A few weeks ago, we collectively experienced one of the craziest trades in the history of professional American team sports when the Los Angeles Lakers received Luka Doncic in the prime of his career for seemingly very little in return.
The move was truly jaw-dropping and will have far-reaching ripples that will help shape the NBA landscape for years to come.
It’s also a healthy reminder that, in sports, anything is possible.
With that in mind, let’s have some fun hypothesizing about a bevy of ‘Luka Doncic-esque’ deals the Denver Broncos could piece together in order to elevate themselves to true contender status.
Now, with that said, this article will feature a wide-ranging spectrum of moves, both in terms of likelihood to actually occur and potential impact on the team. It’s also likely that this article will be wrong about every single one of these hypothetical deals. Remember though, this is all just for fun.
Also, this is an obnoxiously long piece that prioritizes comprehensiveness over anything else, so be warned. Trimming it or breaking it up into multiple sections would be idyllic, but personally, no pleasing path comes to mind there, so this is what you’re stuck with.
New York Jets Castaways
The New York Jets are staring down the barrel of what could potentially be a pretty dramatic rebuild, and, at the least, will be a re-configuring of the current roster.
Moving Aaron Rodgers, which seems extremely advisable, would cost the franchise nearly $50 million in dead cap and Davante Adams has a $38 million cap hit in 2025. Beyond that, young stars like Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson have expressed their displeasure with the organization and want out.
If the New York Jets want to pursue a more aggressive rebuild, all of the above names could be made available. Even if they take a more conservative route, it’s very likely they will be forced to move on from Adams and pay nearly a quarter of his 2025 salary in the process.
With the Denver Broncos needing more weapons, and the New York Jets’ new general manager being a long-time Bronco, the timing could be perfect for Sean Payton and Co. to take advantage of Gang Green’s desperation.
Garrett Wilson
Projected Trade Compensation: 2025 first-round pick (No. 20 overall) and 2026 second-round pick. Potentially an additional Day-3 pick in 2025 or 2026.
The most-talented potential trade target for the Denver Broncos this offseason, who doesn’t seem completely far-fetched, has to be Garrett Wilson.
He has made his disinterest in playing for the secondary New York football franchise very apparent and has also made no effort to hide his affinity for the Broncos (and maybe even Bo Nix) on social media. Now, social media protests like this are just the newest negotiating tactic to join the modern player’s arsenal, and it often doesn’t mean much, but the fact Wilson is at least attracted to the idea of landing in the Mile High City is worth noting.
The only way this trade happens is if Wilson pushes his way out of New York, and whichever team acquires him will have to have some sort of assurance that Wilson is down to sign a long-term deal with their respective franchise. That said, the social media posturing is enough to make one feel confident that Denver would be a team with which Wilson would be comfortable signing long-term.
New York being arguably the league’s most dysfunctional organization also helps make such a deal seem plausible. The draft capital acquired would also be very helpful for their rebuilding efforts.
That said, even if they’re dumb enough to trade one of their most talented young assets, it will come with a fairly hefty price.
There isn’t a great historical comparison for such a deal, but the best recent examples we have are probably the 2022 trades for Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams. Adams was acquired for a first-round pick and a second-round pick, while it cost the Miami Dolphins a first, a second, two fourth-round picks, and a sixth-round pick to land Hill.
Now, Wilson’s statistical accomplishments and accolades aren’t near what Hill and Adams had accomplished through their respective Chiefs and Packers portions of their careers, but his talent is apparent and he’s three years younger than Hill was at the time of his trade and five years younger than Adams was. With that in mind, it would make sense that the compensation ultimately lands near the Adams deal, as Wilson doesn’t create the obvious pressures on the defense that Hill does.
So, we’ve looked at what it would cost, why it would make sense for Wilson, and why the Jets might be willing to do it, but should the Broncos be interested in such a deal?
Unequivocally, yes.
