• Will the Raiders draw a line in the sand?: After a tough start to the season, will Las Vegas look to trade away Maxx Crosby?

• Defensive help on the 49ers‘ radar: The 49ers have started the season 5-2, but are banged up. Could we see them target some defensive talent?

• Unlock your edge with PFF+: Access Premium Stats, dominate fantasy with in-season tools and projections and make smarter bets with the new PFF Player Prop Tool.

Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

The rumor mill is kicking into overdrive as the NFL trade deadline approaches in one week. We’ve already seen several trades across the league earlier in the season, but as team records bear out and strategies among front offices change, so do needs. That means we’re going to see contending teams try to acquire talent to get them over the hump, and organizations with losing records try to move off players for draft picks, opting to look toward the future.

A few key names across the league have been touted as potential trade candidates over the last few weeks. Below, we’ll dissect those rumors based on the likelihood of them happening.

EDGE Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders

Bigger things were expected of the Raiders in 2025. The arrivals of Pete Carroll and Geno Smith were meant to give the team a better chance of competing, but eight weeks in, the Raiders are 2-5 and playing objectively bad football — their 62.2 overall PFF grade is last in the NFL, and the team ranks 30th in EPA per play on offense. Smith has struggled, earning a 60.4 grade which is 31st among quarterbacks.

The Raiders’ slow start has led to rumblings that star edge defender Maxx Crosby (78.0 grade; 21st) could be on the move, with the Dallas Cowboys particularly interested in his services. The Cowboys have an extra first-round pick after trading away Micah Parsons (92.5 grade; 1st) to the Green Bay Packers on the eve of the season. Although Dallas’ offense is fourth in EPA per play, the defense ranks dead last in EPA per play allowed.

Crosby has 25 pressures and four sacks on the season, and has once again impressed against the run (75.0 grade; 14th). He would immediately improve a Cowboys unit that’s 16th in PFF pass-rush grade (69.7 grade) and dead-last in PFF run-defense grade (35.9), while allowing the fourth-most rushing yards per game (146.0) in the NFL. 

However, all the signs point toward us cooling the jets on this one. The Raiders have made it clear that they have no intention of trading away Crosby, who signed a three-year, $106.5 million contract extension this offseason. We’re selling this one; the Cowboys will have to find a Parsons replacement elsewhere.

VERDICT: SELL

The Seahawks’ defense has taken a real step forward in Mike Macdonald’s second year in charge. The team is 5-2 in a two-way tie at the top of the NFC West. Seattle’s defense is currently eighth in EPA per play allowed and sixth in PFF grade (71.2) with hard-hitters, playmakers and a mix of veteran talent and up-and-coming stars across the board. However, cornerback Tariq Woolen (48.3 grade; 101st) — once considered one of the biggest rising stars in the NFL — has underwhelmed in 2025 and has been touted as a potential trade candidate ahead of the deadline, with teams such as the Detroit Lions reportedly interested.

At his best, Woolen is a physically gifted corner with excellent ball skills, capable of playing sticky coverage. But through seven weeks, he’s allowed 26 receptions for 204 yards and a touchdown, and has permitted a career-high passer rating of 98.9 when targeted. On top of that, Woolen has generated a 29.0 PFF tackling grade, sixth-lowest among cornerbacks, while missing seven tackles. Woolen’s physical style of play has hampered him, too, and he’s been penalized six times — tied for seventh-most among cornerbacks.

Though he’s underperformed, Woolen has a lot to offer; but as a free agent at the end of the 2025 season, the Seahawks might elect to cash in on him now. The emergence of Josh Jobe (57.2 grade; 67th) and Derion Kendrick (72.2 grade; 17th) has lessened the need for the Seahawks to invest significant capital in Woolen, who will be 27 next season. The Lions have a potential need at cornerback and could be in the market in the short term.

Free-agent signing CB D.J. Reed (71.8 grade, 18th) played in just four games for the Lions before being placed on injured reserve (hamstring), and 2024 first-round pick Terrion Arnold (49.3 grade; 99th) has also missed time while struggling to hit the heights in his second season. With the secondary banged up, the Lions could well be after Woolen if he’s available, and it would make sense for the Seahawks to take significant draft capital from an NFC rival.

VERDICT: BUY

WR Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

The pessimist will look at the Saints’ 1-7 record in 2025 and call them a bad football team, though that’s not something that should be a surprise given their expectations ahead of the season. But in truth, the Saints have played hard all season and have only really been properly outmatched against the Seahawks in a 44-13 Week 3 loss. Other than that, the Saints haven’t laid down easily.

Despite being benched, quarterback Spencer Rattler (70.1 grade; 26th) has quietly surprised at quarterback, while the defense is 15th in EPA per play allowed. There’s a potential talent deficit on the Saints’ roster, but no one can accuse the team of making no effort.

Ultimately, though, the Saints will be looking to the future and are staring down a top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft while currently entering the offseason with the third-lowest cap space (-$19 million) in the NFL. That can, and likely will, change as contracts are restructured. But, the Saints firmly meet the criteria of a selling team, which is why receiver Chris Olave (68.4 grade; 60th) has consistently featured in trade rumors this season.

Olave missed most of the 2024 season due to concussions, but has bounced back strong in 2025, drawing the second-most targets in the NFL (80) while catching 52 passes (3rd) for 503 yards (12th) and three touchdowns, while building a connection with the second-year quarterback Rattler. The former first-round pick is a free agent at the end of the 2026 season after the Saints exercised his fifth-year option. The lack of long-term money, with the option of extending him, will make Olave a target for contending teams looking for a receiver who has the potential to be one of the best in the league.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants and Buffalo Bills have all been linked with Olave in recent weeks, and all three have a clear need for another receiver in their lineup. However, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that the Saints and Olave have been trying to get a contract extension done in recent weeks, which pours cold water on the idea that the star receiver could be on the move.

