Five NFL Fake Trades That Need to Happen

0:00Diante Lee:Welcome to the Ringer NFL Show. I'm Sheil Kapadia and I spent my day cooking up some fake trades. We've got the trade deadline coming up in a couple weeks on November 4th. We've already seen some movement. Will we see more? Could the Raiders move Max Crosby? Could the Bengals trade Trey Hendrickson? Both teams have indicated that's not happening, but things can change very quickly in the NFL. It's a week-to-week league based on results, based on what teams are offering you. What about the Saints and wide receiver Chris Olave or the Jets and running back Reese Hall? Dolphins. I mean, they should be trading everyone on their roster who's not going to be a part of their team in 2026.

0:41Diante Lee:Maybe someone like edge defender Jalen Phillips. So we'll go over that. We'll go over which teams are potential buyers, what it might take for some of these teams to pull the trigger on some of these trades and to talk about it all. We've got my friend from the ringer, Deontay Lee. We'll play a little game of who says no after the break.

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3:07Diante Lee:All right, we're back on the Ringer NFL show. Shiel Kapadia here with Deontay Lee. Ready for some fake trades, my friend. Of course, I'm ready for some fake trades. He's ready. Here we go. All right, first one. These are trades that need to happen. I'm telling you they need to happen. Raiders trade Max Crosby to the Cowboys for two first-round picks. 20-26 first. Okay. 20-27 first. They're taking those picks from the Packers trade and giving them to the Cowboys. Here's my reasoning here, Deontay. Okay. The Raiders are a sad sack franchise. They got nothing. They need some valuable assets. I know they told Max Crosby, we're not moving you.

3:42Diante Lee:You're safe. But it's their only chip. It's their only way to get capital where they can do a proper rebuild. So that's the situation from the Raiders' standpoint. You get a couple first-round picks, and then the Cowboys, Jerry's been telling us he's making a trade. He didn't just get all those assets for nothing. So now he turns the Micah Parsons trade into Micah Parsons. You get Max Crosby. You get Kenny Clark. And by the way, this is a big deal here. Crosby has a very team-friendly contract. Yes. When you look at the top-of-the-level pass rusher. So you're getting Crosby for way cheaper than Micah Parsons.

4:15He's under contract here, signed through 2029.

4:19Diante Lee:I think it makes a lot of sense for the Cowboys to go all in with the way their offense is playing hard. Who says no here? Deontay, the Cowboys or the Raiders? Or do we have ourselves a deal? If you're the Cowboys, I don't know if you want to give away those two picks that you've got. I will say, from Jerry's perspective, this will be the greatest because you can deal for Max Crosby. You can say, see, I'm very serious about stopping the run. I got myself an edge rusher who's reliable even if he's hurt he's going to play and you know he's going to set an edge and stop the run for us I just wouldn't give away those two first round picks I see those are so valuable after this year right and it does take some divorcing from what the Cowboys are right now because there are so many times where I watch and I'm like man if you got this offense into the postseason you would not want to see Dak Prescott right now in a playoff environment I don't think but no man those picks are too valuable for me I think everybody else would say yes if you're the Raiders Like you said, there's no way out right now outside of moving a guy like Crosby to get a little bit of a draft surplus.

5:17Even with that, at least if I'm Mark Davis and my GM walks into the building and says, hey, I've been talking to the Cowboys and I've got this thing that's on the table. I'm saying, no, you want me to give away the one good thing, the one thing I have to look forward to

5:30Diante Lee:on Sundays every week? I'm not doing this. All right, so you're not doing it from either team. If you're the Cowboys, how many more years like this with Dak are you going to get? I mean, he's in his 30s. You can't wait. Those draft picks, you still have your own draft picks. You're not giving away. This isn't like Hershel Walker. You got to do, you got to pounce now. NFC is wide open. You got the best offense in the conference. You got to make this deal. And Mark Davis, listen, man, your plans have not been working. My guy, you know what I mean? Like watching Max Crosby on a team that's going to go 3-14, where's that getting you?

6:05I guess nowhere. I won't argue that they're any closer to reaching their goals now than before. I will say also from Dallas' perspective, I'm going to take a more serious look at it if you're Jerry. This is like the perfect contract to be acquired. There's really no guaranteed money after the next couple seasons. He's 28 years old. 28 years old. By the time he gets to the end of the deal, he's probably going to be on his way out of the league and you get the last of his prime. I don't hate it. I just think that two first-round picks is a little steep if I were Steven Jones.

