We know how popular of trade targets Maxx Crosby and Josh Sweat are, but they’re just two players of the many that will be moved by the NFL’s trade deadline. These players below are the ones that have every reason to get moved as the season is taking shape. These are also the players that haven’t necessarily been mentioned as trade pieces either. Here’s why some of these names might surprise you, but why it just might work out.
RB Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts fired GM Chris Ballard after falling to 2-4 on the year and handing the Tennessee Titans their first win of the 2026 season. Could this be the start of a fire sale for a team that isn’t close to what they were supposed to be? They offloaded first-round picks in consecutive years to land Sauce Gardner, traded Michael Pittman Jr., paid Alec Pierce like he’s a fringe WR1 and extended Daniel Jones to the tune of $88 million over two years. It might be time for a reset.
Jonathan Taylor has been a steady producer with this offense, and realistically, if the Colts don’t turn things around, it wouldn’t be bad for a soft reset. Taylor comes to mind because he is their most valuable asset and there’s no shortage of contending teams that would consider adding an elite back. The Colts probably won’t trade Taylor or start selling at this point, but it’s something worth considering. When you think about the fact that this team is underperforming and doesn’t have the draft capital to get the depth they probably should, trading Taylor doesn’t sound like a bad idea.
EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu, Los Angeles Chargers
Pass rushers are at a premium and with Maxx Crosby and Josh Sweat monopolizing the pass rusher market, players like Tuli Tuipulotu become very intriguing prospects. He’s having a solid season with the Chargers, but they’re 0-6. They need to figure out what direction they’re going and offloading Tuipulotu just makes sense. He could get a solid return as well, considering he’s one of the better defenders on this team.
The Chargers are more likely to trade Khalil Mack rather than Tuipulotu, but the return would arguably be better and worth it. The Chargers need a lot of help on the offensive end. Their defense isn’t elite, but it’s been holding up for the most part. Trading Tuipulotu could either land them a better receiver to add to this offense or at least a draft pick to find one. Either way, Tuipulotu makes a lot of sense and the Chargers are scrambling for answers.
QB Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
I doubt the Los Angeles Chargers decide to trade Justin Herbert this year, but what if they do? Herbert is having the worst season of his career and the Chargers are winless a month-and-a-half into the season. Sure, they haven’t put weapons around Herbert, but at some point, it has to be time to cut the cord. After all, Herbert is 0-4 in the playoffs and has noticeably regressed this season. This isn’t about giving up on him too early; it’s about cashing in while his value can still yield a decent return.
Quarterbacks will always be the most valuable trade asset and right now might be the best time to pull the trigger. The 2027 NFL Draft class is deep with quarterbacks so with a high enough pick, the Chargers could find his replacement. This isn’t, quality-wise, the best class, but there are more than enough options to choose from. The Chargers have to consider everything and while Herbert could just be having a bad season, it could be that the Chargers need to maybe fully re-evaluate how this team moves forward.
DT Daron Payne, Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders went on a spending spree this offseason and Daron Payne was not part of it. He’s in the final year of his contract and while rumors swirled that he would be traded last year, he stayed put. The Commanders are now 1-4-1 despite spending roughly $258 million this past offseason. It would make sense for the Commanders to trade him, seeing as they’re bad again and don’t have long-term plans for him.
Payne hasn’t really played up to his contract that he received in 2023, not having a season with more than five sacks. That’s not terrible for an interior defensive lineman, but he had 11.5 sacks during his contract year. He has just 14 total tackles and one sack this year. He probably won’t get a massive return, but seeing as the Commanders haven’t extended him yet, they gain nothing from letting him go for free in free agency.
WR Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans have not been good this season. They weren’t expected to be contenders by any means, but they got their first win six games into the season. More than that, Calvin Ridley just hasn’t been a key player in this offense. This is his third season in Nashville and each one has been worse than the previous. He had a 1,000-yard receiving season back in 2024 but hasn’t been healthy and slowly worked out of the scheme.
Now that Carnell Tate is the new No. 1 target, it would make sense for the Titans to send Ridley to a team like the Las Vegas Raiders or the San Francisco 49ers who need receiver help. There’s nothing left for him in Tennessee. He has just 10 catches and 81 receiving yards. Through seven games last year, he had 303 receiving yards. A change in scenery is exactly what Ridley needs, even if he doesn’t recapture his former self.
WR Chris Godwin Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay hasn’t quite had the season they expected, especially when you take into account they paid Baker Mayfield $50 million a year just to be 1-5 this year. And before you say he’s hurt, the Bucs are 0-4 with him as the starter this season. This is the first season without Mike Evans for the Bucs and it’s clear they miss him. Chris Godwin Jr. has always been the No. 2 option in this offense. Now feels like the best time to part ways.
Godwin has been hampered with injuries throughout his career, missing games in each of the last two seasons. With the way things are going in Tampa Bay, at least while he’s healthy it would make a lot of sense for them to consider trading him and start improving this defense. He won’t yield a massive return, but it would be worth it considering Emeka Egbuka, Tez Johnson and Jalen McMillan (when he gets healthy again) should be able to hold the receiver room down in the interim.
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