Five wild NBA-style trade proposals for the NFL, including Dolphins-49ers QB shakeup, Justin Jefferson splash

The NBA is nothing if not spectacular, particularly when it comes to player movement. Summer is almost synonymous with NBA free agency, and already the 2025 market has produced some whoppers, including Kevin Durant’s move to the Houston Rockets in a record seven-team trade. You see, when big names are shopped in basketball, they are shopped with oomf, bringing a more-than-healthy dose of drama to the offseason.

Which got us thinking: What might some of the wildest NBA-style deals look like in the NFL? To be clear, football has no shortage of offseason electricity. Aaron Rodgers to the Pittsburgh Steelers certainly moved the needle for Western Pennsylvania this summer. We’re only a few years removed from greats like Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford switching teams and instantly winning titles. But rarely do NFL clubs execute deals that include both multiple sellers and high-profile players, even if some of the NBA’s trades are unofficial salary dumps.

So we let our imagination run rampant to propose a couple blockbusters of our own. These trades will almost certainly never come to fruition, but beyond the shock of the names included, they just might make some sense for all sides … if only NFL teams were aggressive enough to consider them:

The Shanahan shakeup

Don’t feel bad if you need to read this one a few times. Let’s just go piece by piece: 

The 49ers just paid Purdy, which is completely understandable, but we know Kyle Shanahan has an affinity for his old pal Cousins, and we know Cousins is currently blowing in the wind, awaiting an opportunity as Atlanta’s No. 2. The Purdy-to-Cousins swap might be a downgrade in 2025, but adding a couple of early-round picks could help San Francisco replenish its greater infrastructure. 

Miami, meanwhile, might embrace a more dynamic signal-caller for Mike McDaniel’s timing-based offense, while sending Tagovailoa to another former left-handed quarterback in Kellen Moore, whose Saints are sorely inexperienced under center.

Even considering Tua’s injury history, you can bet veterans like Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave and Brandin Cooks might prefer a proven passer as Moore installs his offense.

The wideout whammy

This might be the most outlandish of the bunch, if only because Jefferson is as close to untouchable as anyone in the NFL. The Vikings have rightly and swiftly extinguished any and all speculation regarding the wideout’s trade availability in the past, and “Jets” has done the same. 

But the one place he might be OK moving is Cincinnati, for the chance at reuniting with former LSU stars Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals, meanwhile, have expensive trade chips of their own in Higgins and Hendrickson, the latter of whom has been angling for a pay raise — or move out of town — for years. 

Can you imagine Burrow’s delight if given the chance to capitalize on a title window with the two best pass catchers in the game? And can you imagine Detroit’s satisfaction if it can pull Hendrickson from the deal, pairing the Pro Bowler with Aidan Hutchinson after trying but failing to trade up for pass rushing help this spring?

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Cody Benjamin

The Florida flip-flop

All indications are new Jaguars head coach Liam Coen is committed to rejuvenating Lawrence’s career. But what if the better bet is reuniting with Mayfield, who thrived under his direction not only in Tampa Bay but also with the Los Angeles Rams back in 2022? Who’s to say the scrappy Mayfield couldn’t instantly command Coen’s offense to the tune of an AFC South title in 2025? 

And why might the Buccaneers be willing to sell their unexpectedly prolific leader? Well, Lawrence is still five years younger, for one, and Tom Brady’s 2020 Super Bowl title kind of set a new standard along the Gulf Coast; this swap would be all about the upside for Bucs general manager Jason Licht, who might see the chance to acquire a former No. 1 overall pick as a chance to take the Bucs from feisty to championship-caliber down the road. Lawrence, who’s plenty familiar with Florida, is already under contract, too.

The Green Bay gamble

The Packers may be content banking on their current secondary to offset the presence of Jaire Alexander, an All-Pro cover man when healthy. This is title-chasing time with Jordan Love, however, and Gardner is one of the best young players in the NFL, still awaiting a lucrative extension in New York.

After an aggressive play to deepen the receiving depth chart via the draft, the Pack could address the other boundary here, reinstituting some attitude to the cornerback spot at Lambeau. Yes, Gardner is already a cornerstone of the Jets defense, but perhaps new head coach Aaron Glenn would rather construct a unit of his own, auctioning Gardner while he’s still an ascending talent in order to flesh out the rest of the team. His former employer, the Lions, managed pretty well by first collecting assets in their own rebuild.

The Canales connection

Like the proposed Buccaneers-Jaguars quarterback swap, this comes down to a preference of experience versus upside. This time, we have a long-suffering rebuilder punting on promise for proven results, with Carolina swapping out its former No. 1 overall pick for another former No. 1 with a deeper NFL resume.\

Murray may still be eyeing a true breakout, but he fits the profile of a Dave Canales project as a gifted but unsteady veteran; Canales, remember, all but got the Panthers job thanks to his revival of both Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield. And Arizona? They’re still finding their bearings under Jonathan Gannon, so is it really that much of a risk to go from Murray to Young, who ended 2024 with conviction? Maybe a move to the desert could truly spark his growth.