Garrett Wilson in 2024:
— Harrison Glaser (@NYJetsTFMedia) January 6, 2025
💥 101 rec (career high, 2nd in #Jets history)
💥 1,104 yards (career high)
💥 7 TDs (career high)
💥 1st Jet to ever have 1,000 yards in all his 1st 3 seasons
💥 5th player ever in NFL history with 80 receptions & 1,000 yards in all his 1st 3 seasons pic.twitter.com/tEis4mknv7
With the Broncos already missing first and second-round selections from recent drafts, it would be painful to part with more premium picks. Still, there isn’t another clear path for Denver to acquire a legit No. 1 wide receiver in the coming years without either losing enough to earn a top-10 pick or taking a big swing in the near future, making Wilson a damn-near-perfect opportunity to swing at.
He is a high-end route runner and rapid separator with sticky hands who doubles as one of the league’s most potent weapons after the catch point. The Aaron Rodgers marriage didn’t work, but overlooking Wilson would be a mistake.
Matt Harmon of Reception Perception, who is widely considered to be the best wide receiver analyst in sports media, has compared Wilson’s route running and ability to win at seemingly every level of the defense while thriving as an after-the-catch weapon to Justin Jefferson and believes quarterbacking is the lone factor holding him back.
That isn’t an absurd theory either. Recently we saw a very talented young receiver (A.J. Brown) get traded to a better offense with a better quarterback and then rapidly blossom into an annual All-Pro contender. Wilson could easily follow in those same footsteps, and the Broncos would be wise to allow him to do so in Denver.
How Realistic Is It? 3/10 (It’s not completely far-fetched, but it seems pretty unlikely that the Jets would want to move off Garrett Wilson.)
Davante Adams
Projected Trade Compensation: 2025 or 2026 Day-3 Pick
While the New York Jets may find themselves pressured to move off Garrett Wilson this offseason, Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey would likely prefer to keep the hyper-talented receiver as a foundational element of their rebuild.
That flexibility isn’t present with Davante Adams, who will almost certainly be traded this offseason so that the Jets can avoid paying the $38.3 million cap hit Adams is due in 2025. They’re already on the hook for $8.4 million of that hit, but the $29.9 million in savings would help the Glenn-Mougey a lot with their rebuild.
Now, paying nearly $30 million for the 32-year-old version of Davante Adams might not excite Broncos Country at face value, but that hefty salary also makes the trade more appealing in some ways.
Considering that whichever team acquires Adams is going to have to make him one of the four highest-paid receivers for 2025 ($29.9 million cap hit) and three highest-paid receivers for 2025 ($38.3 million cap hit) — rates that are a few million north of his present value and that the Jets desperately want off their books — he probably could be acquired in a trade for very little.
The big price being paid will be that of Davante Adams’ contract. The draft capital would likely wind up being something closer to what the Jets had to give up to acquire Adams (a 2025 third-round pick), but, with the Jets getting him for 2024, the lone cheap season on Adams’ contract, whichever team acquires him next should pay a lesser price. Something in the neighborhood of a 2025 or 2026 fifth-round pick sounds right.
At that price, Adams would be an excellent option for the Denver Broncos to target if they want to quickly find Bo Nix a No. 1 option and fast-track his development. What more talented alternative exists for the cost of merely one Day 3 draft pick? There simply isn’t one.
filthy release by Davante Adams pic.twitter.com/phM8cBvr4z
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) November 1, 2024
Plus, even in a down year, with deeply dysfunctional surroundings, the three-time first-team All-Pro receiver still showcased flashes of brilliance.
He almost singlehandedly led the Las Vegas Raiders to a road upset of the Baltimore Ravens with nine receptions for 110 yards, and, over his final six games in New York, he averaged 96.0 yards and 1.0 touchdowns on 6.8 receptions per game. Extrapolated over a 17-game season, Adams would have tallied 1,632 yards and 17 scores on 115.6 catches with those averages, which would have trailed only Ja’Marr Chase’s triple-crown campaign of 127 receptions for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2024.
Now, at 32, it’s not realistic to expect Adams to play at that level for all 17 games, but that elite capability is still there, at least in bursts.
