SI:AM | Potential NFL Trade Targets As Deadline Action Heats Up

After a couple of big deals Tuesday, here’s who else could be on the move.

Crosby (98) may be on the move as the Raiders look to rebuild. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I really thought Aaron Judge’s home run to center was going to die on the warning track.

In today’s SI:AM:

👨‍⚖️ Judge breaks his drought
🦁 Breaking down the Lions’ offense
🏟️ Bad news about the Trop

Who else will be dealt?

The NFL trade deadline is still three weeks away, but the market is already heating up. A pair of high-profile receivers were moved on Tuesday, with Davante Adams going to the New York Jets and Amari Cooper being dealt to the Buffalo Bills. The Minnesota Vikings also acquired running back Cam Akers. That trickle of activity will just be the start of the deadline action. Here’s a few other players who could be on the move before the Nov. 5 deadline.

Maxx Crosby

Crosby, the Las Vegas Raiders’ star defensive end, has been a popular subject of trade speculation, especially after the season-ending injury to Detroit Lions stud Aidan Hutchinson. The Raiders are 2–4 and staring down a long rebuild—and they’re clearly willing to trade away current assets to hasten that rebuild. They didn’t really push back against Adams’s trade request and were able to get a decent return for him.

The asking price for Crosby appears to be higher, though. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on the Pat McAfee Show earlier this week that the Raiders had previously been offered a first-round pick in exchange for Crosby and Las Vegas “wouldn’t even entertain it.” And unlike Adams, Crosby isn’t itching to start over somewhere new.

“You know where I want to be,” Crosby said after the team’s Week 5 loss to the Denver Broncos. “You think I want to be anywhere else? No. I got this s--- tatted on my body. I don’t want to go anywhere.”

Haason Reddick

If the Raiders choose not to make Crosby available, teams looking for pass rush help could turn to Reddick, who was given permission by the Jets on Tuesday to seek a trade.

Reddick was acquired in the offseason in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles but has not played for New York as he continues a prolonged holdout in search of a contract extension. Reddick is as good as any pass rusher in the league, having notched double-digit sacks in four straight seasons, but will a team also want to give him the kind of contract he desires to get back on the field?

Other pass rush options

The Cleveland Browns are clearly headed nowhere this season, so would they consider trading reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett? It’d be a drastic move to jettison a homegrown future Hall of Famer and would come with roughly $55 million in dead cap penalties over the next two seasons, but maybe a team would make Cleveland an offer it couldn’t refuse. The Browns are screwed as long as they have so much of their salary cap tied up in the thoroughly worthless Deshaun Watson. A haul of draft picks from trading Garrett could jumpstart the team’s rebuild.

A trade for Garrett’s pass rush partner Za’Darius Smith might be more likely, since the cost for the Browns and for whoever acquires him would be much lower. Chase Young of the New Orleans Saints, who was acquired at last year’s deadline by the San Francisco 49ers, is on a one-year deal and could make sense as a trade target. Deatrich Wise Jr. of the New England Patriots and Emmanuel Ogbah of the Miami Dolphins are two less high-profile veteran defensive ends who are set to hit the open market after the season.

DeAndre Hopkins

We’ve already seen two veteran receivers moved. Could Hopkins be next?

The Tennessee Titans wideout will be a free agent after this season and at 32 is still a reasonably productive player. He leads the Titans with 175 receiving yards this season on 14 catches. That isn’t terribly impressive. It makes him one of 83 players in the NFL with at least 14 catches and 175 yards this season. But no member of the Titans’ offense is having a standout year, and Hopkins is coming off a season in which he caught 75 passes for 1,057 yards. Only 22 players last season had at least 75 catches and 1,000 yards. He’s not the All-Pro type of player like he was during his days in Houston, but he could still help a team in need of pass-catching help. The Titans will want to make sure second-year quarterback Will Levis still has quality receivers to throw to, but Hopkins hasn’t been his favorite target anyway. Calvin Ridley leads the team with 27 targets, and Tyler Boyd (19) has one target fewer than Hopkins (20).

Andre Cisco

The Jacksonville Jaguars could be sellers at the deadline if they don’t turn things around in a hurry. At 1–5, this is on track to be the Jags’ worst season since Trevor Lawrence’s rookie year—the infamous Urban Meyer debacle. Jacksonville has a few players who should draw interest on the trade market, like tight end Evan Engram, but the most likely to be dealt is safety Andre Cisco. He’s in the final year of his rookie contract but his play has taken a step back this season. His Pro Football Focus grade last season was 68.9 (out of 100). This year it’s 54.5. Given that, and considering that he’d be nothing more than a short-term rental, Cisco should be a bargain option for teams looking for secondary help.

O Captain, My Captain. @TheJudge44 👨‍⚖️ pic.twitter.com/a7owWRGZgu

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 16, 2024

The best of Sports Illustrated

• Is this the start of Aaron Judge’s postseason turnaround? Stephanie Apstein explains how the Guardians’ decision to walk him intentionally may have spurred a renaissance at the plate.

• Matt Verderame broke down the play from the Lions’ blowout win over the Cowboys that best illustrates why Detroit’s offense is so hard to stop.

• Here are Michael Fabiano’s weekly fantasy football Start ’Em, Sit ’Em recommendations for quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends.

• See how the Blue Jackets honored Johnny Gaudreau during their home opener.

• Davante Adams is planning to make his Jets debut on Sunday against the Steelers.

• Tropicana Field will not be repaired in time for the Rays to open their season in March.

The top five…

… things I saw last night:

5. Will Brennan’s sliding catch in foul territory.
4. Leon Draisaitl’s overtime game-winner for the Oilers.
3. Aaron Judge’s towering home run—his first postseason homer since 2022.
2. Lionel Messi’s third goal of the night in Argentina’s World Cup qualifier against Bolivia. He also had two assists in the 6–0 victory.
1. Filip Gustavsson’s goal, the first goalie goal in Wild franchise history.