NFL Trade Deadline 2025: Three Players Who Could Change Teams

The NFL trading deadline is just two and a half weeks away and it is never too early to start throwing around proposals.

Running back Breece Hall, receiver Jakobi Meyers and tight end Mark Andrews are offensive players who may find a new home. On the defensive side, pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, linebacker Bradley Chubb and defensive tackle Shelby Harris might receive new addresses.

Should be relatively quiet on the quarterback front as it doesn’t appear anyone wants to rescue the Atlanta Falcons from the Kirk Cousins contract. Also, neither of the New York Giants veteran backups – Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston – are attractive options for teams realistically in the playoff race.

Here are three trade options that could become a reality.

No-brainer: Jets trade Hall to the Chargers

The all-purpose Hall is slated to become a free agent in the offseason and the Jets are going nowhere as the lone winless team in the NFL. New York coach Aaron Glenn says Hall won’t be traded but of course he’s going to say that to keep trade value at its highest.

Hall, 24, has rushed for 410 yards and caught 17 passes for 150 yards and has a chance at topping 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his four-year career. The only real reason to keep him is due to the loss of Braelon Allen (knee) but let’s be serious – the Jets won’t win more than four games no matter who is carrying the ball.

The Arizona Cardinals would be wise to check in after losing solid James Conner (knee) for the rest of the season. But the Chargers are the best fit and need to do something after the season-ending Achilles injury to Najee Harris and the ankle injury to rookie Omarion Hampton. A couple of draft picks to help with rebuilding ought to catch the attention of first-year Jets general manager Darren Mougey.

In need of a rusher: 49ers land Hendrickson from Bengals

Those offseason contract squabbles have seemed to ensure Hendrickson won’t be in Cincinnati past this season. But it also has started to look like he won’t be there past Nov. 4. The Bengals don’t have interest in giving him $30 million a season for four or five years.

The Dallas Cowboys (11 sacks this season), Philadelphia Eagles (nine) and San Francisco 49ers (seven) are surely planning to make pitches to land Hendrickson, who had 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons. He’s been a Pro Bowl selection in four straight seasons and has plenty in the tank at age 30.

The 49ers’ pass rush has been almost non-existent with Nick Bosa (ACL) out for the season and they just lost their best defender in linebacker Fred Warner (ankle). San Francisco has to find a pass rusher somewhere and the Bengals will be happy to oblige so they can end the longstanding Hendrickson contract saga.

Parsons hole remains: Lowly Dolphins send Chubb to Cowboys

You might as well just call them the “Allas” Cowboys since there has been no D since the franchise traded star linebacker Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on the eve of the season. Funny how things go downhill when you trade the best player on the team.

The Cowboys rank last in the NFL in total defense at 411.7 yards per game and next-to-last in scoring defense at 30.7 points per game. Yeah, owner Jerry Jones might have whiffed with the type of trade that reminds us the Cowboys haven’t played in the Super Bowl during the past 29 1/2 years.

Dallas figures to check in on multiple defensive players and Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb would be a good fit, particularly with Miami’s season looking pretty dismal. Chubb is always an injury risk (he missed the 2024 season with an ACL injury) but he is a stellar player when healthy and has four sacks in six games this season. Miami needs to make a deal while his health is solid.