With roughly one month until the NFL trade deadline, we're beginning to get a sense of which teams are going to stick it out to the bitter end, and which might be throwing in the towel early.
We've already seen a couple quarterback changes — Jaxson Dart in New York, Dillon Gabriel in Cleveland — which is a telltale sign of giving up, or as those front offices might describe it, "looking toward the future." On the other end of the spectrum, teams like Philadelphia, Buffalo and Kansas City will look to supplement competitive rosters, while those on the bubbles will attempt to move the needle in a favorable direction.
From recently benched quarterbacks, to star defenders on bad teams and running backs in need of a new home (and new money), here are seven NFL trade candidates who could define the next month of rumors and speculation.
QB Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Well, we all get stuff wrong every now and then. My honest opinion before the season was that benching Anthony Richardson for Daniel Jones was a deadly misfire — another example of the Indianapolis Colts shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to the development of a potential franchise QB, all to toil in mediocrity with a proven negative commodity in Daniel Jones.
I don't coach football, though, so credit to Shane Steichen for having a vision and seeing it through, because Danny Dimes looks phenomenal through four weeks. It's just four weeks, of course, and Indianapolis hasn't toppled any real heavyweights, but Jones has completed 71.9 percent of his passes for 1,078 yards and four touchdowns.
That puts Richardson on the trade block. While the former first-round pick is arguably the best athlete in the NFL at quarterback, he's rough around the edges. Richardson takes too many sacks and too many chances, often because he doesn't make his progressions in a timely manner. He needs a patient team that can stimulate his development without rushing him into compromised situations.
Why not the Philadelphia Eagles? He won't start in Philly, of course, but Richardson can learn a lot of Jalen Hurts (and run many of the same plays if Hurts goes down with injury). He gets to spend a year or two with a winner, learn quietly in the shadows, and then put those lessons to use with another team in a few years. Think of it kind of like Daniel Jones spending the end of last season in Minnesota.
Perfect trade fit: Philadelphia Eagles
LB Jaelan Phillips, Miami Dolphins
Jaelan Phillips, a 2021 first-round pick, compiled 15.5 sacks in his first two NFL seasons. Then the injuries struck. Separate knee injuries limited him to eight games played in 2023 and four games played in 2024. Now he's in a contract year and the Miami Dolphins are 1-3, with a bleak path ahead.
Should Miami decide to hit abort, Phillips becomes a logical trade candidate. He looks solid through four games, with 11 tackles and a forced fumble, but his injury history makes him a volatile asset. Miami won't be able to get a significant haul, but it's better than keeping him around to finish 5-12 before he walks scot-free as a free agent.
As for where Phillips might end up, how about the Dallas Cowboys? We know the Cowboys' defense needs a lot of help, even more so than Jadeveon Clowney can provide. The Micah Parsons trade leaves Dallas with holes all over the place. The Cowboys defense has allowed 30-plus points in three straight games, culminating with a 40-40 tie against the Packers on Sunday Night Football.
Phillips is not a one-for-one replacement for Parsons, of course, but he can solidify the pass rush while giving the Cowboys more depth at a critical position. He's an everyday starter with a Pro Bowl ceiling if he can channel his pre-injury success. This feels like an easy one.
Perfect fit: Dallas Cowboys
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints aren't as embarrassing as initially expected, but at 0-4, it becomes clear how little moral victories count. This team is treading water until it can add a franchise quarterback near the top of the 2026 draft. That has been the plan all along. As such, New Orleans could decide to start shedding salaries before the deadline.
Alvin Kamara has given New Orleans almost a decade of excellent production at running back, but the Saints probably aren't thrilled with the $18.6 million cap hit on the books next season. Plus, Kamara deserves to be contributing to a winner at this point in his career. What's the point of wasting the final years of an abnormally long prime on a team that might win two games total?
Plenty of teams would benefit from Kamara's multi-faceted skill set, which should make it easy to settle into more of a platoon, change-of-pace role on a more talented roster. Kamara is a proficient route-runner and pass-catcher in addition to handling plenty of simple, early-down work between the tackles for New Orleans.
One logical destination? The Pittsburgh Steelers, as Jaylen Warren thus far seems ill-equipped to handle lead back duties in lieu of Najee Harris. Kamara can split the workload and give the Steelers a bit more flexibility at the position. He'd surely value the chance to compete for a division crown next to a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Aaron Rodgers.
Perfect fit: Pittsburgh Steelers
RB Breece Hall, New York Jets
Breece Hall is about to hit free agency and the New York Jets are going nowhere fast. When healthy, Hall is still one of the most electric athletes in the NFL. He has struggled to reach the lofty heights of his all-too-brief rookie season, but he's a proper bell cow in need of a clubhouse that appreciates him to the fullest.
The market for running backs is never all that robust, but Hall is a good bit better than a lot of RB1s around the league. As such, the Jets shouldn't have too much trouble finding a taker, even if it's for the modest price of a half-season rental. With Braelon Allen on the come up and Tanner Engstrand spreading the wealth among his backs, it's clear the Jets do not intend to pay Hall his worth as a free agent.
Hall is averaging a healthy 4.6 yards per carry, his best output since that injury-shortened rookie campaign. He put up 111 yards from scrimmage in Monday night's loss to Miami and dropped an all-time quote after the loss. Sorry, but I want this energy in my locker room. Sue me.
