15 trade candidates entering the 2026 NFL offseason

• A new home for D.J. Moore?: The Bears receiver underperformed this season on a unit with two younger and cheaper options.

• 2026 NFL Draft season is here:Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

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Only four NFL teams and three total games remain in the 2025 season. While the sun hasn’t completely set to mark the start of football hibernation, most organizations have already pivoted to their offseason preparation.

With the coaching carousel in full swing, roster decisions are likely in the process of being ironed out by front offices. That includes not only assessing the free-agent market, but also players who could be on the move via trade — with these 15 players as headliners.

QB Kyler Murray, ArizonaCardinals

When the Cardinals picked Murray No. 1 overall in 2019 and moved on from Josh Rosen, the choice was regarded as a bold but prudent one. However, seven years later, the sides appear barreling toward a breakup.

Murray has generally been solid in his six pro seasons, posting an 85.1 overall PFF grade with a 79.9 PFF passing grade. However, he’s played far worse late in the year — holding a 76.3 overall and 72.9 passing grade from Week 9 onward.

In 2025, Murray produced just four big-time throws with three turnover-worthy plays across five games before suffering a foot injury. Even when Murray was seemingly healthy, Arizona elected to turn to backup Jacoby Brissett for the rest of the year. Now, their relationship seems irreparably damaged.

Still only 28 and incredibly talented, Murray would have plenty of suitors across the league — especially in a draft and free-agent quarterback crop lacking many high-end options. Murray’s contract is also relatively easy to digest for Arizona, carrying just $17.9 million in dead cap for 2026 if dealt before June 1, according to Over the Cap.

QB Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

The second major domino to fall during the 2026 offseason will be what happens with another former first-round quarterback.

Like Murray, Tagovailoa has largely played like a plus starter during his NFL career, owning an 81.3 overall PFF grade with an 81.6 PFF passing grade. However, Tagovailoa has cratered over the last two seasons, tossing 29 big-time throws to 37 turnover-worthy plays. Indeed, Tagovailoa’s league-high 5.4% turnover-worthy play rate this year led to his Week 16 benching, casting major doubt over his future in Miami.

With the Dolphins hiring new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and bringing in Jeff Hafley at head coach, starting afresh with a different player under center is the logical next step. Tagovailoa’s contract makes a trade more difficult — he’d cost the Dolphins over $45 million in dead cap in 2026 — but we’ve seen teams relinquish far more than that to cut ties with a big-name quarterback before. The market for Tagovailoa — who led qualifiers in passing grade in 2023 — figures to be somewhat sizable, gambling that he can return to prior production.

QB Mac Jones, San Francisco49ers

Murry and Tagovailoa may be the big fish on the quarterback trade market, but Jones is the sleeping giant. The former 10th overall selection could be in very high demand based on his play this season.

After churning out a 70.7 PFF passing grade in three years with the Patriots, Jones operated as the Jaguars’ backup before landing in the same post with the 49ers. The Alabama product seized his opportunity once Brock Purdy suffered a toe injury, generating a 75.4 passing grade with a 79.6% adjusted completion percentage in eight starts for San Francisco. While Jones’ play wasn’t perfect — committing more turnover-worthy plays (10) than big-time throws (8) — he displayed sound accuracy, ranking third among qualified passers in accurate throw rate while leading the group in plus accuracy percentage.

Only counting slightly over $3 million against the cap next season and set to be a free agent come 2027, Jones figures to be the target for multiple teams desperate for immediate help under center. The bigger question is what price it would take to pry him from San Francisco, especially given Purdy’s recent injury history.

CB Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens will usher in a new era in 2026 after the shocking firing of John Harbaugh. The team’s defensive lapses were a major component in a disappointing season, with Humphrey center stage.

The former All-Pro corner played the worst season of his career from a grading standpoint, posting a 49.9 overall PFF grade with a 42.9 PFF coverage grade while missing 16.5% of his tackles. Among qualified corners in 2025, Humphrey allowed the most yards (920) and second-most receptions (68) while placing third-worst in both snaps per target and reception.

With Humphrey’s cap figure climbing over $26 million in 2026 and having just one season left on his current deal, Baltimore will likely try to find a trade suitor. It’s not out of the question that Humphrey could bounce back to 2024, when he earned an 81.0 coverage grade.

RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

This upcoming offseason feels like a welcome one for the Saints, who finally appear on the rise after winning four of their last five games. At the same time, the team’s aging roster still needs retooling — with maneuvers that could include Kamara.

Once one of the foremost running backs in the NFL, Kamara’s production has dipped over the last few years. Most notably, the five-time Pro Bowler registered a career-low 51.7 overall PFF grade with a 61.0 PFF rushing grade last year, losing three fumbles and gaining only 10 runs of 10-plus yards. His yards per route run also dropped almost a full yard from 1.75 to 0.78.

Now 30 with durability concerns mounting and having only one year left on his extension, Kamara is a logical player for New Orleans to trade elsewhere — even though he’s hinted at retiring if moved. Given that running backs are seemingly always in demand, he should be worth at least a Day 3 pick despite his waning profile.

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QB Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders

When the Raiders traded a third-round pick to the Seahawks in exchange for Smith last offseason, it seemed like a total steal. Now, the veteran may be shipped off again after a disastrous season.

Point blank, Smith played like one of the worst quarterbacks in football this season. His 58.2 PFF passing grade was the second-lowest among qualifiers, and his 3.0% big-time throw rate was the third-worst in that group. Smith was also woeful under pressure, posting a league-worst 28.8 passing grade in such situations.

With Las Vegas holding the No. 1 overall pick — and with that selection overwhelmingly likely to be Fernando Mendoza — Smith is expected to enter 2026 as the team’s backup. However, he’d be a very expensive one in the first year of a two-year, $75 million extension. Smith’s 2023 and 2024 seasons, where he recorded an 86.1 passing grade, could warrant another chance in a desperate quarterback market.

LB Patrick Queen, PittsburghSteelers

The Steelers won’t have Mike Tomlin roaming the sidelines in 2026, bringing forth another landmark change to the NFL. Pittsburgh’s new coach will have to sort out quandaries on both sides of the ball, including what to do with Queen.

When the Steelers invested nearly record money in Queen two offseasons ago, the team figured it had made a splash to bolster a good defense. Instead, that $41 million investment hasn’t been nearly worth the return. Since 2024, Queen has missed the most tackles in the league (53) and owns a 48.0 overall PFF grade, the second-worst among 18 linebackers to play 2,000 or more snaps in that span.

Queen is set to enter the 2026 campaign on an expiring deal. With the Steelers needing better linebacker play, getting his contract off the books would make sense.

WR D.J. Moore, ChicagoBears

The Bears may have fallen in the divisional round, but their 2025 season was a legitimate success — in large part, due to a reconstructed offense with Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams and a terrific pass-catching corps. However, Moore may not be part of that next year.

Moore was elite after being traded from Carolina to Chicago, garnering an 89.0 overall PFF grade in 2023. But in the two years since, that number has dwindled to 73.5, including a 72.8 PFF receiving grade. The 2025 season was a bit of a trying one for Moore, who recorded a career low in yards per route run (1.24) with his highest drop rate (4.7%) since 2021. On top of that, questions surrounding his route-running effort — including against the Rams in the playoffs — continued to populate.

Understandably, the Bears may not want to fracture a receiving group that ranked 12th in PFF receiving grade this year. But with Moore due an inflated $28.5 million against the cap while grading out as Chicago’s fourth-best receiver, that value doesn’t seem to equate. Perhaps the Bears will give the 28-year-old a fresh start elsewhere as they roll with a younger and cheaper room.

DT Daron Payne, WashingtonCommanders

The Commanders are a team under heightened pressure in 2026 following a 5-12 campaign this past season. Washington must improve its defense after ranking 31st in EPA per play allowed, which might include trading Payne up front.

The longtime Washington standout has declined of late, playing three straight seasons with an overall PFF grade below 61.5. Payne has had particular issues against the run, as his 44.9 PFF run-defense grade is 25th out of 32 qualified defensive tackles since 2024. Moreover, his pass-rush win rate has not exceeded 7.7% since 2023.

Tying for the 10th-highest annual average value at the position, Payne is not performing to the level of his lucrative contract. Now 28 and a free agent after next season, the Commanders may shed some payroll and pursue younger upgrades.