In reality, if the Saints want to keep Rattler under center beyond 2025 or draft a quarterback in 2026, having a ready-made WR1 like Olave on the roster is a surefire way to help him develop. 

VERDICT: SELL

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The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t always been the most aggressive team when it comes to paying their players, and Trey Hendrickson (82.9 grade; 18th) knows that more than most. Hendrickson and the Bengals had a very public, and at times very sour, contract dispute this summer that almost led to the 2024 NFL sack leader being traded. Eventually, the Bengals signed Hendrickson to a one-year, $29 million extension in late July, but the veteran edge rusher is still a free agent at the end of the 2025 season.

Hendrickson has 23 pressures (31st) and four sacks (24th) as the Bengals currently sit 3-5 on the season. Their current losing record, as well as the fact that Hendrickson is a free agent at the end of the year, means he becomes a natural trade target for NFL teams. In particular, the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions could all be suitors.

The Bengals’ defense (54.7 grade; 30th) has been bad in 2025 and is 31st in EPA per play allowed, despite Hendrickson’s excellent play. After a 2-0 start, the Bengals lost quarterback Joe Burrow to a toe injury that ruled him out for much of the regular season, and proceeded to drop their next four games. That ramped up trade rumors as the Bengals looked doomed, but a win against the Steelers in Week 7 changed their scenery. Cincinnati is now 3-5 and has a 20% chance of making the playoffs with Joe Flacco (72.5 grade; 20th) at quarterback.

That element of hope gives the Bengals enough reason to hold off from trading Hendrickson before the deadline, despite offers from pass-rush-needy teams like the 49ers that might come their way. If the Bengals can stay afloat until Burrow returns, they’ve got a shot to make a run for the postseason. And if they get there, anything can happen. But, Cincinnati will need its best defensive player to help the team get to that point in time. The offseason can wait.

VERDICT: SELL

WR Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders’ offense has floundered in 2025. Chip Kelly’s addition as offensive coordinator, as well as bringing in Smith to be the starting quarterback, was meant to push the team in the right direction. Instead, the offense is scoring just 14.7 points per game, the second-fewest in the NFL, while just 28% of their offensive drives end in a score — third-lowest in the NFL.

Receiver Jakobi Meyers (66.2 grade; 74th) has been a minor bright spark for the Raiders at times in 2025, catching 29 passes (28th) for 329 yards (40th) and averaging five yards after the catch per reception (41st). Meyers’ workload has decreased after garnering 22 targets across the first two weeks of the season, but he still leads the Raiders in targets (47) despite missing the 31-0 loss to the Chiefs in Week 7.

Even with his major role in the offense, there’s clearly unrest. Meyers wanted a new deal ahead of the 2025 season and even requested a trade but was granted neither. With the deadline approaching, Meyers has been seen as a possible fit for the Steelers, Giants and Patriots — where he spent the first four years of his career. The veteran is an excellent route runner, especially out of the slot — where he lines up on 61.9% of his snaps. 

While the Raiders haven’t been as adamant about not trading Meyers as they have Crosby, one would imagine a deal doesn’t happen unless there’s a strong enough offer — even if Meyers is 29 in November and a free agent at the end of the season. However, since a few teams may believe that another good receiving talent could lift them into real playoff contention, there’s a chance this one gets done. Meyers is clearly unhappy with the current circumstances, and there’s little reason to believe the Raiders are on the brink of turning things around.

VERDICT: BUY

The Miami Dolphins‘ horror season continues. At 2-6, their playoff hopes are all but dashed, and there’s a sense this team is on the brink of a hard reset. There are some talented players on the roster, particularly running back De’Von Achane (73.2 grade; 19th), wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (80.6 grade; 15th), and tackle Patrick Paul (58.7 grade; 71st), who could fetch significant draft capital, but the Dolphins should be aiming to keep all three players. However, there are a few names who could be on the move — namely edge defender Jaelan Phillips (67.4 grade; 67th).

Phillips has had a disjointed NFL career. The former 18th overall pick boomed in his first two seasons in the NFL, notching 116 pressures and 20 sacks, but injuries have slowed him down over the last two seasons, and the 26-year-old is yet to get up to speed in 2025 on one of the worst defenses in the league. The Dolphins are 28th in EPA per play allowed and 29th in PFF defense grade (57.9). With Phillips playing on his fifth-year option and a free agent at the end of the campaign, the time for the Dolphins to cash in could be now.

The 49ers, who are in desperate need of help on the defensive side of the ball, have been touted as serious trade candidates. They’re 31st in sacks (9) and 27th in pressure rate on the season, and losing Nick Bosa to an ACL tear early in the year has hampered their ability to rush the passer consistently.

Phillips has 27 pressures in 2025, which would be the most on San Francisco. Phillips would give the 49ers a monster athlete on the edge, one who is just as capable of setting the edge against the run as he is rushing the passer. There’s a good chance 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh could utilize him effectively. 

Depending on the price, it’s a deal that makes sense for the Dolphins. As of now, Phillips will walk at the end of the season, and the Dolphins will get nothing for him. If they’re about to hit a reset, signing Phillips to a long-term deal might not prove prudent. With the number of rumors circling regarding Miami players on the way out, Phillips is the one who feasibly makes the most sense.

VERDICT: BUY