Breece Hall fully understands the New York Jets experience pic.twitter.com/gFcxS9dRhu
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 30, 2025
Let's get this man out of East Rutherford, please. And not to send another player to Dallas, but the Cowboys never really figured out the running back situation after letting Tony Pollard walk (and then letting Rico Dowdle walk). Dallas appears comfortable letting Javonte Williams dominate touches, but the ceiling is so much higher with Hall. Williams is used to splitting touches. Let's make it happen. Jerry Jones likes to talk about all this new cap flexibility after the Parsons trade. Show us!
Perfect fit: Dallas Cowboys
DE Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
After months of getting nowhere in contract negotiations, the Cincinnati Bengals gave All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson a restructured one-year, $29 million contract that sets him up to test the market again next summer. As the Bengals dive deeper into what is essentially a gap year without Joe Burrow, one has to imagine Hendrickson will end up back in trade rumors.
Hendrickson is coming off of back-to-back seasons with 17.5 sacks, which led the NFL in 2024. He's among the most dominant pass-rushers in the sport. Cincinnati so willingly compromising his future given the state of their defense is baffling, but Hendrickson could do a lot of damage on a real team, with real personnel around him.
Just about every team could use Hendrickson, but his contract is a complicating factor, both now and when negotiations open in the offseason. But we just saw the Eagles make a run at Micah Parsons, reportedly offering an even better package than Green Bay. So why not reroute some of those assets toward Hendrickson, who can shore up an elite defensive line and put the Eagles that much closer to a Super Bowl repeat.
This would feel borderline unfair for the rest of the league, but Howie Roseman pays his players and finds ways to ambitiously add talent without kneecapping the Eagles' future. He's the best in the business, and if any GM could pull this off in his position, it's Howie.
Perfect fit: Philadelphia Eagles
QB Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons continue to invest full-stop in Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback, to mostly acceptable results. It's fair to wonder if Cousins might be a superior option right now, but Penix is holding his own and Atlanta is probably too far down that road to change course unless things go catastrophically wrong. As such, it makes sense for Atlanta to probe the trade market and attempt to recoup value in the final year of Cousins' contract, even if it requires eating a hefty chunk of his remaining salary.
Plenty of teams would benefit from Cousins' presence, either as an overqualified backup QB or as an immediate upgrade over their current starters. The tanking teams, like New Orleans and New York, probably prefer to stick with their young guns. But what about his old stomping grounds in Minnesota, where faith in J.J. McCarthy is wavering and Carson Wentz looks inept in a backup role? Another potential destination: the Cincinnati Bengals, where that high-powered offense needs a better steward than Jake Browning in the absence of Joe Burrow.
At the end of the day, Cousins' relationship with Minnesota is probably over and done with. The Bengals' cap sheet complicates the issue, but again, Atlanta should be willing to absorb some of Cousins' contract in exchange for legitimate draft capital. The Bengals are still 2-2, and while the defense is an abomination, this offense can go blow-for-blow with any team if there's a competent quarterback under center.
Cousins is healthier than he was a year ago. The turnover concerns won't dissipate, but he still has a major arm and a far more impressive track record than any other backup in the NFL, give or take Russell Wilson (more on him soon). Browning is a disaster right now. Cousins can give the Bengals a chance to stick around in the AFC North while Burrow takes a year off to recover, with Cousins hopefully boosting his stock ahead of free agency next summer.
Perfect fit: Cincinnati Bengals
QB Russell Wilson, New York Giants
I'll be honest: if I'm calling the New York Giants about a backup quarterback, my target is Jameis Winston, not Russell Wilson. But it's clear that Russ is still more valued in league circles. The Giants are committed to Jaxson Dart for the long run. Wilson has handled his demotion with grace, as expected, but the Giants would be foolish not to dangle him in trade talks, especially as QB injuries pile up around the league.
It's unclear if there's another starting job out there for Russ. It's really only the Bengals, but if Cincy can hand-pick its dream Burrow replacement, it's Cousins over Wilson every day and twice on Sunday. Wilson is cheaper and perhaps easier to pry out of East Rutherford, but let's just say the Bengals prefer Cousins (or even Winston). Where else might New York be able to find a Wilson taker?
At that point, it probably comes down to teams with injury-prone quarterbacks or flawed backups. The Cowboys could really use someone who isn't Joe Milton, but I'm not sending another trade candidate to Dallas. Wilson might be an upgrade over the current QB situation in New Orleans, but the Saints will want to stay young and stack losses (not that Russ can't stack losses for them). Minnesota could take an interest. The Raiders dealt for Kenny Pickett, but I wouldn't rule out a Pete Carroll reunion in Sin City with how choppy Geno Smith's performance has been to date.
In the end, however, I'm going to land on the Dolphins. The Tua Tagovailoa experiment is beginning to nosedive, and more importantly, Tagovailoa has a troubling injury history. Specifically, a history of concussions, which can derail a career at a moment's notice. Zach Wilson isn't the worst backup imaginable, but Miami installing Russ in Mike McDaniel's (theoretically) high-powered scheme could help him tap into the Fountain of Youth in ways other schemes might not allow.