EDGE Jermaine Johnson II, New York Jets

The Jets enter the second season of the Aaron Glenn era with fewer answers than they’d like on both sides of the line of scrimmage. With a number of notable players set to become free agents, other holdovers like Johnson could also be on the move.

Last season, Johnson returned from an Achilles tear but didn’t look like the same caliber of player. He posted a sub-59.5 PFF run-defense and pass-rush grade across 678 total snaps. In fact, the former first-round pick hasn’t even played 750 snaps in a full season through four campaigns.

The Jets seem unlikely to snag a quarterback with the second overall pick, but an edge defender like Arvell Reese or David Bailey could be in the cards. In that case, a player like Johnson — a 2027 free agent — could become expendable, especially as New York looks to boost one of the worst pass rushes in the league.

QB Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts

The Colts’ path to contention was rapidly dashed midseason, especially after Daniel Jones tore his Achilles in Week 14. Now, Indianapolis has several major questions ahead — including what to do with Richardson.

The former fourth overall pick played just 14 total snaps last season, missing a golden opportunity to gain reps because of an orbital fracture. Across his three-year career, Richardson has recorded just a 60.0 overall PFF grade with 22 big-time throws and 19 turnover-worthy plays.

The Colts will likely want to secure at least some viable depth behind Jones coming off of a significant injury, which could convince them to retain Richardson. But it also wouldn’t be surprising to teams take a swing on the 23-year-old, especially given his raw talent and the recent wave of first-round reclamation projects under center.

CB Keisean Nixon, Green Bay Packers

The Packers should enter the 2026 campaign as NFC competitors yet again, although their defense will need some revisions without Jeff Hafley. Nixon could be part of those changes.

Nixon endured an up-and-down 2025 season, registering a 69.5 PFF coverage grade — although that mark sat below 60.0 in 10 of 18 contests. Moreover, Nixon allowed seven touchdowns in coverage and had the 12th-highest passer rating when targeted among qualified cornerbacks (104.8).

Green Bay’s cornerback room finished last year 13th in overall PFF grade, still likely needing reinforcements at the position. The 28-year-old Nixon could be on his way out, especially being under contract for only one more season.

T Broderick Jones, Pittsburgh Steelers

The 2023 first-round draft class has produced lots of notable talent, yet certain players enter prove-it seasons. Jones certainly classifies as the latter, although he may already have played his last snap in Pittsburgh.

The Georgia product has failed to perform as expected through his first three campaigns, owning a 58.1 overall PFF grade while procuring a sub-60.0 PFF pass- and run-blocking mark. Additionally, Jones has permitted 22 sacks in his career — the fourth-most of any lineman since 2023.

It didn’t bode great for Jones that, following a season-ending neck injury in Week 12, former undrafted free agent Dylan Cook outperformed him. Expect the Steelers to try to add talent at the position — and if Jones can’t reclaim his starting spot, then the 24-year-old may be on the block.

CB Deonte Banks, New York Giants

The Giants have gained a sudden impetus of optimism after hiring John Harbaugh as their head coach. Harbaugh and incumbent general manager Joe Schoen will be tasked with upgrading remaining liabilities on the roster, with cornerback certainly an area of need.

When New York picked Banks in the 2023 first round, pundits expected that they had landed a lockdown cornerback; instead, he’s been the inverse. Among cornerbacks to play 2,000 or more snaps over the last three seasons, Banks owns the worst overall PFF grade (43.8) with the third-highest passer rating when targeted (110.9).

Schoen invested $54 million in Paulson Adebo last offseason, but the Giants concluded this past year 26th in overall grade at corner. Cutting ties with the 24-year-old Banks in the hopes of adding a better player feels shrewd.

S Quan Martin, Washington Commanders

The problems with Washington’s aforementioned defense were especially pronounced in the secondary, where the Commanders ended the year 31st in PFF coverage grade. As general manager Adam Peters pursues upgrades, Martin’s spot could be in jeopardy.

The former second-round pick hasn’t played as anticipated in the pros, receiving a 57.8 overall grade with a 38.6 PFF coverage mark. This year, Martin yielded the highest passer rating when targeted (151.8) at the position while also surrendering the seventh-most yards (468).

The Commanders are armed with the fifth-most cap space, and safeties like Kevin Byard, Ar’Darius Washington and others could be free-agent targets. In turn, the 25-year-old may call another franchise home.