We've reached the point in the NFL season where teams are officially eliminated from playoff contention. So far, five NFL teams are in "there's always next year" mode.
If these teams simply play it safe in the draft and free agency, they’re likely headed for another lost season. A true turnaround will require aggressive moves. Here's one major move each of the five eliminated teams can make to ensure 2026 is better — or, at least, that their long-term future is better.
Tennessee Titans: Sign Wan'Dale Robinson and Alec Pierce
Cam Ward needs help. He's throwing the ball to an assortment of receivers who might rank as the worst group in the NFL, with multiple fourth-round rookies playing key roles. Veteran Calvin Ridley is injured and is clearly not the future, so what can the Titans do?
Wan'Dale Robinson would give Tennessee a short-yardage weapon while Alec Pierce would stretch the field, allowing Ward to air the ball out a little more often. While neither are huge names, they're both underrated wide receivers who would make Year 2 much, much more comfortable for Ward.
Las Vegas Raiders: Trade up for Fernando Mendoza
The Raiders are currently in line to draft fourth. In theory, the Titans and Giants don't want quarterbacks, so if the order doesn't change, then Vegas could just take whomever New Orleans doesn't take between Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Alabama's Ty Simpson.
In reality, Tennessee and New York would almost certainly trade down, and if the Raiders sit still, they risk being shut out of the quarterback market if other teams trade up, those picks go one-two and the Saints select Dante Moore. With Geno Smith’s play falling off sharply, Vegas needs a long-term answer, and Mendoza looks like a pro-ready option worth moving up for.
New Orleans Saints: Ignore the quarterback position
This is a "blockbuster" move in the sense that it would be a huge shock to see the Saints not take a quarterback with their first-round pick, but I think the key to fixing this team is to start by fixing the rest of the roster.
Tyler Shough has been surprisingly good for the Saints, but he it isn't translating to wins. That's perfect, because it allows the team to look respectable while losing football games, bettering its chance of moving up in the draft order.
But the Sains shouldn't go for a QB. There's too many other holes to fill. Fill those by trading back, and let Shough be the tank commander next year. Hopefully, that puts the Saints in a position to draft Arch Manning, whether it's via their own pick landing at No. 1 or trading up for Manning. (Yes, I've become a "Manning is going to bounce back and be the consensus No. 1 by this time next year" truther.)
Arizona Cardinals: Trade Kyler Murray
This doesn't necessarily turn the fortunes of the Cardinals around overnight, but it does set the team up for a move to get better long-term. Murray's pretty clearly not the answer for Arizona, but I think he could still be good in the right spot. If you can get a couple of suitors for the veteran quarterback, then you could end up with a couple of solid draft picks for him.
Unfortunately for Arizona, there are enough other teams with better ammunition to trade up, so I don't think the Cardinals have an easy path to getting a quarterback next year. They could go after Mac Jones, but the best-case scenario there is that the team winds up being a league-average unit, complicating the path to finding a true long-term Murray replacement. Just deal your quarterback away, use the picks to fix the roster at the margins, and worry in the 2027 offseason about finding your future quarterback.
New York Giants: Trade down, and down, and down, and down some more
The Giants have their quarterback of the future in Jaxson Dart. They have his No. 1 weapon in Malik Nabers, assuming he comes back healthy. They also don't have the cap space to make many waves in free agency. So, what big move should New York make?
Trade down. In a draft with three quarterbacks who look like they can go into the top five or six picks, the Giants need to be on the phone with every team out there. Right now, the Giants hold the No. 2 pick. Yes, drafting Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. would help the team, but trading down for a haul and then, heck, trading down again for a lesser haul would be a good way for New York to focus on fixing the roster holes.
Imagine if you could get something like Pick 7 and Pick 23 from the Jets. New York could take someone like Ohio State safety Caleb Downs with the first of those picks, then at 23, the team could grab the best player available or, if someone else is itching for a certain guy, can trade down again, grabbing more opportunities to find impact players who can help lead a quick turnaround in 2026.