2025 NFL trade deadline: 8 teams and 9 players to watch, including Ravens (Mark Andrews) and Giants (Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston)

For the first time since 2014, we’ve entered Week 6 of the NFL season with zero undefeated teams remaining on the board. Much like that season — which boasted five 12-4 franchises and a 7-8-1 Carolina Panthers team that qualified for the playoffs — parity has gripped the league and muddled the Super Bowl picture.

The historically elite Kansas City Chiefs? They’re 2-3 and wheezing on offense.

The annually downtrodden Indianapolis Colts? They’re 4-1 and have the widest point differential in the league (+74).

The Detroit Lions are on pace to score nearly 600 points, while the Baltimore Ravens are on pace to surrender more than 600.

And seemingly everyone is interested in trading, with 11 different teams consummating seven deals through five weeks of the season.

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That’s a lot of early activity. Typically the NFL trade market doesn’t get really interesting until mid-October, when teams start to see their holes more clearly and assess the opportunities to patch them with pieces from other rosters. Take last season for example. Unlike this year, there wasn’t a single in-season trade completed prior to Oct. 15. Then the dam let loose, with 19 deals executed by the Nov. 5 deadline.

Much like unfathomable futility, widespread parity also tends to drive teams to the trade table. And this year — with no clearly dominant teams rising to the surface after five weeks — some will be looking for an edge that can separate them from the ranks of good-but-not-great. There’s also a fair share of candidates to feast on, with eight teams sitting at 1-4 or worse heading into Week 6.

With that in mind, here’s a look at eight teams that could be deadline sellers and their likely top draw on the block when we get deeper into the dealmaking zone this month …

Baltimore Ravens: Tight end Mark Andrews

Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh would have been the candidate here, but he was flipped to the Los Angeles Chargers earlier this week in a move that hints the Ravens will be open for business going into the trade deadline. Most especially if they drop Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams and sink to 1-5. Conversely, if the Ravens can right themselves over the next few weeks, they could flip into deadline buyers with the salary cap flexibility that was opened up by the Oweh deal.

If they’re sellers, I think it’s Andrews who will get some calls.

Tight end was a popular spot at least year’s deadline, with teams like the Denver Broncos and Chargers making calls to try and add a mismatch opportunity to their playoff rosters. That could be the case again at this deadline, albeit with different teams. Andrews is in the final year of a four-year, $56 million extension. Given his limited impact thus far and turning 31 next season, he’s a likely free agency departure in March.

Keep a close eye on the Rams and Seattle Seahawks for a tight end rental down the stretch.

Cleveland Browns: Tight end David Njoku

Cornerback Greg Newsome would have been at the top of this list had he not been dealt to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Wednesday. I thought the Lions might make a call on Newsome this week with the Terrion Arnold shoulder injury initially looking like it might be season-ending. That prognosis got better and it removed the need for cornerback push.

Even after moving Newsome and quarterback Joe Flacco, I don’t think the Browns are done quite yet.

Cleveland has several candidates worthy of moving at the deadline who would otherwise be heading to free agency in the offseason. That reality has only strengthened by a strong rookie class that looks capable of stepping in and playing at a high level for cheap salaries. One of the rookies is tight end Harold Fannin Jr., who came out of the gates strong and immediately opened the possibility of the Browns dealing Njoku at the deadline. Interestingly, the Browns got some trade interest in Njoku last year at the deadline, but refused to part with him. This time around, they have his replacement in hand and a tight salary cap situation to deal with in the offseason. Like Andrews, I could see Njoku getting calls again at this deadline.

Las Vegas Raiders: Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers

Of all the potential trades at the deadline, this one seems like a layup. Meyers wanted a contract extension in the offseason and didn’t get it from the new regime. He then requested a trade, which head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek effectively ignored. With the Raiders’ quarterback issues and an offensive line that is a root problem of Las Vegas’ productivity, ignoring deadline interest in Meyers wouldn’t make sense. He’s leaving in free agency and there are always a handful of teams looking for serviceable wide receiver help at the deadline.

If they’re in the thick of things near the end of October, I’d keep an eye on the Arizona Cardinals who have a need at their No. 2 wide receiver spot. Don’t rule out the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and several other franchises that could look to help their quarterbacks with a wide receiver rental down the stretch.

Miami Dolphins: Outside linebacker Bradley Chubb

The wheels feel like they’re ready to come off in Miami after last weekend’s collapse to Carolina after leading 17-0. With the Dolphins sinking fast, it could actually have a chilling effect when it comes to trades, largely because there is a possibility that ownership engages in a clean sweep round of firings that ultimately gut the coaching staff and front office. If that specter is looming, there’s little logic in trading away veteran players for draft capital that the coaching staff and front office knows it will never be able to use.

Think of it like the New York Jets last year. They could have moved multiple players at the deadline and didn’t, largely because there was little motivation to do so. Everyone in the building thought they were getting fired.

If that sense hasn’t sunken in for the Dolphins’ braintrust yet — or if ownership directs some salary dumping in the face of a total reboot in the offseason — the team still has plenty of talent to be popular on the trade deadline speed dial.

