Dream NFL trade targets for every eliminated playoff team

The two best ways to get better in the NFL are through the draft and free agency, but what if I told you that there is also a secret third way, a way that NFL teams often forget about, though anecdotally it seems they're forgetting less than they used to?

Trades. That's what I'm talking about. The right trade can really help transform a team. Thankfully for teams that were already eliminated from the postseason, there are obvious trade targets available. The financials might take some cap gymnastics, but that's what GMs are for, no?

Trade targets for eliminated playoff teams

1. Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Houston Texans
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Buffalo Bills
5. Los Angeles Chargers
6. Carolina Panthers
7. Philadelphia Eagles
8. San Francisco 49ers
9. Chicago Bears
10. Green Bay Packers

Pittsburgh Steelers

QB, Kyler Murray

The Pittsburgh Steelers remain in search of a long-term quarterback, something they've been looking for since the end of Ben Roethlisberger's tenure. Stopgap solutions have allowed the Steelers to contend for a playoff spot every year, but have also prevented the team from drafting early enough to land a quarterback. The team's one attempt to grab a quarterback in the first was the no-good, very-bad Kenny Pickett pick. Something has to change.

There should be a number of quarterbacks available on the trade market, including Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones, but if I'm the Steelers, I'm working to add the only available guy who might still have the juice to be the answer not just in 2026, but beyond. That's Arizona's Kyler Murray. Yes, the former No. 1 overall pick has been a disappointment lately, but maybe a change of scenery is what Murray needs to get his career back on track. When comparing Murray's 2024 season (the last time he was truly healthy) and Aaron Rodgers' 2025 season, they're not all that different.

Whatever coach or offensive coordinator Pittsburgh brings in will hopefully open up the offense more. That'll give Murray – who can also use his legs as a threat – the chance to shine.

Houston Texans

RB, Alvin Kamara

The Houston Texans got one good year out of the Joe Mixon trade before injuries prevented Mixon from playing his second season with the team. Maybe they try again with New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara?

I know Kamara has expressed a complete lack of interest in being traded, but Houston isn't that far from New Orleans, and culturally, the cities share things in common.

“I don’t know where that — we talked about and we were looking at each other like the little Spider-Man meme, like, ‘Did you say something? Did I say something?’ I don’t know where that came from,” Kamara said regarding trade rumblings.

Kamara might be nearing the end of his NFL career, but there's enough juice here for him to be a weapon for a Texans team that really needs to figure something out in the run game.

Jacksonville Jaguars

DT, Daron Payne

It's never a bad idea to add in the trenches, so if Daron Payne is available after eight seasons in Washington, the Jacksonville Jaguars should get on the phone.

Payne isn't the same player he was and makes too much money for what he provides, but he's also entering the final year of his deal, so there's not really much downside to trying him as a one-year rental to provide pressure up the gut. The Jags appear to have a Super Bowl window so they should make moves that embrace that.

Buffalo Bills

WR, DJ Moore

The Buffalo Bills still have to figure out the whole coaching thing after moving on from Sean McDermott in a move that felt akin to the Titans moving on from Mike Vrabel (i.e., a short-sighted move that ultimately lands you a worse head coach the next season). But after that, getting playmakers for Josh Allen is the major concern. You can't just let him keep throwing the ball to a collection of players who all look like No. 3 receivers. Here's how the Bills top receiving threat, Khalil Shakir, compares to our intended trade target DJ Moore.

Moore is coming off a down year with Chicago and likely isn't in the long-term plans as the team has a pair of young receivers and needs to start thinking about cap space for extensions. Moore isn't the most consistent wideout, but he still has four 1,000-yard seasons under his belt and has proven he can be a target hog.

Los Angeles Chargers

G, Cesar Ruiz

The Los Angeles Chargers need offensive line help. The team's inability to give Justin Herbert a clean pocket borders on malpractice, and as good of a move as hiring Mike McDaniel as the OC is, it means nothing if Herbert continues to be harassed by the defense.

Saints guard Cesar Ruiz was PFF's 13th-best-graded guard for pass blocking last season, though he struggled to run block. The Saints could still use him, but maybe they could use the $9.5 million in cap space they save by trading him after June 1 more than they could use Ruiz?

Carolina Panthers

WR, Jerry Jeudy

I think it became clear in 2025 that Jerry Jeudy wasn't the No. 1 receiver that the Browns talked themselves into believing he was. Sure, poor quarterback play was a contributing factor, but finishing with half the yardage of the previous season is rough.

The Carolina Panthers don't need a No. 1, though. Tetairoa McMillan can be that. What the team does need is a high-end No. 2 for quarterback Bryce Young. Maybe uniting two former Alabama players (who were in Tuscaloosa at different times) is the answer for Carolina.

Philadelphia Eagles

DL, Dexter Lawrence

IDK, this just feels like a Philadelphia Eagles move: grabbing a very talented player who is coming off a down year, only for him to immediately make massive improvements once in Philly. The Eagles have already stolen one underrated and unwanted talent from the Giants in Saquon Barkley. Why not make it two dunks over thier division rival?

Lawrence made his third consecutive Pro Bowl in 2024 and recorded a career-high nine sacks, so his 2025 season in which he recorded just a half-sack goes down as one of the biggest disappointments in the league. Let's get the veteran defensive lineman out of the Meadowlands and see if that fixes him.

San Francisco 49ers

DE, Jermaine Johnson

Jermaine Johnson survived the 2025 Jets fire sale, but with 2026 looking like another lost year after Oregon quarterback Dante Moore opted to go back to school to avoid being drafted by New York, why not move some of your better pieces for picks this offseason?

Johnson would give the San Francisco 49ers an upside pass-rushing piece, though the fact that he only produced three sacks last season is concerning. Even with Robert Saleh gone as defensive coordinator, I trust the 49ers to get the best out of Johnson much more than I trust the Jets.

Chicago Bears

S, Quan Martin

The Chicago Bears have an issue at safety: they don't have any under contract for 2026. It's kind of hard to win games if you only have nine defenders on the field.

Now, Chicago will obviously try to bring back some of their own free agents, but taking a shot on someone like Quan Martin on the trade market wouldn't be a bad idea. He's disappointed in Washington, but the former second-round pick is a great buy-low candidate this offseason to add to the Bears defense.

Green Bay Packers

CB, Marlon Humphrey

The Green Bay Packers were desperate enough for corner help at the end of the year to add Trevon Diggs off the waiver wire, so they'll likely be desperate enough to consider trading for Marlon Humphrey despite 2025 being the worst year of his NFL career.

Humphrey could still have a good season left in him, though, right? The two-time All-Pro still picked off four passes, even if his consistency was a problem for Baltimore. And if he can't, well...he'd just be a (failed and admittedly pricy) one-year rental, so there wouldn't be long-term issues stemming from this deal.

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