6:34Diante Lee:All right, you drove a hard bargain, Deontay. So I'm Mark Davis. I'm not going to show you my hair. I'm wearing a hat today. I'm going to make it because I like you. You know, we've done business before. We want to do business again. We're going to make it a first this year. Okay. And then we're going to make it a second in 2027. That only turns into a first if Max Crosby has 10-plus sacks next season. So you got some protection here. If he gets injured or falls off next year, you only owe me a second for next year. First in 2026. second in 2027 turns into a first if he has 10 plus sacks. Do we have a deal?

7:09I promise I'm not a haggler like this in real life, okay? This is only for the sake of the podcast, but I'd have to add a condition that we get to the divisional round of the playoffs. You give me 10 sacks from Max Crosby and we get to the divisional round, you can have this first round pick.

7:22Diante Lee:I feel like I'm bargaining with an Indian uncle here or something. You know what I mean? They always got to win the deal. All right, so Deontay says no trade. I know the Raiders told Crosby he's not going anywhere, but if you're Crosby, are you like? It was so funny, that story, because I'm like, does he really want that assurance? He might be like, all right, I liked playing here, but enough is enough, you know what I mean? I wouldn't mind going somewhere, so we'll see. I don't, he probably doesn't get moved, but I think he's an interesting name out there for some of these contending teams. All right, we couldn't do it for one pass rusher, so we're going to move on to the next deal for another pass rush here.

7:58Diante Lee:Bengals. Trade Trey Hendrickson to the New England Patriots for a third round pick that becomes a second if the Patriots advance to the AFC championship game. So there you go. Trey Hendrickson. I know the Bengals are trying to talk themselves into doing something this year. Come on. Are we being serious here with this Joe Flacco thing? I'm with you. You're not going to the Super Bowl. You're probably not going to the playoffs. You're not going to the AFC championship game. You made a one-year deal with Hendrickson. He's gone after the year. Get something for him. And if you're the Patriots, sometimes that opportunity comes a little faster than you were anticipating.

8:36Diante Lee:I'm not saying they're definitely going to get, but they got a shot to do it this year. You need some pass rush. So Trey Hendrickson to the Patriots for a third round pick that becomes a second if the Patriots advance to the AFC championship game. Who says no? I actually love this from both sides. All right. I love this from both sides. I think that's the right kind of conditional framing for New England to make it make sense, right? that saying we have absolutely maximized our 2025 window and achieved beyond our wildest dreams if we get to the final four and i think if you're the bangles to your point would you like to believe when you go to sleep at night that when we get to december joe burrow is going to be ahead of schedule and recovery and he's going to be able to jump right back in he's in tip-top shape and we're still going to be in competition in the afc for maybe the seventh seed yeah it's a nice thought and then you actually look at the afc picture and there's just so there's just such a high cluster having Indianapolis be as good as it is right now really kind of complicates things for them.

9:31It's just too much to bank on. Way too many conditions to bank on. I think if you're the Bengals and you're being pragmatic, even if Burrow's back, I mean, we know that Hendrickson is not changing the world for this Bengals defense. If anything, they probably need to continue looking to sell pieces to try to add that mid-round draft capital. I actually love this for both teams. And if you're New England, maybe having a guy that can just be a designated pass rusher could be the thing that gets that defense to about the level you'd be comfortable with in thinking that they could win a playoff game if they get there.

9:59Diante Lee:Yeah, Patriots are looking at great offense, mediocre defense. It's kind of what their formula is going to be. You know, we'll see if their defense improves as the season goes on. But yeah, I sort of feel like they might be aggressive because they've got cap space. They can absorb this contract. They are kind of in a spot to be aggressive here and say, hey, you know, who knows? Your quarterback's healthy. He's playing great. You're feeling good about your team. This Bengals thing, man, it's like, you know me. I have been like the Bengals defender and I, what are we talking about here? Deontay.

10:28Diante Lee:I'm with you. I mean, think of the things that need to go right for like this dream scenario. I mean, you're talking about Joe Flacco's got to play well enough to get you in the postseason mix. That in and of itself, I don't care what happened on Thursday night. Like that is a big ask right there, especially when you look at offensive line, defensive talent. Like, I don't think that even step one of the equation, it's not going to happen, but let's say it does. now you're saying Joe Burrow who just suffered this serious injury that kept him out for most of the season is going to come back with like no rent all of a sudden in the biggest games of the season in December or whenever it is is going to come back and look like Joe Burrow from last year.

11:10You can tell yourself we can be a 7-9 win team but you could very easily start losing out in this November to mid-December stretch and maybe Joe Burrow is not coming back to anything.