Denver is also well-positioned to manage the sizeable cap hit attached to Adams. The team already has $34 million in cap space, and, through some sensible restructuring of some of the Broncos’ core veteran pieces, as well as the releases of Alex Singleton and P.J. Locke, Paton and Co. could free up nearly $40 million more in 2025 cap space without stretching too hard.
That would leave the Broncos with plenty of room to take the big swing on PS2’s former archnemesis and to make their other necessary moves this offseason.
It should also be noted that the team has an absurd $135 million in 2026 cap space, so they can comfortably convert some salaries into bonuses to kick the cap hits down the line without causing too much harm to their future build. They could even manipulate Adams’ contract so that his 2025 cap hit becomes more manageable.
It would be an aggressive play, but it’s hard to think of other realistic paths that allow Denver to give Nix a weapon this talented, or better ways to spend the cap space and draft capital necessary to acquire Adams.
How Realistic Is It? 5/10 (Adams will be available this offseason. The only doubts are about whether or not the Jets will just cut him, and whether or not he’d be interested in Denver as a location, as it has been reported that Los Angeles is his preferred landing spot.)
Breece Hall
Projected Trade Compensation: One 2025 Day-3 Pick and One 2026 Day-3 Pick
The Denver Broncos have to upgrade their running back room this offseason, and while the NFL Draft offers a bevy of tantalizing targets, there aren’t many veteran options on the table, with a rapidly declining Aaron Jones standing out as the shiniest free agent prize by far.
If Denver is set on adding some veteran pop to the position group, they’ll have to get creative, and Breece Hall could be the perfect solution.
Hall is entering the final year of his rookie deal, which means if the Jets can’t work out a trade or an extension over the next 12 months, they’ll be forced to watch one of their most talented stars leave for nothing in return.
With only nine players currently under contract for 2027, Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner both needing top-of-the-market extensions and a rebuild looming, New York is going to have to spend a lot of money over the next few seasons. To enable those moves, the Jets are going to look for some areas to save and some ways to pick up extra draft picks.
Trading Hall is an avenue that would make sense for Mougey and Co. on both fronts. The Patriots landed two Day-3 picks when they traded Sony Michel in similar circumstances.
It helps that rookie running back Braelon Allen was one of their best offensive players from the jump and is one of the youngest prospects in NFL Draft history. He couldn’t order a legal drink once during his rookie season, which is extra torturous considering the team he plays for. He should have plenty of tread left on his tires, and he’s cost-controlled for the next three seasons.
Another important factor is that Hall is coming off a dismal 2024 campaign. That will make him relatively cheap to acquire, considering the heights he’s reached not too long ago, but it also makes him a fairly risky proposition for the Denver Broncos.
Among 41 qualifying running backs in 2024, Hall ranked 34th in rushing success rate and 35th EPA per rush, notably behind Javonte Williams in both categories. Even in 2023, he ranked in the bottom half of the league, in both of those advanced metrics.
Maybe, like Garrett Wilson, Hall is a victim of Nathaniel Hackett and the toxic circumstances in the Meadowlands, and removing him from New York will see him return to the pre-injury elite form we saw as a rookie.
That said, it’s enough of a leap of faith that Denver shouldn’t give up more than a mid-Day-3 pick for him, especially when you consider that, if the move pans out, the Broncos would quickly be forced to make an uncomfortable contract decision off just one season of data.
How Realistic Is It? 7/10 (It makes a lot of sense for the Jets to look to part ways with Breece Hall this offseason, and if Payton wants a veteran running back, it wouldn’t be hard to argue that Hall is the best available.)
Saint in Need of a Sean Payton Rescue Op
Erik McCoy
Projected Compensation: 2025 second-round pick (No. 51 overall) and a 2026 seventh-round pick
The Denver Broncos have a very talented offensive line, but they are notably lacking plus play at the center position. With this also being a weak center class for both the NFL Draft and free agency, there aren’t many avenues available to the Broncos if they want to make a sizeable upgrade on Luke Wattenberg.
One option that could make sense is a trade for a Sean Payton draft pick — Erik McCoy.
The New Orleans Saints seem bound for cap hell and should be looking at a fire sale shortly.
