting him to be the same transcendent force at 32 that he is now might not be realistic. His trade value is also significantly higher now than it will be in 2027. If the question is what will help the Browns more in 2027 and beyond — three first-round picks or Garrett — it’s hard not to come down on the picks side.
These are all reasons the Browns arguably should have traded Garrett instead of giving him even more money this past offseason but the contract is not an insurmountable obstacle. Trading Garrett next offseason will trigger a $41 million dead cap charge, $17 million more than his current scheduled cap hit. That means the Browns would have $17 million less in cap space to work with than they would otherwise, a challenge considering what their books already look like but not insurmountable, especially if they’re getting back more picks to use. A trade would also free Cleveland from the responsibility of paying the remaining $166 million on Garrett’s deal, which is money that won’t be added to the Browns’ dead cap burden.
Other teams can put this together just as well as I can, which is why the Browns got calls about Garrett ahead of the deadline this year and will likely continue to get calls next offseason. It’s far from a sure thing Garrett is traded, as the Browns have been unconvinced by arguments this whole year, but there’s always the possibility they change their mind.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray
Things have become weird between the Cardinals and Murray this season, even before his foot injury in a shocking upset collapse against the Titans earlier this season. There was a sense that Murray and the offense the Cardinals were trying to run were a little like oil and water, and neither was really maximizing the other. After a 2-0 start, Murray and the Cardinals faded to three straight losses.
Murray missed two games and the bye week with his foot sprain. Heading into the Week 9 game against the Cowboys, there was mid-week optimism that Murray was practicing and would return to the starting lineup. However, that shifted abruptly, and this week Murray was placed on injured reserve, sidelining him for four games minimum. There was no word on why exactly the pivot was made.
However, it does appear that veteran QB Jacoby Brissett had something to do with it. Brissett has shown why he was a priority addition this offseason to reunite with OC Drew Petzing, who was on the coaching staff for the 2022 Browns. Brissett started 11 games that year and had 12 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 4-7 record. This year, Brissett is 1-2 but helped snap Arizona’s losing streak and has six touchdowns to only one interception so far. It’s a small sample size but he’s unquestionably playing better than Murray.
It’s tough to lean on one stat as a catch-all for quarterbacks, but there are a few I like. Adjusted net yards per attempt gives quarterbacks bonuses for touchdowns and dings them for negative plays like sacks and interceptions. Basically it measures how well they’re operating the offense. Brissett is 13th in the league right now with an ANY/A of 6.75. Murray is 32nd at 4.72. The gap isn’t as wide in other areas, but pick any stat you want — PFF passing grade, ESPN’s QBR, EPA per play, etc. Brissett is outperforming Murray in all of them.
Murray’s injury and HC Jonathan Gannon’s proclivity for giving mixed messaging to reporters — or outright lying — is clouding the situation. But the tea leaves are all pointing at Murray being benched and the relationship between him and the team fracturing. This was supposed to be the year the Cardinals took a step forward and competed for a playoff berth. Gannon and GM Monti Ossenfort had been building the roster up, and Murray was fully healthy with multiple years banked in the system. Instead, the team has three wins in eight games.
When teams fail to meet expectations, there are usually consequences, and in this case, Gannon and Ossenfort could sacrifice Murray to save their jobs. It’s not like they won’t have a case with some of Murray’s inconsistencies, and there’s reason to think owner Michael Bidwill will be inclined to give them a chance to succeed or fail with a quarterback of their own choosing, as Bidwill’s doubts about Murray are plain to see in the infamous “homework clause” in Murray’s contract.
The next challenge will be trading Murray. While the talent is obvious for the former No. 1 pick, all the intangibles of being a quarterback remain a question mark, and this is now the second coaching staff where the relationship has run its course. Murray has three years remaining on the four-year, $230 million extension he signed, and is due a little over $40 million with $36.8 million of that guaranteed in 2026. Another $19.5 million in 2027 becomes guaranteed in March, making it either a two-year commitment for a new team or a really expensive one-year deal.
All of those factors will combine to weigh down Murray’s trade value but it still feels like the Cardinals should be able to find a trade partner given Murray’s talent, the leaguewide demand at the position and the recent history of successful QB reclamation projects. It might not be a haul of multiple firsts, it might not even be a first-round pick. Arizona might have to eat some money to facilitate a deal. But the Cardinals should be able to find a trade partner for Murray.
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa
Tagovailoa is another quarterback who seems to be on a trajectory from franchise starter to potentially on a new team. He leads the league in interceptions and his struggles are a big reason the Dolphins are just 2-7. With GM Chris Grier getting the axe and HC Mike McDaniel on the hot seat, Tagovailoa also faces major pressure on his job security the rest of the season. Significant change is on the way for Miami this offseason.
When McDaniel was hired, he was tasked with getting the most out of Tagovailoa, and in many ways, it felt like he did that. He tailored the offensive scheme and personnel to maximize what Tagovailoa did best, and there were some bright moments. But it always felt like there were limitations, or that the Dolphins and Tagovailoa couldn’t thrive unless things were perfect. Tagovailoa’s mega contract put a lot of pressure on the roster around him and the Dolphins have hemorrhaged talent the past couple of seasons.
The road for Tagovailoa to keep his job in 2026 seems slim and it feels like there are more ways this ends up being his final season. Either McDaniel is fired and a new coach wants his own quarterback, or McDaniel ends up benching Tagovailoa to try and save his own job after going as far as Tagovailoa can take him.
If the Dolphins do decide to move on, trading Tagovailoa is far preferable to having to cut him outright. He’s due $54 million fully guaranteed next year, and cutting him would trigger an NFL-record $99 million dead cap hit — more than the $85 million the Broncos incurred for moving on from QB Russell Wilson. Tagovailoa will be just 28 years old next year and should have more trade value than Wilson, but the Dolphins almost certainly will have to pay some of his contract in a deal with another team.