11:22Diante Lee:That's not a guarantee. I think Because it's just as likely that this season is lost by the time he would be clear to play as you would actually be in contention for the six or seven. Yeah. Again, I've been the Bengals defender, but I... It's okay to let go here. It's crazy. Yeah. I mean, it's just like, it's so unrealistic to me that... And I do respect when teams are like, we want to be as competitive as possible right now. Yeah. But also, like, your roster kind of stinks in a lot. Like, your defense has no players. Yep. Your O-line can always get better. you know you gotta just keep the long-term vision in mind here with Joe Burrow so we'll see I read in the athletic today you know their their beat writer uh Paul Diener Jr.

12:00who's very plugged in

12:01Diante Lee:was like it's not happening like if they think they have a chance they're gonna hold on to Trey Hendrickson and he very well could be right but uh I think that's the wrong decision I think especially with these teams in contention eating pass rush yeah like who knows maybe you get more than the draft compensation I just laid out there all right let's take a break we come back We have, I think, my favorite one on this list for you, Deontay.

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13:34Diante Lee:Before it was Ringer NFL, it was just an idea. I started with just a mic and a Mac and the need to discuss all things football. We thought, are we going to do a daily show? Are we going to change the logo? who are the guests going to be, what are the topics going to be. Listen, we're still figuring it out, but no matter what you have an idea for, whether it's creating your own commentary on this week's games, starting a platform for your take on sports, or even founding your own league, go for it. You just need to get started. Your great ideas start on Mac. Find out more on apple.com slash Mac.

14:11Diante Lee:All right, we're back on the Ringer NFL show. This one, you know, sometimes you do the trade machine. Some of them you're talking yourself into and then other ones you're like, no, this should 100 % happen. The one that should 100 % happen, Deontay Saints, trade wide receiver Chris Olave to the Buffalo Bills. Olave goes to Buffalo and I got another condition for you. Did I get carried away with the conditions? Yes, but what do you want from me? It's fun. There should be more conditions on trade. So the conditions are it's a third that becomes a second if Chris Olave hits 1 ,000 yards this season or if the Bills get to the Super Bowl.

14:51Diante Lee:Because I know doing business with you, you like the team. You know, team reaches a certain thing. So those are the two conditions. Olave is on pace for over 1 ,000 yards. So if he keeps his current pace, stays healthy, he hits that one. Olave signed through 2026 on the fifth-year option. So this isn't just a rental. You get him for a reasonable price in 2026. If you're the Saints, given Olave's concussion history, and I hope he's fine. I hope, but I don't know if they're going to be willing to pay him a certain dollar amount in future years. So if you, you know, I imagine if you're in New Orleans, you've already had that conversation.

15:25Diante Lee:You've already talked to his representation. You should have an idea what you want to do. And if you're not there, you're one in six, then move him now, get some draft capital here. And I can't get that last Bill's loss to the Falcons out of my head where it's like a lot of things were going wrong, but I did feel like they could use another pass catcher here. And I know not everyone was healthy, but I mean, Dalton Kincaid, I believe, is their leading pass catcher. It's a problem. And that's a problem when you're trying to get to the Super Bowl here. So I think Olave is a nice, reliable, big play guy, great route runner who they can add to that room.

15:58I'm with you. And as far as like, you're one of the first people I've heard that laid out the recipe for success for a great offense is to just have a mediocre defense. They're going to try to make a Super Bowl run with a great offense and a bad defense.

16:09Diante Lee:Bad defense. More likely than not, which means that this offense has to be like Drew Brees in his prime level overpowered Saints offense. And a guy like Olave would do that for them, right? Outside of the time that he's missed with concussions, if you look at all the efficiency metrics for wide receivers, he's almost always 80th percentile or better. Yards per route run. EPA, even against too high defenses. The team success rate when he's targeted. All those things pretend well. With bad quarterbacks. With bad quarterbacks. Or average quarterbacks. Exactly. And, you know, offenses that have fallen apart because of health or whatever, whatever the other case, he's been relatively dependable when he's available.

16:45I think I like this deal for the Bills. I think that this is the kind of receiver they need on the outside. Right. We're going to assume. I mean, Keon Coleman can be a jump ball guy. I just think that his volume has to decrease when he's available for this team. You can't target him eight, 12, 15 times a game. I don't think that that's his role. I think that and knowing that Josh Allen likes to spread the love anyways, having Olave to take those deep shots instead of a guy like Josh Palmer, who can be serviceable, but for this offense is not going to help you maximize your value. I like it for them.

