PHOENIX — The Philadelphia Eagles find themselves on the doorstep of another Super Bowl title, in large part because they made one of the biggest trades of the past offseason. In the NFL Draft, they sent the 18th overall pick to the Titans in exchange for star AJ Brown, which turned out to be a deal that helped elevate the Eagles offense to an elite level. . Brown went on to break the franchise’s receiving yards record, significantly helped Jalen Hurts improve as a passer, and now has the Super Bowl LVII team.
The genesis of the trade that ultimately kicked Brown out of Tennessee was due to the catcher entering the final year of his rookie contract and wanting an extension. He and the Titans couldn’t agree on that, so they opted to trade him to a team willing to pay him and regained assets in the process instead of losing him in a year to free agency. .
As we look beyond the Super Bowl and the upcoming offseason, there are a handful of talented receivers who fall into a category similar to Brown’s situation last year. Could they be on the move? It’s certainly not out of the question, especially if their current clubs don’t see an upcoming extension. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some NFL wide receivers who could be marketed and have a Brown-like impact with another team.
Higgins’ situation is fascinating because of the circumstances surrounding him. On almost every other team, he’s a slam-dunk player to lock in and bolster your offense. However, the Bengals have two other massive contracts they will need to fulfill soon. First on that list is quarterback Joe Burrow, who is eligible for an extension this offseason and will likely become one of the highest paid players in his position – Otherwise THE Highest paid QB — costs Cincinnati a pretty penny. Then you have another eligible Ja’Marr Chase receiver next offseason. In both of these cases, you’re potentially talking about deals that reset the market. This may mean there isn’t enough prize pool left to give Higgins an extension that matches his league status, especially when you need to fill out the rest of the roster.
Unlike Brown and Higgins, the 49ers have the option of using the fifth-year option on Aiyuk, which would guarantee he is under contract for the next two seasons. That said, this is still the time someone in Aiyuk’s position will look for an extension that extends beyond that time frame and pay him at a competitive level. For San Francisco, it has already made Deebo Samuel one of the highest-paid receivers in the league, and is also in the process of securing top-notch deals with tight end George Kittle and left tackle Trent Williams, and will soon have to do the same with the pass. striker Nick Bosa. Considering all that spending, Aiyuk could be the odd man out here, and trading him could help the Niners recoup some draft capital this offseason, as they don’t have first- and second-round picks in the draft. the NFL 2023.
Aiyuk even fueled those trade rumors last month by liking a photoshopped image of himself in a New York Giants uniform.
Jeudy had been rocked by trade rumors ahead of the deadline this season, but nothing ended up coming from them as he remained in Denver to finish out the regular season. It’s not impossible, however, for teams to return to see if the old first-rounder is available this offseason, especially if it continues without a long-term extension. Similar to Aiyuk, Jeudy still has the fifth-year option hurdle but is definitely in the extension conversation and teams could consider the 23-year-old a talented receiver who hasn’t even hit his cap.
Denver has already signed fellow receiver Courtland Sutton to a four-year, $60 million deal that keeps him with the team through the 2025 season, so the team may not want to extend to new to the same position.
The Colts feel like they’re on the verge of a complete rebuild as they move to hire a new coach and are once again in the quarterback market. Given those circumstances, it doesn’t make too much fiscal sense to sign Pittman to a long-term extension at this point, and he’d probably be better served earning even more interim capital by trading him. Because he wasn’t a first-round pick, Pittman doesn’t have a fifth-year option to worry about and is about to enter the final year of his rookie contract, so he’ll be looking for a certain security this off-season in the form of an extension.
Buffalo is firmly in its Super Bowl window, so it seems a bit crazy to think he’d send a key player to its offense, but it’s already spending a lot in that position. The Bills signed Stefon Diggs to a four-year, $96 million deal last offseason and the club is currently over the salary cap, so there’s not much wiggle room to adapt to the type of contact commissioned by Davis. With Diggs, Von Miller and Josh Allen all being paid top dollar, Buffalo needs an influx of cheap young talent that could be obtained by sending Davis to a team willing to pay him and give the Bills a capital draft. in the process.
