Trades are something that can completely change an NFL team and a player's fortune. Look at the trades of Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears or even Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys. Both situations resulted in players reaching new heights and turning teams from pretenders to contenders.
With the draft two weeks over and the free agency class nearly barren, teams will be looking into making a trade to change the team dynamic completely.
It's what the Cleveland Browns did with their shocking transaction for Odell Beckham Jr. and with the Oakland Raiders making a move to grab Antonio Brown away. These are the bold moves of teams getting established players that hope to see the results of the playoffs in the 2019 season.
Some of these trades will be no-brainers in the hopes of filling position needs. Others can be something of a team looking forward to investing in the future. Either way, these trades are what will turn everything around.
Here are the five blockbuster NFL trades that can still happen before the 2019 season.
TE Kyle Rudolph to the New England Patriots
A move for the two-time Pro Bowler makes sense for far too many reasons.
One, the Patriots lost an all-time great in Rob Gronkowski after he decided to retire. He was a dominant force at the tight end position for many seasons but had to leave because of injuries that have hampered him. Rudolph is someone that would fill correctly as a consistent source at tight end considering he hasn't missed a game in the last four years.
Second, the Patriots are starving once again as far as passing targets for Tom Brady except for some running backs and Julian Edelman. There most notable addition has been drafting wide receiver N'Keal Harry with their first-round pick. Other than that, they've brought in an aging Demaryius Thomas coming off of a torn Achilles from last season and a 38-year-old Benjamin Watson coming out of retirement. So having Rudolph, who has put up at least 500 receiving yards in each of the previous three seasons, would be a great option.
Finally, Rudolph is due for a contract extension. And with the Vikings not being close to an agreement with him it seems as if a trade is the best option for both parties.
The Patriots can get him if they give up a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
CB Chris Harris to the San Francisco 49ers
A rumor that's been going around even before the 2019 NFL Draft. Harris is due for a contract extension, and he's demanding $15 million annually.
It's a price tag that's appropriate for a cornerback of his caliber. With four Pro Bowls under his belt and was rated by Pro Football Focus as the third-best corner in the league.
However, general manager John Elway isn't budging on contract talks anytime soon, and Harris has stated that if he doesn't get an extension, then he wants a trade.
With that said, the 49ers are a perfect match for the disgruntled defensive back. The 49ers have done little to nothing to improve their secondary used only one selection on a defensive back in Tim Harris in the seventh-round and only signing Jason Verrett and bringing back Jimmie Ward.
It's not the most robust scenario for a team that's head coach, and general manager is in a make-or-break season going into 2019. A play for Harris is something that can improve a secondary that allowed the second-most touchdown passes last season.
Pairing him with Richard Sherman on the opposite side of the field would help the defense. Luckily enough, the team can give Harris the money he wants as they rank second in the league in cap space at over $37 million.
CB Patrick Peterson to the Kansas City Chiefs
From a cornerback asking for a new extension to one that's disgruntled because of trade rumors since before the 2019 trade deadline. And with the selection of cornerback Byron Murphy in the second round by the Arizona Cardinals, Peterson wants to be out of the red and white even sooner.
Going to the Chiefs is an easy decision to go with. Peterson would be paired up with Tyrann Mathieu once again in the defensive backfield much like they were at Arizona. Plus the Chiefs need help for the passing defense as they gave up the second-most passing yards in the league last year.
The best part about this deal is that Peterson isn't even asking for more money, it's the only where a player is just unhappy where he is and wants out. And both sides can end up with something to be happy about. The Chiefs get an All-Pro player that makes their defense better, and the Cardinals get a first-round pick in next year's draft.
DE Gerald McCoy to the Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks are a team looking to stay in the playoff picture after having made it surprisingly last year. And with the number of players that they've lost on defense since then, they need help wherever they can get it.
They've lost both Earl Thomas and Justin Coleman in the secondary because of free agency, and they traded away Frank Clark to the Chiefs over the pass rusher not being able to get the contract that he wanted from Seattle. And in response, the team has signed Ziggy Ansah to a one-year deal and drafted L.J. Collier in the first round to help with this issue.
It's not enough from a defense that's on the tail end of the Legion of Boom era. Because of this, the defense needs an All-Pro like Gerald McCoy to help bolster the front seven and help the Seahawks stay relevant.
It's going to be an essential step for this team as the NFC West division continues to get better with quarterback play from the Cardinals having Kyler Murray at first overall to the 49ers and the healthy Jimmy Garoppolo.
The Seahawks won't be giving up that much for the Pro Bowl defensive lineman as it will only cost a late-round pick.
DE/OLB Jadeveon Clowney to the Oakland Raiders
As if the cycle of Raiders trades couldn't end since the inception of the Jon Gruden era, don't be surprised if this move happens during the offseason.
They're a team that traded away one of the best pass rushers in the game currently to the Bears and in doing so ended their 2019 campaign with an abysmal 13 sacks that ranked last in the league. They're still in need of pass rushing help from the edge even after drafting three in the 2019 Draft.
Clowney falls into the theme of “wants a new contract and if not then trade” much like many of the others on this list. It will be a bizarre situation if the Texans don't give him the contract he's asking for considering their third-highest in cap space. But the Texans do have a lot of future extensions to consider with Deshaun Watson and JJ Watt nearing the end of their respective deals going into next season.
The Raiders are another team in the top ten in cap space that can make a move for Clowney and with very little to spend as well.
Oakland will be getting their replacement for Mack in the form of Clowney, and the Texans will be able to free up their cap space for future extensions and get a good draft pick out of it.
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