McCoy has made the Pro Bowl each of the past two seasons, is locked up through 2027, and is obviously familiar with Payton’s offensive scheme. He would be a noticeable step up from day one, and would instantly insert an already-great Broncos offensive line into ‘best line in the league’ conversations. Plus, unlike Wattenberg, McCoy has the starting experience at center to be a major mental aid for Bo Nix as he learns to diagnose NFL defenses.
There are some very real hurdles with this potential trade idea though.
First and foremost, although the New Orleans Saints’ cap situation is ugly, it wouldn’t be immediately helped by moving off McCoy this offseason, as the dead cap incurred by the move would balance out any savings gained by it. Now, it would create a large amount of savings for 2026 and 2027 and there aren’t many moves the Saints could make to save money in 2025 because of all their insane cap maneuvering.
So, on the one hand, it might make sense to start getting ahead of it and enable a tank for a higher draft pick, but there isn’t much motivating New Orleans to make that move in 2025.
Plus, the fact Saints general manager and football czar Mickey Loomis is returning to the fold, claiming that the team is still in win-now mode, and has his job security hanging by a thread all suggest that the teardown probably isn’t coming until 2026.
The other major hurdle is that McCoy is coming off a season that saw him miss nine games, so the Broncos might feel uneasy about offering up enough to make the Saints motivated to move their talented center.
Finally, between Wattenberg, Alex Forsyth, and Nick Gargiulo, the Broncos have a bundle of cost-controlled developmental center prospects they seemingly believe in. If that faith isn’t just performative, Denver might not be interested in blocking those players’ path to development by making a big move for McCoy.
Nonetheless, if you’re pining for a center upgrade, there’s a good chance that this is your best option.
How Realistic Is It? 2/10 (Even if we think it’s time for the Saints to blow it up, they seem hell-bent on perpetuating their crisis to ‘win now’, and moving McCoy wouldn’t align with that. Plus, it doesn’t seem like the Broncos view center as a glaring need.)
Only Available Thanks To the Human Embodiment of the Chernobyl Disaster
Myles Garrett
Projected Compensation: 2025 first-round pick plus other premium draft capital (a second-round pick and a late-round selection, or two third-round picks would be examples of potential toppers)
The NFL landscape was rocked on Monday morning when Myles Garrett publicly demanded a trade from the Cleveland Browns so that he could pursue a Super Bowl with a different franchise. Being an immense talent at the height of his powers, Garrett should demand intrigue from any contender and borderline contender in the league, including the Denver Broncos.
Now, the reality that the Broncos are still a few steps away from that upper tier of Super Bowl contention does make them a less obvious answer to the Garrett query than the Detroit Lions or Buffalo Bills, but they should absolutely be a player in the negotiations, as opportunities like this don’t come by often.
Garrett is arguably the best defensive player in the league and a lights-out edge player, much better than anything Denver currently has at the position. Now, Nik Bonitto’s developmental trajectory has been extremely promising, and he could maybe become an annual 15-sack player, but he isn’t there yet, might not ever get there, and will never be the high-level run defender that Garrett is.
Plus, finding that elite edge presence is extremely important for winning a Super Bowl, and with the Broncos no longer dwelling at the bottom of the NFL’s standings, they won’t often be in a position to land a force like Garrett.
According to The Athletic’s Diana Russini, Garrett’s price is expected to be a little less than the two first-round picks that Khalil Mack demanded when the Raiders traded him back in 2018. Garrett and Mack are both elite edge defenders, but with Garrett being four years older than Mack was at the time of that deal, he has less of his prime left and will likely go for less. A first and a second or a first and two third-round picks is a steep price, but with the Broncos not viewed as the same level of contender as the Lions, Bills, or Washington Commanders, their picks should carry more weight in negotiations.
All that said, both franchises will have serious hangups when it comes to actually making a deal.
As was briefly discussed with the Garrett Wilson proposal, the Broncos are already missing a lot of first and second-round rookie contracts, thanks to the Russell Wilson and Sean Payton trades. Those contracts are incredibly valuable because those deals are the best avenue both for acquiring surplus value and for cultivating elite talent at premium positions, as those talents seldom hit the open market once they’re developed.