Giants DT Dexter Lawrence
One of the best defensive linemen in football and one of the NFL’s most unique skillsets, Lawrence has become a hot topic in New York because of his lack of production this year amidst the overall defensive struggles. He came into the season with 21 sacks in the past three years, but has just half a sack so far in 2025. Sacks can be a noisy stat, but his pressure rate and other numbers are down as well. It led former Giants LB Carl Banks, who works for the team media, to call Lawrence out publicly, which the veteran didn’t take kindly to.
Lawrence is correct that he’s being double-teamed as much as ever, and for whatever it’s worth Pro Football Focus has him graded No. 15 at the position this year. But as we finish the week where one New York team traded a star defensive tackle for a cache of draft picks to rebuild under a new regime, it’s worth thinking about whether that’s what the future holds for the other New York franchise.
Time will tell how hot the seat gets for HC Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen but the Giants are just 2-7 even after turning to first-round QB Jaxson Dart. Their record in charge is 20-39-1, and that’s inflated from their 9-7-1 debut season. Dart’s development is the thin thread potentially keeping them afloat, and if the results don’t improve, it’s hard to see that being enough.
New regimes mean change, and Lawrence probably doesn’t have a whole lot of appetite for a rebuild at this point in his career. He’s due $42 million with no guarantees in the final two years on his contract after 2025, so that’s setting up to be another potential point of conflict with the front office. It would not surprise me to learn that Lawrence has requested a trade behind the scenes and it just hasn’t become public yet.
Whether it’s the same bosses or new bosses, there are multiple paths to the same decision: trading Lawrence to get younger and cheaper to build around Dart, who needs a lot of help on offense.
Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson
After being on the trade block virtually this entire offseason, history is poised to repeat itself between Hendrickson and the Bengals. Cincinnati preserved the right to use the franchise tag on Hendrickson once his contract expires after this season, setting up another potential contract standoff, except this time with less leverage for the Bengals. Hendrickson was under contract and could be fined for skipping practices this past year. In 2026, he’s not under contract until he signs the tag, so the only money he misses out on is if he skips games.
Tagging Hendrickson would cost the Bengals a little over $30 million if they go through with it. Assuming Hendrickson remains consistent in his desire for a long-term contract, the two sides are set for even more tension. The Bengals considered trading Hendrickson at multiple points this past year, even if their asking price was high. You have to think that would be even more of a consideration with less leverage in 2026.
Cowboys WR George Pickens
Another potential franchise tag candidate, Pickens was in the final year of his rookie contract when the Cowboys traded a third-round pick to the Steelers to acquire him after the draft. Dallas was content to let him go into the year without a new deal with the thought that he’d be extra motivated to prove himself. With WR CeeDee Lamb sidelined for a few games, Pickens has stepped up as a true No. 1 target. He has 49 catches for 764 yards and six touchdowns in nine games.
Pickens has made himself a ton of money, either from Dallas or if he reaches unrestricted free agency given how much the receiver market has grown. He’s still a bit of a loose cannon but has reined those tendencies in to a degree so far for the Cowboys. He’s a compelling candidate for the franchise tag, projected to be a little more than $28 million. After that, things get interesting.
The same agent who represented Micah Parsons, David Mulugheta, represents Pickens, so any contract talks after the tag have the potential to get as sour and contentious as talks with Parsons did — perhaps even more given Pickens’ reputation. Dallas has some financial constraints as well that a $28 million tag would put pressure on, so there’s a chance they franchise Pickens with the intent to do a trade, not a deal. The Cowboys could probably recoup the value they gave up and should certainly be able to get more than the potential compensatory pick if they let him walk.
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts
The third and final potential franchise tag candidate listed here, Pitts is having his best season since his rookie year. He still has just one touchdown catch on the season but he already has nearly as many catches (43) as he did all of last year (47) and is averaging just under 50 yards a game. Still, there’s a sense that the Falcons are leaving meat on the bone with him.
Pitts is playing out the final year of his contract on a $10.878 million fifth-year option. Next year, it’s projected to cost in the neighborhood of $16 million to use the franchise tag and keep him from the open market. That will eat up the vast majority of the Falcons’ cap space, forcing them to start restructuring a bunch of contracts if they want to free up more room. That’s assuming that the current regime stays in place, which is not a guarantee if Atlanta misses the playoffs again.
That means there could be multiple avenues to a tag-and-trade situation for Pitts, with either the current or a new front office deciding that different resource allocation is needed. If the coaching staff can’t maximize Pitts’ value on the field, perhaps the front office can maximize his value off of it.
Giants DE Kayvon Thibodeaux
Circling back to the Giants, Thibodeaux was one of the players they received significant trade interest for this past week or so. New York batted away all calls with a high asking price of a first-round pick, telling teams and media that Thibodeaux was in the plans for 2026, which would be the final year of his contract under a $14.751 million fifth-year option.
However, it’s easy to connect the dots and speculate about Thibodeaux’s long-term viability with the Giants. The selection of first-round OLB Abdul Carter at the top of this past draft created a logjam with him, OLB Brian Burns and Thibodeaux, and the investment in Carter and Burns is more significant than the investment in Thibodeaux. They’re finding room for all three to play for the time being but it’s hard to say any one of them besides Burns is being maximized.
There’s a case to be made for the current office to flip Thibodeaux and redirect the cash and draft picks to solving other problem spots on the roster, particularly with a player like Carter ready to step into a bigger role. A new front office and coaching staff would have even less attachment to Thibodeaux.
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