The NFL trade deadline always feels like a letdown. Just the nature of how NFL contracts work and how much teams value draft picks makes it tough for a lot of meaningful things to get done during the season. It happens — just this season, we saw the Bengals trade for Joe Flacco — but don't get your hopes up too much.
This seems especially true this season because some of the "bad" teams that should be looking to deal are teams that probably think they're good. Like, the Ravens are struggling this year, but are they going to trade guys away? Or are they going to hope they can go on a run once Lamar Jackson returns?
Here are seven players who have gotten some trade deadline hype, but who will likely be on their current team still after the deadline passes.
Mark Andrews - TE - Baltimore Ravens
So, what are the Ravens going to do here? The team is 1-5 on the season and the playoffs feel out of reach, but quarterback Lamar Jackson (hamstring) is back at practice. If he's able to go this week, there's still time for the team to theoretically get into the wild-card conversation, right?
They could try to toe the line between "contender" and "seller" by holding on to some key players while exploring trades for older veterans like Mark Andrews. The 30-year-old tight end doesn't look like the same guy at all right now, with just one "good" game all year. Over half of his receiving yards and both of his touchdowns came back in September against the Lions.
But here's the thing: With how poorly Andrews is playing, what does his market look like? Specifically, what does Baltimore want for him, and what is Baltimore likely to get for him? It just feels like those two things are going to be far apart.
Rashod Bateman - WR - Baltimore Ravens
Same team, different reasonings.
If Rashod Bateman was in the last year of his contract, I'd understand trading him. But he's got four more years on a deal he recently signed with the Ravens, and is a very good No. 2/3 guy. Like, Bateman isn't a star, but he's a reliable option for the Ravens. Trading him now is short-sighted because this is still a contending team going forward if Jackson is healthy. Having a lost season isn't the end of the world.
Trey Hendrickson - EDGE - Cincinnati Bengals
You know, I just don't think Trey Hendrickson is getting dealt. If the Bengals wanted to move on from him, they'd have done it during the offseason, when it was easier to do so. Instead, they restructured his deal, and a trade would put a lot of dead cap on both the 2025 and 2026 salary sheet.
So the question becomes this: Will Cincinnati get an offer that justifies the 2026 cap hit, or is it better to just let him walk and have the books clean? Plus, the trade for Flacco signaled that this Bengals team thinks it can be good enough to make the playoffs still, or at least to be in the race still once Burrow returns. Trading your best defender doesn't make sense given the circumstances
Jaylen Waddle - WR - Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins should get in the process of talking to teams about Tyreek Hill trade offers, but Hill's awful knee injury changed things. Now, the team has to decide if Jaylen Waddle is expendable.
He shouldn't be. Waddle isn't one of the league's best receivers, but the fifth-year pro still has a lot of good years ahead of him, and his contract going forward is reasonable. Miami needs a change at quarterback, and whoever is under center next year will appreciate having Waddle on the field. I don't see Miami trading him unless they get bowled over with an offer.
Alvin Kamara - RB - New Orleans Saints
We can keep this one short because Alvin Kamara has basically already said that no one should trade for him. When asked about getting dealt, Kamara's response was that he would "go drink a piña colada somewhere" if he was traded. In other words, if the Saints trade him, he's explicitly threatening to just not go to the new team. Kamara is still a very impactful player, so I wouldn't be shocked if a team tries to kick the tires, but I kind of believe Kamara here. The man wants to be a Saint forever.
Russell Wilson - QB - New York Giants
Is there a landing spot for Russell Wilson? Cincinnati could have been it, but the team went after Joe Flacco instead, which made sense. At this point, a Wilson trade really only makes sense if a contender loses its quarterback before the deadline, because who else would need Wilson? Like ... I'm sure the Giants would love to trade him and will reach out to every team that they think is even remotely interested, but it's hard to see it happening.
Chig Okonkwo - TE - Tennessee Titans
Could the Titans get something of value for tight end Chig Okonkwo, who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason? Yeah, probably!
But they really need to think about Cam Ward's development here. This team already has, like, no one for Ward to throw the ball to, so dealing away one of two decent pass-catchers — especially when the other, Calvin Ridley, is dealing with a hamstring injury — just feels like it makes things even harder on the young quarterback. You don't want to ruin your No. 1 overall pick by giving him zero support. He's already dealt with a coaching change. Do you really want to just keep making things harder on the kid? Ultimately, I think the Titans understand this.