Trading more of those lottery tickets for a high-paid player who needs a contract extension and is nearing the end of their prime would be a gamble.
On the Browns side, although their salary cap is deeply unhealthy, trading Garrett wouldn’t offer them any immediate relief, and would actually make the problem much worse in the short term. Trading their best talent will cost Cleveland nearly $17 million in dead cap, which is a steep price to pay to move a player you ultimately don’t want to even move in the first place.
Now, the deal would offer some serious savings for 2026 and beyond, but the Browns could also wait a year — assuming they can get Garrett to cooperate — and experience those savings, without paying Myles Garrett a Scrooge-McDuck-sized pile of money to play for someone else in 2025. That said, with those long-term savings serving as the primary motivation for Cleveland to move off Garrett, it’s unlikely either of the Broncos’ talented young pass-rushers — Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper — would be coveted in the swap.
If the Broncos want Garrett, they’ll have to sacrifice a lot of picks and cap space, and likely hope to recoup some of their losses with a subsequent trade of Bonitto.
How Realistic Is It? 2/10 (Like Davante Adams, we know Garrett is available. We just aren’t sure whether or not Cleveland will ultimately be compelled to deal him, and even if they do, Denver seems like an unlikely landing spot)
Instant Fixes to the Denver Broncos TE Woes
The tight end position is one of the most glaring needs for the Denver Broncos.
Adding a dynamic option this offseason would be a huge boost for Bo Nix, but the free agent options are limited, and tight end is notoriously one of the positions with the most serious learning curve when leaping the pros.
Here are three appealing trade candidates who could make an immediate game-changing impact.
George Kittle
Projected Compensation: 2025 second-round pick plus an additional mid-round pick in either 2025 or 2026.
The San Francisco 49ers are going to be forced to make some tough decisions this offseason. They have an expensive, top-heavy roster, and need to make decisions on Brock Purdy, Trent Williams — arguably their two most valuable offensive players, who could soon become their two most expensive — and star cornerback Charvarius Ward.
Plus, trading Deebo Samuel is unlikely to help their immediate cap situation. Trading him will incur a hefty dead-cap hit and whichever team acquires him is likely to demand the 49ers eat even more of his remaining contract to facilitate the trade.
George Kittle, on the other hand, would offer the 49ers some minimal short-term relief, plus the same sizeable long-term relief that Samuel would. San Francisco has a less obvious route toward replacing Kittle, considering they drafted a first-round wide receiver in 2024 to insure against Samuel’s seemingly inevitable exit. That said, with this year’s NFL draft class for tight ends being particularly impressive, now could be the perfect time to swap Kittle for picks, get cheaper, and find his long-term replacement all in one clean move.
It’s hard to project compensation, as we haven’t seen many marquee trades at the position, but odds are it’ll be an expensive price.
The People's Tight End 👏
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 10, 2025
Watch George Kittle's top plays from the 2024 season. pic.twitter.com/LMUVfKOErA
T.J. Hockenson was traded to a division rival, along with two fourth-round picks, for a second-round and a third-round pick. Jimmy Graham was traded alongside a fourth-round selection for a first-round pick and star center Max Unger. Something in the range of two seconds to a second and a fifth, maybe with some sort of capital coming back, feels about right, but it’s admittedly hard to approximate the value on this one.
Now, that is pricey, especially when combined with the salary Kittle is due, but it’s not hard to imagine him being worth that cost.
Kittle would be a dramatic improvement on anything Denver’s 2024 tight end group offered, both from a blocking and a pass-catching perspective, not to mention being an entirely different level of threat after the catch. There is frankly a smaller gap between your local 7-Eleven’s sushi and that of Michelin-Star-Winning Sushi Den than there is between Kittle and Adam Trautman.
This would provide Bo Nix with the most deadly receiving threat he’s had to work with in his short NFL career, along with ostensibly adding an extra offensive lineman to an already promising rushing foundation. Adding Kittle alongside a quality running back in the draft could super-charge Denver’s run game and help it reach elite status.
