Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Our top trade candidates list for OTAs is out, spotlighting players whose futures are uncertain as teams trim rosters this summer.
- Several veterans face uncertain futures, with potential moves hanging on health updates and playoff-contending teams in need.
- The rankings reveal which franchises hold the most leverage — and which players could command surprising returns before training camp begins.
Offseason training is an NFL team's first opportunity to compare veterans to rookies and evaluate which of the entire group is worth keeping as we crawl through the summer to training camp. By the time August rolls around there will be multiple players sent to new homes.
Let's take a look at the top five assets teams should really move on from and why.
5. QB Spencer Rattler
The New Orleans Saints signed Zach Wilson in March, which is the team's clearest signal yet that QB1 Tyler Shough's backup, Spencer Rattler, probably won't make it to Week 1 on the roster. Rattler, a fifth-round pick in 2024, started New Orleans' first eight games last season but was benched for Shough after a disappointing performance. He threw for just 1,586 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions with a 50.3 passer rating. That's not going to cut it for the guy who was, for a brief time, penciled in as the successor to Derek Carr.
The Saints look ready to move on from the 25-year-old while he still has potential as a reclamation project for another franchise. They'd save just over $1.1 million against the salary cap this season with two years left on Rattler's contract. A mid- to late-round pick should get the job done but we may not see movement on this front until a team suffers a serious injury to either a QB1 or QB2 this summer.
4. QB Anthony Richardson
The Indianapolis Colts couldn't make it clearer they prefer Daniel Jones leading the team at quarterback. Similar to the impending dynamic between the Minnesota Vikings and J.J. McCarthy, Richardson, a 2023 first-round pick, knows he's on the outside looking in and the two sides were, at one point, working to move him out of Indianapolis. He's recovering from vision issues stemming from a freak orbital bone fracture last year but even before then, his 12-interception 2024 season was enough reason for the Colts to seek an external hire. A change of scenery could do him well if demand materializes.
Because of his ball security issues, there's a much greater chance than not that Richardson isn't going to be a starter wherever her lands, at least not immediately. He could, however, continue to serve as a backup for a team that needs an insurance policy in the event their star QB goes down. Richardson is a reclamation project in the strictest sense. No more than a day three pick should be paid by whoever takes on the risk.
3. WR Brandon Aiyuk
The San Francisco 49ers will eventually release Aiyuk. However, reports indicate the Washington Commanders are the likeliest destination for the 28-year-old when (if) that happens. Like any smart team, San Francisco is just doing its due diligence on any potential trade offers that might come in to try and a get ahead of Washington. Aiyuk's 2026 guarantees were voided after the ugly injury saga with the 49ers, meaning a team wouldn't have to fork over more than a late-round pick for his services.
There's no way to know what kind of shape Aiyuk is in at the moment. He held out the entire 2025 season and missed most of 2024 with a torn ACL before that. If he can return to his 2023 and early 2024 form, when he posted a couple of 1,000-plus-yard campaigns, then the investment would be worth it but expectations should be tempered nonetheless.
2. LB Kayvon Thibodeaux
Thibodeaux hasn't lived up to his QB-wrecking potential as the No. 5 overall pick in 2022. He's accrued 23.5 sacks across four seasons — which isn't terrible — but it's not the Michael Strahan-esque level he was projected to bring to MetLife Stadium. Thibodeaux has missed 15 total games, mostly for injuries, and the only time he reached double-digit sacks in a single campaign (11.5) was when he played all 17 weeks of 2023.
The New York Giants reportedly attempted to send the former Oregon product to the Saints for a day two pick in April's draft but a finalized deal never materialized. New Orleans instead turned to the Las Vegas Raiders for former first-rounder Tyree Wilson. Sending another pass rusher away after flipping NT Dexter Lawrence II to the Cincinnati Bengals for their first-rounder would've been a ballsy move. Continuing to pursue a Thibodeaux trade now after Lawrence's projected replacement — Roy Robertson-Harris — suffered a season-ending ruptured Achilles injury might be malpractice. However, that would push Thibodeaux's price skyward which would make general manager Joe Schoen look like a genius if he could secure a haul in a season that may be over before it even starts.
1. WR A.J. Brown
The Philadelphia Eagles' WR1 is going to be a New England Patriot. It's only a matter of time. But that doesn't mean another team can't swoop in with a better offer. Howie Roseman is a good businessman and it would be shocking to learn he's not taking calls on Brown's availability. With Stefon Diggs on the open market and not a lot else in terms of starting talent available, the Eagles hold all the leverage.
Only one reason is preventing Philadelphia from rebuffing every offer on the table and that's Brown's displeasure with the coaching and locker room. His career numbers, even with a mediocre 2025 campaign, make him the obvious No. 1 target on the trade block. Philadelphia will get a haul for him but in the event things fall apart with New England, there will be a slew of other suitors clamoring to their phones.
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