5 NFL superstars who should be traded by the deadline

As the NFL trade deadline approaches, these five stars could be on the move.

With four weeks in the books, NFL teams are left to frankly assess their outlook for the 2020 season. The trade deadline this year falls on Oct. 29, just over three weeks away now, so some player movement may start in short order.

Teams that are 0-4 with coaches on the hot seat (New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons) may look to sell pieces, and veterans on teams that have more of an eye on the future may also be on the trade block for future assets.

Big names are occasionally moved at the deadline, and some notable names may be dealt this year.

In particular, these five stars may be traded before the deadline.

5 stars who could be traded before the deadline

5. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons are 0-4, with no sign of another second half surge to save the jobs of head coach Dan Quinn and GM Thomas Dimitroff. A top-heavy roster and cap concerns that aren’t going away will make a rebuild/reload difficult for whoever is next, so some veterans may be dealt in the coming weeks.

Jones is on a Hall of Fame track, with a franchise-record 812 career receptions. But he is also 31 years old, with some injury history and a hamstring issue that has bother him for most of the early part of this season.

Jones as a team-high $20.416 million cap hit his year. He also carries a team-high $23.05 million cap hit in 2021. A trade right now would create a $9.216 million dead money hit, but clear $11.2 million in cap space for the Falcons. But it would also take his contract, which runs through 2023, off the books.

The Falcons seemed to have a young No. 1 wide receiver in Calvin Ridley, and assuming his fifth-year option is exercised he’s under relatively cheap control through 2022. The idea of trading Jones feels far-fetched on the surface, but assuming some young talent and/or draft picks can be gotten in return the Falcons should listen to any offerrs tha may come.