17:14And if you're New Orleans, I think eventually you're going to have to make a decision between Olave and Shahid. and I think because Shahid's numbers are so much lower in terms of contract value right now, since he's a late pick, it probably makes a lot more sense to keep Shahid and to move Olave because of some of the health concerns you laid out, the fact that there is going to be some cost certainty, so maybe you can get some more back in a trade than in dealing for Shahid. And I think that that's a realistic way to look at where New Orleans is at. They've had a fun offense this year. I think a bit of a surprise with Spencer Rattler in the way they've been competitive in games, But we know that this team is not anywhere close to contending for a playoff spot, let alone a Super Bowl.

17:53So it would be reasonable to make this move now, I would think.

17:55Diante Lee:This would take, you know, we always like to talk about GMs and saving their jobs and PR. And this would, because your Keon Coleman point is the key point here. If Keon Coleman had developed and been the guy they were hoping he was going to be, I'm not pitching you this trade. Let's just be honest with it. It hasn't happened. Maybe it will happen, but it hasn't happened yet. And you're trying to win a Super Bowl this year. So if you're Brandon Bean and you berated the radio host in the offseason, why are you talking about I need wide receivers? Are you willing to make a move like this and say, all right, we've got more information and we feel like it gives us the best chance to win.

18:33Diante Lee:So I think it would make sense for him. It doesn't mean you're giving up on Keon Coleman or anything. Like you said, they spread the ball around. If somebody goes down, now all of a sudden you have another option here in Olave. It's not a rental. So now you go into next year feeling good because, I mean, $15 million on his fifth-year option with what wide receivers are getting paid, that's a very good contract. And how efficient he's been, for sure. I think he plays ahead of that value when he's available, right? It's really just a question of will he be healthy long enough for us to maximize that.

19:01It's funny you brought up the bills. My closing point is that I had another AFC East team in mind. I thought of New England, right, getting a deep vertical threat. I also thought of the 49ers, potentially, if they could use a little bit more verticality in the offense. They have basically every other role in the offense kind of sorted out. I think that a vertical threat for either of those two teams, again, two teams that are probably ahead of their schedule based on where their roster talent is at, it will make a lot of sense. Maybe a guy like Olave comes in, gives you that explosive element, and then as you regress to the mean and other areas, you know that you have a guy that can help kind of take the tops off of defenses and be a very quarterback-friendly type of receiver.

19:37Diante Lee:Olave with Drake, man. That would be pretty exciting, no doubt about it. All right, two more for Deontay. The New York Jets, the 0-7 Jets, trade Brees Hall to the Kansas City Chiefs for a fourth round pick. So this is one I was looking at, I thought with the Chiefs all season long, they could use a little bit more juice at running back. Even though you look at the metrics and it's like, all right, they've been better. They haven't been horrible. But Isaiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Rashard Smith, like, do you want to go into a Super Bowl run with that as your running back room? Or do you want to add someone like Brees Hall, who's only under contract through the end of the season?

20:13Diante Lee:So the Jets probably I mean, these teams like the Jets and if you're out of it and you're not going to resign a guy. Right. To me, it's organizational malpractice to just be like, no, we didn't like the price. Like this is a open market. What is the best price someone's willing to give you? Whatever that is, that's what you should be trading these players for if you're not going to keep them beyond this season. So that's how I look at it with Bryce Hall. So a fourth round pick to the Jets from the Chiefs for Brees Hall. What do you think? I don't hate that. I had the Chargers in mind, another AFC West team that could use a little bit of explosiveness out of the backfield.

20:47I would say it probably pays bigger dividends for the Chiefs because the Chargers are so banged up up front. They haven't been able to move the ball on the ground at all this season. And it's been getting worse as guys have continued to stack up these injuries and teams have to respect the run even less. It's been really difficult for them. I like it with the Chiefs. It is like the running back position is maybe the only spot on that roster. I will look and I'm like, this is kind of unserious guys. I like, I like Isaiah Pacheco when he's at his best, right? Tough yardage, real thing. And I'm not saying that he should get no touches, right?

21:17But him being the lead back is probably not what you want for a Superbowl contending team, especially because you know that Kansas city wants to punish teams that want to play with light boxes and really take away the explosive, the explosive passing game from them. They want to be able to hand the, hand the football off. and a guy like Brees Hall behind that offensive line. In the RPO game, whether it's under center, downhill runs, you know that any one of his touches can turn into a 25, 30-yard gain. And that could be the kind of piece we've been talking for the last two years. What is it going to take for this offense to get more explosive?