How Realistic Is It? 2/10 (The 49ers are still in a Super Bowl window, and while they will have to lose some pieces, they likely view Kittle as a player too valuable to deal)
Mark Andrews
Projected Trade Compensation: One mid-round pick and one late-round pick in 2025 or 2026
Mark Andrews is a more realistic trade target for the Denver Broncos than George Kittle, but he offers the same instant-impact upside.
It is impossible to ignore the fact that the entire nation saw him choke away a playoff game the last time he was on the field, but one horrific game shouldn’t color your entire perception of Andrews, who has regularly been a top-five tight end for a half-decade now.
In fact, despite his painful drop against the Buffalo Bills, Andrews was one of the NFL’s most sure-handed tight ends in 2024. His +12.8% catch rate over expectation was second-best, trailing only Kittle, among 34 qualifying tight ends. He also led all qualifying tight ends in EPA per target. Making him even more appealing is the fact he’s also a more-than-respectable blocker.
Mark Andrews! Strong hands.
— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2024
📺: #PHIvsBAL on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/8cTELJgPry
Andrews would fill the Broncos’ hole at tight end the moment he was acquired, knocking it far down the list of offseason priorities.
So, why on earth would the Baltimore Ravens want to trade him, and how come he could be acquired for so cheap?
For starters, Baltimore is going to have to lose some pieces this offseason. They have just $12 million in cap space, with Ronnie Stanley set to hit free agency after a resurgent 2024, and key DBs Ardarius Washington and Brandon Stephens in need of new deals. Meanwhile, up-and-coming tight end Isaiah Likely is coming off the most promising season of his young career and is entering a contract year.
Andrews is also on the last year of his deal, but he’ll be on the wrong side of 30 starting in 2024, and Baltimore would free up $11 million by trading him.
Now, as far as compensation goes, the projected value of one mid-round and one late-round draft pick could be too low, but it also seems to be in line with the historical examples we have at our disposal.
The most comparable situation is probably when the Eagles traded a 30-year-old Zach Ertz in the final year of his deal to the Arizona Cardinals because they had to make room for Dallas Goedert, in exchange for a human named Tay Gowan and a fifth-round pick. Andrews is presently a better player than Ertz was, and the Ertz deal was made midseason, so bumping the compensation up to one mid-round pick and one late-round pick feels right.
How Realistic Is It? 8 of 10 (Of all the Broncos’ offensive needs, tight end is one that is generally best to fix via the veteran market instead of through the draft. Mark Andrews is comfortably the best veteran tight end available, is an easy fit in Payton’s offense, and the Ravens should be motivated to move him.)
Kyle Pitts
Projected Trade Compensation: 2025 or 2026 Day-3 Pick
If Andrews is the realistic safe veteran option, Kyle Pitts is the realistic upside-focused gamble.
Like Andrews, Pitts is in the last year of his deal. Considering how rocky his tenure in Atlanta has been, it seems unlikely the Falcons re-sign him, so why not try and recoup some value while he still might have some market value?
Now, three consecutive seasons marred by either underwhelming production and/or injury make him a sketchier target, but he’s still just 24 years old. Merely four years ago we were talking about him as a generational tight-end prospect, and three seasons ago he turned in one of the best rookie campaigns we had ever seen from a player at his position.
He hasn’t been the same hyper-explosive athlete since tearing his ACL, but he doesn’t need that 4.4 speed to be an effective receiving threat at the NFL level. He still offers soft hands, an excellent frame, and more athleticism than the average peer at tight end.
NFL GMs love holding on to their pre-draft player evaluations, so there’s probably still enough love for Pitts that he can yield a decent draft pick in return, instead of a pick-swap, but anything pricier than a fifth-round pick probably isn’t worth the trouble.
How Realistic Is It? 7 of 10 (Kyle Pitts has been available for multiple seasons now, so a trade is definitely possible. The harder projection is whether or not the Broncos would be overly interested after three disappointing seasons.)
“I’m Sorry, the Dallas Mavericks Just Did WHAT!?”
