5 NFL Players Who Could Request a Trade Next

This NFL offseason has already seen several high-profile players such as Jonathan Taylor and Lamar Jackson request to be traded. With training camp set to wrap up shortly, more established players could soon follow suit.

There are certain stars who stick out as the most likely to request to be dealt during the upcoming campaign or even before it kicks off. These talents appear to be either in line for a significant drop in playing time—with some potentially not even seeing the field at all this year—or are overdue for a new contract that their current employer has been reticent to dole out.

With that in mind, here are the five players most likely to request a trade next.

Twenty-eight months after the San Francisco 49ers drafted Trey Lance, it appears they could be ready to move on from a player they once hoped would be their franchise quarterback. His career simply hasn’t panned out as expected and has been chock-full of both disappointing and unlucky moments.

Lance displayed flashes of promise in sporadic rookie action and had a chance to establish himself as the long-term starter last year, but that opportunity was marred by a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. Following Brock Purdy’s rapid ascendance from Mr. Irrelevant to QB1—leading the team to seven straight victories on the way to an NFC Championship Game berth—it’s becoming readily apparent that Lance will be a backup in 2023.

Rather than ride the pine during a crucial season for the development of most passers, Lance should be pushing for a trade to a destination where he’ll have a better chance to contribute. Teams like the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Commanders are all in need of a young signal-caller to build around. Each could give the 23-year-old some coveted playing time as early as this year, at least once he’s brought up to speed.

While the Niners gave up the farm to move into a position to draft Lance at No. 3 overall, they almost certainly won’t get anything near that type of value in return. If they’re willing to accept a late-Day 2 or early-Day 3 pick—The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami estimated San Francisco’s brass would take a conditional fourth-rounder “in a blink”—Lance could be on the move before this year’s deadline.

The Atlanta Falcons backfield is one of the most loaded in the league. This logjam could result in someone like Cordarrelle Patterson—a big part of the team’s offense over the last two years—taking a backseat to some of the younger running backs now on the roster.

Atlanta found some success last year pairing the dynamic Patterson with rookie Tyler Allgeier, a more traditional-style rusher. Patterson racked up 695 yards and eight touchdowns on his 144 rushes and hauled in 21 passes for 122 yards. Allgeier handled the bulk of the carries, turning his 210 totes into 1,035 yards and three scores while contributing 139 yards and a score on 16 receptions.

That thunder-and-lightning pairing has been disrupted by the addition of Bijan Robinson, the potential superstar who the Falcons drafted at No. 8 overall. Robinson has true three-down potential and can make game-changing plays as both a runner and receiver. He’s likely going to be the lynchpin of Atlanta’s offense in 2023, especially since the team has a major hole at the quarterback spot.

Given the Falcons also have other notable mouths to feed—including a pair or recent first-round picks in wideout Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts—it’s hard to envision a scenario in which the 32-year-old Patterson gets more than a few touches per game at most. Rather than waste the tail end of his career buried on the bench, Patterson should push for a move to a franchise that can better utilize his unique skill set.

A few clubs could make use of Patterson as a third-down back, rusher and/or return man. The Cleveland Browns are one of the most obvious right now, as they have no proven depth behind superstar Nick Chubb. With Kareem Hunt’s contract expiring, Jerome Ford—a fifth-round pick last year—is in line to take over as the primary backup. While Ford looked good in Cleveland’s preseason opener, he totaled just 12 yards on his eight carries as a rookie and could be a liability if Chubb gets hurt.

Even though the New York Giants had one of the thinnest receiving corps in the league last year, one of their incumbent wideouts could find himself in a reduced role this coming season. The G-Men made it a priority to reinforce the wide receiver’s room this offseason, spending on free-agent veterans like Parris Campbell, Cole Beasley and Jamison Crowder and using a third-round pick on an exciting prospect in Jalin Hyatt. With all these new faces around, Sterling Shepard will be facing fierce competition for playing time and touches.

It’s not an optimal situation for a player who settled for a one-year, $1.3 million “prove it” contract to find himself in. Shepard couldn’t command more due to health concerns, even though he’s been effective when available. The G-Men might be happy to oblige a trade request due to the unfortunate string of Achilles and knee injuries the wideout has suffered in recent seasons.

