(Editor's note: This story has been updated after the Denver Broncos released FS Justin Simmons on Thursday morning.)
With the NFL’s annual scouting combine in the rear view and this year’s deadline to apply the franchise tag now passed, the next official waypoint on the league’s calendar arrives Monday – when pending free agents can begin negotiating new contracts with other teams (though they can’t officially sign until 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday).
Yet that doesn’t necessarily mean the next few days will be quiet. Several teams still have players to cut and/or contracts to restructure – hey there, Dak Prescott – before coming into compliance with the 2024 salary cap.
It’s also likely that trade talks will begin heating up as some teams look for the piece(s) they hope is the missing component to a Super Bowl puzzle, while others look to offload expensive contracts and/or pick up draft capital, perhaps even paving the way for younger talent to play.
Here are 10 players (listed alphabetically) we either know are on the trade block or logically could be if you do something that solves so many NFL mysteries – follow the money.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
Years of frustration and turmoil boiled over last season. After a loss to the Giants in New York, Allen, a team captain, fumed – in part – during a post-game rant, “It’s been seven (expletive) years of the same (expletive).” A few weeks later, in the midst of a 4-13 campaign, he offered, “I’m tired of trying to build character,” adding, “my character is built well enough. I’m trying to win.” If he reaches his incentives, Allen, 29, is owed $32.5 million over the final two years of his contract, but nothing guaranteed. Pretty reasonable for a Pro Bowler at his position ... and for a vet thirsty to win.
He’s expensive ($23.1 million, non-guaranteed, in 2024) and old (32 in April), last playing a full season in 2019. But with the Bolts needing to shed salary, and Allen entering his walk year after being highly productive when he did play in 2023 – 108 catches, 1,243 yards, seven TDs in 13 games – sure feels like a good opportunity for clubs and player to benefit from a change of scenery.
Unfathomable, right? This All-Pro-caliber stud is QB Lamar Jackson’s safety blanket, right? Yes? Kinda? But let’s dig a bit further. Andrews, 28, is under contract for two more seasons – no guaranteed money, but $11 million ($7 million in base salary and $4 million roster bonuses) apiece in both 2024 and 2025. The Ravens went 7-1 following his leg injury last November, the loss coming in a Week 18 contest Baltimore didn't need. Second-year man Isaiah Likely also performed very effectively in Andrews’ stead. Per Over The Cap, Baltimore needs to cut nearly $10 million from its 2024 cap after franchising Pro Bowl DT Justin Madubuike.
The former All-Pro hasn’t been the same since an ACL injury suffered in practice near the end of the 2020 regular season. Over the past three years, he’s only played in 13 games – 11 of those during the 2022 campaign. Bakhtiari, who’s out of guaranteed money, is owed a $20.2 million base salary in the final year of his contract. If he can prove he’s not damaged goods – and if the Pack is maybe willing to eat some cash – Bakhtiari, 32, might bring something of value in return … maybe especially from a team that needs a left tackle and employs a quarterback who’s a close friend? A team that swung a big deal with Green Bay last year?
He – and the team – have gotten incrementally better during his first three seasons. Yet it’s fairly apparent by what Bears brass are and aren’t saying that the club will go in a new direction behind center with the No. 1 pick of the 2024 draft. What does that mean for Fields? Seems almost unthinkable he won’t be in a new uniform soon, GM Ryan Poles acknowledging of a potential trade, “If we do go down that road, I want to do right by Justin.” But how much are potential suitors willing to give up knowing Fields is entering the final year of his rookie contract (with a fifth-year option available for 2025)? In a comparable situation, the Jets dealt QB Sam Darnold after this third season to the Carolina Panthers for a second-, fourth- and sixth-round draft pick. Fields, 25, has been better to this point of his career than Darnold, but hard to see him fetching much more than a package built around Day 2 picks.
He’s in a similar boat as Keenan Allen, one of four Bolts (OLB Joey Bosa, WR Mike Williams being the others) with a cap hit exceeding $30 million in 2024 on an overbudget roster. Like Allen, Mack, 33, is in the final year of his deal, which owes him $23.3 million next season, including incentives (but no guarantees). Despite his age, Mack is still very durable, and the former Defensive Player of the Year posted a career-best 17 sacks in 2023. He could be really tempting for a team closer to the Lombardi Trophy than the Chargers seem to be.
Does it make a ton of sense to move a reliable, 28-year-old blind side sentinel? Not necessarily. But if the Silver and Black really want to move up the draft board for a top quarterback prospect, it might take more than just picks – let’s not forget how the Bears insisted on the inclusion of WR DJ Moore in last year’s deal with the Panthers, which also involved the No. 1 overall pick. Miller is owed just shy of $25 million, none of it guaranteed, over the final two seasons of his current extension.
A first-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2017 who was initially miscast as an off-ball linebacker, he’s essentially been playing for bargain rates across three teams since blossoming as a pass rusher in 2020 – collecting 50½ sacks over the past four seasons. There’s been smoke in recent weeks around Reddick, 29, who could make $16 million in the final year of his current pact (still pretty reasonable money for an elite pass rusher). However Philly EVP/GM Howie Roseman did almost nothing to douse rumors about a potential Reddick move during the combine. Make no mistake, Roseman is rarely in the business of unloading superb players, but he also knows a good deal when he sees one – and might choose to let someone else pay Reddick top dollar.
Franchised by the champs after becoming a defensive mainstay during his four years in K.C., his camp has nevertheless been permitted to explore the trade market. Currently on the hook for a $19.8 million tag in 2024, the Chiefs may not have the financial bandwidth to pay Sneed, 27, and re-sign All-Pro DT Chris Jones without incurring serious roster ramifications elsewhere.
The No. 2 overall pick in 2021, he’s been an unqualified disappointment and was (temporarily) replaced last year by Aaron Rodgers. The four-time MVP’s Week 1 Achilles injury granted Wilson, 24, a third chance to distinguish himself … and he squandered it, despite being backed by solid offensive weaponry and an elite defense. GM Joe Douglas revealed at the combine that Wilson has been given permission to seek a trade, though hard to figure – given how slowly it appears Fields' market is developing – why another team would give up much more than a low Day 3 choice for Wilson.
***Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter @ByNateDavis.