Ja’Marr Chase
Projected Trade Compensation: 2025 first-round pick, 2026 first-round pick, and an additional mid-round pick
We rarely see elite wide receivers traded in their prime, but the right cocktail of events has come together in Cincinnati to make it at least seem vaguely possible that Ja’Marr Chase could be made available.
First, their ownership is notoriously cheap, and will have to pay Tee Higgins well over $70 million in up-front cash this offseason if they hope to keep him, as all reports suggest they do. It would also seem a little excessive to have well over one-third of the team’s salary cap devoted to three members of the passing game, instead of spreading the love throughout the roster.
Everyone just saw that, despite elite seasons from Joe Burrow, Chase and Higgins, the Bengals were unable to even make a playoff appearance, because of how limited the rest of the team was.
Now, as compelling as those reasons might be, Burrow has made it extremely apparent that he will be very upset if the team lets Higgins leave, forcing Cincy’s hand with this year’s franchise tag as a result. If that’s what they’re willing to do to avoid his ire about a Higgins departure, imagine the lengths they’ll go to dodge the eruption that would quickly follow a Chase trade.
If the Bengals are somehow convinced to move Chase, the compensation would have to be exorbitant. Miami’s acquisition of Tyreek Hill (one first-round pick, one second-round pick, two fourth-round picks, and a sixth-round pick) seems like a good starting point, but Hill was three years older than Chase currently is and had horrific off-field incidents on his resume. Chase would likely go for even more.
That said, he would be well worth the price, as there isn’t a weapon in the league who would present a better fit with Bo Nix.
This is of course a fantasy with little to no shot of actually occurring, but we all would have said the same thing about an Anthony Davis/Luka Doncic trade not long ago.
How Realistic Is It? 1 of 10 (The Bengals are currently in the process of breaking many of their spending norms in an effort to make Burrow happy. Trading his top option and former college teammate would be a big step in the opposite direction.)
Receivers Who Are Rumored To Be Available but Weren’t Included Above
Deebo Samuel Sr.
Projected Trade Compensation: 2026 conditional fourth-round pick that could become a third-round pick
Our own Robert Davis provided an excellent in-depth breakdown of this trade idea just a few days ago, so for more info on this trade idea, look there.
Deebo Samuel is still a useful player, but the structuring of his contract makes it so that the 49ers likely won’t be able to trade him until June, meaning the compensation would have to come from the much stronger 2026 draft class.
It seems more likely the 49ers cut Samuel so they access the cap savings earlier in the offseason, allowing the Broncos to negotiate for him on the open market.
How Realistic Is It? 6 of 10 (Samuel is absolutely available, but it ultimately will probably make more sense for the 49ers to release him than it will for them to trade him.)
Cooper Kupp
Projected Trade Compensation: 2026 conditional fifth-round pick that could become a fourth-round pick
Maybe this isn’t giving Cooper Kupp enough respect, but he just hasn’t been an elite weapon since his 2021 triple-crown season. We’ve seen flashes of the old Kupp for a game here or there, but with each passing season and with each subsequent injury, those echoes of the epic force Kupp once was become progressively fainter and rarer.
Kupp, like Samuel, played the position with the physicality of a running back. He was also one of the most physical blocking receivers in the NFL for years, despite not being the biggest guy. One of the superpowers in his game was his ability to bounce off opposing tacklers and churn forward for extra yards.
All that has added up, and the toll it’s taken on Kupp’s body was extremely apparent down the stretch of 2024, where he averaged under 30 yards per game over the final five weeks of the season.
Also, although his blocking and after-the-catch ability make him an idyllic fit for Denver, it should be noted that he ran for more pre-snap motion yardage than any other receiver last year, by a wide margin, despite missing Weeks 3 through 7. Those motions can be used to give him last-second advantages on the defense, yet he still struggled, and he wouldn’t get to experience those benefits as frequently in the Broncos’ more static offense.
His seemingly rapid decline makes him a risk, but the Rams seem eager enough to move off him that he may become a risk worth taking.
How Realistic Is It? 8 of 10 (Cooper Kupp will be playing on a new team in 2025, and it’s easy to imagine why Sean Payton might covet him. The financial hurdles are very real obstacles though.)