While Shepard was one of several pass-catchers on this team who went down with injury last year, the 30-year-old’s 14-game absence in 2022 came on the heels of missing 10 contests the previous season. Shepard has had just two fully healthy campaigns in his seven NFL seasons, the most recent of which came back in 2018.

Shepard should be considering a fresh start, especially if he isn’t able to come away from training camp with a feature role in New York’s offense. There might be some suitors willing to roll the dice on his health, hoping to get a consistent wideout who can help a squad win if he’s able to stay on the field. Franchises like the New England Patriots or Houston Texans—both in desperate need of competent pass-catchers—could come calling if Shepard asks to be moved.

Ryan Tannehill’s days with the Tennessee Titans appear to be numbered. The team has made multiple attempts to find a replacement for the veteran quarterback, including using a third-round pick last year on Malik Willis and an early Round 2 selection on Will Levis in the 2023 draft. With injuries and age now catching up to the 35-year-old passer, it could be time for Tannehill to request a trade and find a more suitable location for the last few years of his career.

Only a season removed from finishing with the best record in the AFC, Tennessee failed to even reach the playoffs last year and saw its offense stagnate. The Titans mustered a mere 17.5 points per game, the fifth-worst mark in the league and 7.1 below the 24.6 points they put up the prior campaign. Tannehill’s personal stats significantly dropped year-over-year too, as he completed just 65.2 percent of his passes for 2,536 yards and 13 touchdowns while spending five games on the IR with an ankle issue in 2022. Compare that to his 2021 performance, when he started all 17 games and posted a 67.2 completion rate, 3,734 passing yards and 21 scores.

While Tannehill is still in line to start the upcoming season, his leash could be shorter than ever. Willis has been faring well in training camp, a good sign for the 24-year-old after he completed a meager 50.8 percent of his throws and had three interceptions on just 61 passing attempts as a rookie. NFL insider Gregg Rosenthal tweeted earlier in the week that Willis has a “good chance” to win the No. 2 job behind Tannehill based on his performances in practice and the preseason.

Levis’ presence can’t be ignored. however, even if he begins the year as a third-stringer. The Titans gave up the Nos. 41 and 72 picks this year plus a 2024 third-rounder to move up to No. 33 overall to nab him. The Kentucky prospect ultimately fell on draft day, but many experts felt he could have been a top-10 selection. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. even had him at No. 4 overall due to his big arm, size, athleticism and potential.

Levis had a setback in his quest to usurp Willis and Tannehill atop the depth chart after suffering a lower-body injury during a joint practice on Thursday. Regardless, the rookie may still get a shot to prove himself during a regular-season game if he returns to full strength and the Titans are struggling on offense.

Should Tannehill end up getting yanked—which is a possibility if he continues to decline, even after the team invested in star wideout DeAndre Hopkins to bolster the passing attack—it’s time for him to ask for a trade. His ideal landing spot would be with a surprise contender that needs a proven veteran to make a playoff push or a veteran-laden squad that lost its starter to injury.

The Washington Commanders currently have an excess of talent along their defensive line. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s going to be near-impossible for the team to keep all these quality defenders on the roster due to salary-cap constraints. Considering the team already dished out sizable contracts to Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, retaining both Chase Young and Montez Sweat—each playing out the final year of their respective rookie deals—on market-value extensions this coming spring could be impossible.

Of the two edge-rushers waiting on an extension, it seems that Sweat is more likely to receive one. He’s been far healthier during the nascent stages of his career, participating in 59 of a possible 66 games since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2019. Young started his career red-hot, earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors after being drafted No. 2 overall in 2020, but has only seen action in 12 games over the last two seasons combined. The Commanders also picked up the fifth-year option on Sweat’s contract and declined to do the same for Young, likely due to health concerns following the ACL tear he suffered in 2021.

Rather than play out a lame-duck season before hitting the open market next spring, Young should be working to get out of Washington and over to a team that feels more confident in his health and is willing to issue an extension. A move like that would allow the Commanders to recoup some draft capital while Young could have financial security whilst getting his career back on track.

Resurgent clubs like the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears are just a couple of teams that might make sense for Young—who should still have a long career ahead of him at the age of 24—to catch on with if he were to demand a trade.