1 blockbuster trade all 32 NFL teams can make to improve in 2024

NFL teams are setting their sights on free agency and the draft to set themselves up for success in 2024. Another often overlooked path to improvement still exists, though: trades! Today we'll look at one trade each team can make to instantly improve.

By Terrence Jordan | Feb 24, 2024, 9:37 AM EST

Justin Fields is one of many players waiting to find out if he'll have a new home in 2024 / Patrick McDermott/GettyImages

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Los Angeles Chargers trade for Paulson Adebo

Los Angeles Chargers fans are riding high after wooing Jim Harbaugh away from Michigan and back to the NFL. The upgrade to Harbaugh from Brandon Staley is a tremendous one, though the former San Francisco 49ers coach has his work cut out for him to turn the franchise around.

The Chargers are in a rough spot from a roster standpoint. Yes, they have one of the best young quarterbacks in football in Justin Herbert, but beyond that much of the team is either past their prime, overpaid, or both.

That fact, combined with the new regime in charge, means that L.A. will be making moves left and right this offseason. Many of those moves will be to cut salary or get younger, but Harbaugh didn't leave a national championship winner to go into a full-on rebuild.

The Chargers will need to make moves to stay competitive, especially on the defense, where they ranked second-to-last in the league in terms of yards allowed. That's not going to fly under Harbaugh's watch. Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa (and their hefty contracts) are prime candidates to be shipped out, which would free up much of the money needed to improve other areas of the roster.

As suboptimal as the Chargers' cap situation is, they're still in a better position than the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans will be the first phone call many teams make this offseason when trying to add talent, with cornerback Paulson Adebo potentially being one of the most asked-about players.

Adebo intercepted four passes and was better than Marshon Lattimore, even before the highly paid corner went on injured reserve in November. Harbaugh has had great success coaching defensive backs (including at Stanford, where Adebo went to school), so his hire, plus the addition of Adebo to a Chargers secondary that already includes Asante Samuel Jr. and Derwin James, will give the defense an identity it's been sorely lacking in recent years.

L.A. has all of its picks, plus it will likely add more if it trades Bosa, Mack, or others away. The Saints won't be able to afford Adebo when his contract ends next year, so they should be agreeable to getting a third-round pick back for him.

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