The  29-year old Chubb is one of the more intriguing targets as he plays out the last year of his deal in Miami. He’s still providing a pass rush impact in Miami and can be a quality starter elsewhere so long as he stays healthy. There’s little doubt he’s departing in free agency, and adding pass rush help for a playoff run is an automatic conversation starter for virtually every team in the league.

New Orleans Saints: Wide receiver Rashid Shaheed

Everyone is going to point to running back Alvin Kamara as the top deadline candidate in New Orleans, but that’s not the sense I’ve gotten picking the brains of some personnel sources across the league this week. Instead, I think there’s a growing belief that Kamara is nearing fumes at this point — especially where it concerns his ability to create explosive plays in the running game. He hasn’t had a run of longer than 27 yards since the 2021 season, and his receiving productivity has bottomed out to an all-time low in 2025.

That said, the Saint who has caught the eye of talent evaluators is Shaheed, who has played a very serviceable second fiddle to Chris Olave this season and also shown a history of providing explosive plays when he’s healthy. Of course, he’s never played a full season in his four years in the league, so health continues to be a concern. But the upside of Shaheed that is attractive to teams is that he turned 27 in August and should have a good window of prime years still on the table.

He’s currently on a one-year, $5.2 million deal and becomes an unrestricted free agent in March. If he plays out the entire season with good health, he will have a solid free-agent market waiting for him. Teams are always looking for explosive receivers to give them an adrenaline shot down the stretch.

From a test-run standpoint, Shaheed will be an intriguing trade target that could be coveted by teams targeting a long-term No. 2 next offseason.

New York Giants: Quarterbacks Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston

You’re going to see edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux on a lot of speculative trade deadline lists like these. But talking to people around the league, I do not get any sense whatsoever that the Giants are going to be interested in unloading him at this deadline. He’s under contractural control through 2026 and looks like he’s turning the corner on the field this season. Yes, the Giants drafted Abdul Carter and it creates some flexibility to move Thibodeaux, but the assessment that his value is at its highest at this trade deadline is incorrect. In reality, if he continues his current trajectory, his highest value will be next offseason. He’ll be exiting 2025 on an upswing, and pass-rush needy teams will have the ability to deal for Thibodeaux and then acclimate him into their defensive system over several months.

Also, the Giants still have no idea what they have in Carter at this early juncture. Keeping Thibodeaux in the fold preserves their options along the defensive line.

So who does that leave? If Jaxson Dart is still the starting quarterback in late October — which I fully expect he will be — it makes no sense for the Giants to sit on both of their veteran backups in Wilson and Winston. Of course, if nobody wants either of them, then the Giants’ hands are tied. But I would expect New York to aggressively float the availability of either heading into the deadline, in hopes of landing a late-round draft pick.

It’s worth noting, Winston is actually signed through 2026 and has been the model backup quarterback at multiple stops. Wilson is signed through only 2025 and there is little doubt he still wants to remain a starter. The move here would be to prioritize the dumping of Wilson rather than Winston. But the buyer sets the trade market here, so the Giants have to be open to anything.

New York Jets: Running back Breece Hall

The Jets are off to the kind of start where virtually any veteran on the roster without a significant dead cap hit is available for calls. That basically eliminates wideout Garrett Wilson, cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. Outside of the new regime’s 2025 draft class, I’m not sure there’s a player on the roster who wouldn’t be available going into this deadline.

That’s what a reboot looks like, and the 0-5 start is very suggestive of the next offseason being the next leg of a massive overhaul. It’s not exactly what Jets fans want to hear, but here we are.

While I don’t think the Jets are going to run around the league pushing Hall’s availability, I don’t think he’s written into the team’s long-term plans, either. Granted, he’s shown an uptick in production this season after several consecutive years of diminishing returns, but I don’t think it has been enough for the Jets to offer him the long-term extension that never came last offseason. He hasn’t proven to be a unicorn running back, so his next contract is going to be challenging for whoever signs him as a free agent in March.

The one complication to a trade for the Jets is the recent knee injury of Braelon Allen. Had the Jets traded Hall, Allen would have been the natural successor to carry the load. Now Allen is sidelined for as long as the next three months — and possibly the season — which makes keeping Hall a necessity unless New York is willing to flush the running game and lean into eventually earning the No. 1 pick in the draft.

This will be an interesting one to watch unfold.

Tennessee Titans: Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons

I’m not quite sure what to make of the reimagined front office of the Titans just yet, so that leaves a lot of options on the table. I don’t see them taking away anything from quarterback Cam Ward, who is the top focus of getting the franchise anchored. That eliminates draining the offense with any moves, unless there’s a concerted effort to open up some opportunities for, say, rookie tight end Gunnar Helm, who could end up being a big bright spot from the 2025 draft.

What I am sure of is that Simmons turns 29 before next season and he’s playing on a contract extension that really has one good opportunity to hold out and push for an adjustment. That opportunity comes this offseason, with a likely change in the coaching staff and the front office either seeking some stability with veterans or trading away big contracts in a remodeling effort.

Simmons has a very tradable deal — both at this deadline and in the coming offseason. His level of play is still high enough to interest suitors and draw a solid draft pick in return. If the Titans signal they’re open to moving Simmons, I think they’d get interest from more than one trade partner.

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