With the 2021 Draft over and done with, the next big thing to look at is the start of the 2021 NFL season in September. However, there is still quite a bit of time remaining until that happens. I mean what is a massive football nerd to do until then?
Research fantasy methods?
Maybe.
Watch cricket?
Unlikely.
Contact Geico to find out if it is true if just 15 minutes can save me 15% on car insurance?
Absolutely.
However, I will also be doing something I love doing; speculating trades.
With a huge portion of free agency and the draft over with, the needs of some teams have been fulfilled. However, some teams are still trying to find that one piece to make everything better. I have narrowed them all down to 10 possibilities. Let’s find out who might be moving somewhere else.
10.) Dee Ford to the Buffalo Bills
While it is true that Buffalo spent their first two picks on edge rushers, it would be foolish to not bring in a veteran presence to make sure the rookies aren’t doing all the heavy lifting. The 49ers have plenty of defensive talent to spare for some nice draft capital for the 2022 Draft. Ford’s cap hit if he plays next season could also be a big reason why he could be moved, and Buffalo just sounds like his style.
9.) Hayden Hurst to the Cincinnati Bengals
Hayden Hurst’s season with the Falcons started off hot, but quickly simmered once some injury concerns started popping up. With the Falcons drafting tight end Kyle Pitts, it makes very little sense to keep Hurst on the roster. Why not ship him somewhere else where he could actually be used? The Bengals are a decent team to think about considering their weapons are all utilized by Joe Burrow, and they haven’t had a decent tight end since Tyler Eifert.
8.) Marcus Mariota to the Washington Football Team
This is more of a long term succession plan than a “start right away” kind of plan. As much as I love Taylor Heineke’s performance against Tom Brady and the Bucs in the playoffs last year, he and Kyle Allen aren’t the best quarterback options to keep around after this season when Ryan Fitzpatrick will most likely be gone. Why not get a still decently young and mobile quarterback in Mariota to eventually replace Fitzpatrick. He impressed me quite a bit in his one game comeback when Derek Carr went down, and the Raiders are simply paying him too much to be on the bench.
7.) Evan Engram to the Seattle Seahawks
Evan Engram kind of disappointed a lot of Giants fans last year, but the Giants are adding more weapons to help Daniel Jones out. New weapons in the form of Kenny Golladay, Kyle Rudolph, and Kadarius Toney have been added to the roster. In retrospect, that sounds great for the Giants, but it doesn’t bold well for Engram’s production. He already had trouble getting the ball last year, and now you are adding three new weapons to the arsenal. Send him to Seattle where he could provide a serious security blanket to Russell Wilson who basically only has Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf to work with.
6.) Leighton Vander Esch to the Kansas City Chiefs
When Vander Esch was drafted by the Cowboys, fans thought they were getting the young protégé of Sean Lee. For a while that seemed to be the case, but just like Sean Lee, injuries have crept up on Leighton Vander Esch including neck surgery. The outside linebacker wants to still be in the spotlight, but with the Cowboys just drafting Micah Parsons, that might prove difficult. Why not send him somewhere he could fit into nicely? How about the Chiefs? They could make use of him since they need an outside linebacker. He sounds like just the right man for the job to pair with newly drafted inside linebacker; Nick Bolton.
5.) Zach Ertz to the Indianapolis Colts
Ertz is most likely on the move after barely playing ahead of Dallas Goedert last season. It is amazing how such a great tight end talent like him could be even considered a trade, but here we are man. It would only make sense to reunite him with his favorite quarterback in Indianapolis; Carson Wentz. The Colts really don’t have a great tight end (Jack Doyle is there, but that’s about it). Doing this gives Wentz more confidence after the Colts just signed Eric Fisher. Ertz would be more than thankful to be used in this system.
4.) Stephon Gilmore to the Arizona Cardinals
While the Cardinals secondary looks decent with Malcom Butler and Byron Murphy at the corner position, it can only get better with the addition of one Stephon Gilmore. It is no secret that Bill Belichick has been trying to ship Gilmore elsewhere, but I believe he has been waiting for him to get older while still producing so teams might overpay for him in the long run. The Cardinals if they are truly in “win now” mode need to go trade for Gilmore to help out that secondary. With this in place, the Cardinals have a real shot at winning their division, playoffs, and honestly maybe even the Super Bowl if they get there.
3.) Odell Beckham Jr to the Detroit Lions
OBJ has done some good things for Cleveland, but it is no coincidence that the Browns started doing better when he was off the field. Baker didn’t have to force it as much, and Cleveland relied on a nice steady run attack to make the playoffs. Besides, outside of Green Bay, the Lions are arguably the team that needs a star wide receiver the most. Their top two wideouts consist of Tyrell Williams and Breshad Perriman. Adding Odell would be the perfect plan to get the Lions going in the right direction.
2.) Julio Jones to the New England Patriots
The Patriots would be thrilled to finally have a star receiver like Julio Jones on the team. Whether it is helping out veteran Cam Newton, or creating a late bond with newly drafted quarterback Mac Jones, this would be amazing and very doable. Jones is most likely getting traded in June once the time frame allows for no collateral damage financially to the Falcons. that’s why they drafted Kyle Pitts. Plus, while the tight end choices of Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry are great, the Patriots receiving core is still a little weak with names like Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne being the top options. Get Jones on this Patriots team, and the Pats will look to reclaim the division.
1.) Aaron Rodgers to the Denver Broncos
I mean, the writing is on the wall here right guys? It seems very unlikely that Aaron Rodgers returns to the Packers to play for them in 2021. The drafting of Jordan Love last year just really opened up a paradox of bad attitudes with the higher ups of Green Bay basically telling Aaron Rodgers to shut up and play ball, but haven’t helped him any step of the way. The only offensive player in the first round they drafted besides Jordan Love was Aaron Rodgers himself. No wideouts to help him. Blaming him in the NFC Championship game doesn’t help either. Plus rumors came out on Draft Day that Aaron refuses to return and will even sit out if necessary to avoid playing for Green Bay. There are a good number of teams that are interested in Rodgers, but honestly Denver makes the most sense. Send two 1st rounders and two 2nd rounders, KJ Hamler, and Drew Lock to the Packers in exchange for Aaron Rodgers. With Aaron on the their team, the Broncos automatically become a Super Bowl contender.
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