One trade each NFL team must make before the deadline

As the NFL trade deadline approaches, here is one trade each team has to make.

At this point, all 32 NFL teams have to get realistic about their prospects for the 2018 season. Trades aren’t necessarily rampant heading into the NFL trade deadline, as they are in MLB, the NBA or the NHL, but occasionally a notable deal or two gets done.

This year’s trade deadline falls on the Tuesday after Week 8, Oct. 30, at 4 p.m. ET. Some big names could be on the move, most notably Le’Veon Bell and Earl Thomas, but their current teams will have a significant asking price.

Teams with veteran assets that want to stockpile draft picks should consider swapping said veterans to teams that have a need to fill now or looking toward 2019. The San Francisco 49ers willingly took from their pile of draft picks to get Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots last year at the deadline, then Garoppolo went 5-0 as the starter late in the season to bring hope for this year. We’ll forget about Garoppolo’s torn ACL that threw things off course in Week 3 this year though.

Realistically, most of these deals won’t get done before the deadline. But here’s one trade each of the 32 NFL teams has to consider making.

Arizona Cardinals: Sam Bradford to 49ers for 4th round pick

Bradford finally got benched before the end of Week 3, and while it was an odd place to insert Josh Rosen the Cardinals have made the move toward the future under center.

Before this year, Bradford hasn’t been a terrible quarterback when he’s healthy. Of course that’s the key caveat, with a twice-torn left ACL, and his two-year deal with the Cardinals is essentially a one-year deal.

The 49ers have the cap space to absorb the remainder of Bradford’s salary for this year, and even if they’re shifting into tank mode after Garoppolo’s injury C.J. Beathard is barely a backup-caliber quarterback. Bradford may be in his waning weeks as an NFL quarterback, with what has been described as a degenerative knee. So having an opportunity to play might be something he wants, and he can find it in San Francisco over the rest of the season. Now that the Cardinals are ready to take money out of his pocket, Bradford may be pushed to ask for a trade.