5 NFL trades that should happen this offseason, but won't

The NFL doesn't have nearly enough in the way of fun trades. Sure, trades do happen, but it's rare that we get the sort of pure, uncut chaos — superstars changing hands — that we do in leagues like the NBA. Where is the NFL equivalent of the Luka trade? One would expect it to happen near the NFL Draft, and perhaps include players like Joe Burrow, Myles Garrett and more ... but, alas we aren't that lucky.

There are deals that will be made between now and draft weekend, but not every team that should deal away a player will actually do it. Some teams feel a little too far away from contention and would benefit from tearing it down and cutting bait with their best player, but that's just not how most NFL front offices tend to work. As such, these five trades below are almost certainly not going to happen this offseason, but they really, really should.

Browns should trade Myles Garrett to the 49ers

The Cleveland Browns should trade Myles Garrett. Yes, he's their best player and the only thing that made the team remotely watchable in 2025, but one elite player won't change the direction of a football team unless that player is a quarterback.

I don't know if the Browns feel the same way about roster building. Honestly, there are times where I'm not sure the Browns feel any way at all about roster building, as their draft strategy in 2025 showed a major lack of planning — with the team drafting two quarterbacks and two running backs. So while trading Garrett is likely the right move considering their contention timeline, it's hard to imagine Cleveland actually doing that.

But if they were, every team in the NFL should be trying to get in on the action. The San Francisco 49ers stand out to me as a great spot for Garrett to land because the team struggled to rush the passer in 2025, finishing with the fewest sacks in the league.

Yeah, Garrett had more sacks than the entire 49ers roster combined. Nick Bosa missing most of the season impacted that, but imagine a healthy Bosa on one side and Garrett on the other. This defense would be frightening to face, and San Francisco would instantly have to be viewed as one of the favorites to win the NFC.

Bengals should trade Joe Burrow to the Vikings

The Cincinnati Bengals aren't going to trade Joe Burrow. I'd be willing to wager money in an unregulated prediction market that it doesn't happen, because the Bengals likely still believe they can be Super Bowl contenders with a healthy Burrow throwing to a healthy Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Two issues. First, Burrow has only been healthy in two of the last three seasons. Second, the year Burrow was healthy, the Bengals went 9-8 and missed the postseason despite their QB leading the NFL in passing yards and touchdown passes.

When healthy, Burrow is one of the league's best quarterbacks, but he and the Bengals simply don't feel like they're really going to find the success that both sides want from this pairing. The window is closing, and it might be best for both sides to move on. Cincinnati can try to use the huge draft haul it'd get from the deal to move up for a quarterback in 2027, and with a financial reset under center, it can finally fix things on the margins.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings feel like they're a quarterback away from contention, so this move is a no-brainer for them as it lands them the passer they need. J.J. McCarthy is clearly not the answer, so making that decision this offseason rather than delaying it further would keep them from wasting another year of Justin Jefferson's prime.

49ers should trade Mac Jones to the Dolphins

Mac Jones was the subject of trade rumors all season, but now that the offseason has arrived, it sounds like the San Francisco 49ers would rather keep him around as one of the NFL's best backup quarterbacks rather than move him for a draft pick.

It makes sense. Jones went 5-3 as a starter while Brock Purdy was sidelined and was able to provide a steadying presence that helped the team stay afloat and eventually clinch a spot in the postseason. Keeping Jones around gives the team the luxury of being able to slide in a capable starter in the event Purdy goes down again, which is hardly far-fetched. I imagine the window remains open for a deal if someone blows the Niners away with a huge offer, but sticking with Jones gives San Francisco reliable depth at a crucial position.

This is bad news for the Miami Dolphins, a team that should really want Jones. Miami's quarterback situation is a mess at the moment: Assuming the team moves on from Tua Tagovailoa as anticipated, it's looking at going into 2026 with Quinn Ewers as the starter.

Normally, I'd advocate for a hard tank here, but Jones to Miami could have been interesting since the Dolphins' new offensive coordinator, Bobby Slowik, comes from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree. Considering Jones' success with the 49ers, that pairing would have had some upside, potentially giving Miami a shot at finding a solid starting quarterback for the near future (or at least until 2027, when a much better draft class comes along). Jones probably can't change the future of the franchise on his own, but the value of his contract allows you more space to build around him.

Dolphins should trade De'Von Achane to the Texans

The Dolphins are preparing to waste another year of running back De'Von Achane. Assuming a Jones trade doesn't materialize to fix the quarterback position, and that Malik Willis opts to sign somewhere with a better shot at a postseason appearance, the team will be looking at 2026 as one of those slogs that you just have to get through before hopefully fixing things in 2027 and beyond.

Achane will be a free agent after 2026, though, and Miami will have to decide how much it's willing to invest in a really good running back on a roster where a really good running back feels more like a luxury than an actual need. This team has so many other holes that need to be filled, and dealing Achane away this offseason could provide additional ammunition to do just that.

Houston would be a great potential home for Achane. There's the weird Joe Mixon situation — seriously, we still don't know specifics of the injury that kept him sidelined for the entire 2025 season — and the fact that the coaching staff doesn't seem totally comfortable just handing the bellcow reins over to Woody Marks.

Achane would add a dynamic element to an offense that struggled to run the football in 2025 and that needs someone else to take pressure off quarterback C.J. Stroud, who is hoping to rebuild his confidence after a disastrous postseason.

Cardinals should trade Trey McBride to the Eagles

Assuming the Philadelphia Eagles do what they're expected to do and trade away wide receiver A.J. Brown, the team is going to need another pass-catcher. Considering the team's recent history of success with tight ends, why not let Dallas Goedert walk in free agency and replace him with a top-three player at the position?

I think you don't really need to say much here about why the Eagles — or any team in the NFL — should swing a trade for McBride. He's 26 years old and is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.

The better question is why the Arizona Cardinals should trade him this soon after inking him to an extension, and the answer for that is simple: They shouldn't! McBride is the kind of player you do whatever you can to hold on to. So, why is he mentioned in this article?

Because I just want to see him in a better spot! The first four proposed deals here made sense for the team giving up the good player. For this one, I really just think McBride deserves a chance to be a star for a team with actual Super Bowl aspirations. That's not Arizona, and I'm not sure when it will be Arizona. This team is probably farther away from Super Bowl contention than almost any other in the NFL, so I really just want a player as good as McBride to be freed from this situation.