The 2026 NFL offseason is set to be a wild one. The expectation is that we could see a flurry of trades—the question is how many high-profile moves we see. These are a few realistic trades—including three blockbusters—I’d like to see happen in the coming weeks. For an example of the unrealistic, I don’t see the Eagles trading A.J. Brown to the Patriots, as has seemingly been baselessly speculated for the past couple of years.
Jets acquire: QB Jordan Love
Packers acquire: Jets’ 2026 first-round pick, Cowboys’ 2027 first-round pick, Jets’ 2027 third-round pick
This is the most fanciful of the five, but I’m approaching this from the Packers side and why I believe they should consider this—along with what will be explained as a landing spot for Jordan Love that makes this more realistic than it might seem. With how Malik Willis played not only last season but in 2024 for Green Bay, I’d strongly consider moving Love if this type of offer were to come in—and the Jets are the organization that would do something like this in their search for a franchise quarterback.
New York has five first-round picks over the next two drafts, owning their own and the Colts’ over the next two as well as Dallas’ in 2027. The combination of the No. 2 overall pick—plus the potential worst of the three 2027 selections—along with another selection like a third, would undoubtedly make the Packers have to think.
While it’s more unclear what general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn think of him, people from the group that advised the Jets on the search for those two—and still have a role with the franchise—like Mike Tannenbaum and Rick Spielman have been enamored with Love. Tannenbaum called Love the top quarterback in the NFC ahead of 2025, and Spielman previously ranked the former first-round pick as the top quarterback from the 2020 draft class with guys like Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, and Justin Herbert.
Packers fans—I know a lot of you won’t like this and believe that Love is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but there’s some untapped potential in Matt LaFleur’s offense. Love is entering only his fourth year as a starter and can progress, but Green Bay can save a ton of cap space by going with Willis, who I’d argue has outplayed Love when he’s been on the field. Basically, LaFleur has shown he’ll get production from the quarterback position; I think he could get high-level play out of Willis as the full-time starter at potentially around half the salary of the current starter.
If the Jets are willing to offer a boatload of premium draft capital—and I think they would—the Packers should consider it. Plus, why not make it three-for-three with Love joining Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers in going from Green Bay to New York? That’d be fun.
Raiders acquire: QB Jalen Milroe
Seahawks acquire: Raiders’ conditional 2027 second-round pick
Everyone is already locking Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but I’d be shocked if new head coach Klint Kubiak hasn’t at least thought about the possibility of bringing Jalen Milroe over with him from Seattle. Milroe surprisingly didn’t go until the third round of the draft last year. With Sam Darnold now a Super Bowl winning quarterback at 28 years old, it’s certainly more unlikely that the Seahawks go with Milroe soon—no matter how much they like him.
And Seattle probably does like the Alabama product. He’s a high-character player with plenty of natural ability. Take what Kubiak said about Milroe last summer during offseason training:
The number one thing that stands out: the guy’s a worker. You see him in there at 4:30 in the morning on the field going through his plays. Nobody’s asking him to do that, but he’s out there putting in extra time. Seen him grow a lot from rookie minicamp to now, so been impressed with the kid.
Kubiak saw first-hand that Milroe is going to do whatever it takes to be the best quarterback he can be. That’s what the great ones do. Kubiak is the same way, notoriously getting to the facility extremely early each day. With Vegas needing a lot of work to reset the foundation of the entire team and somehow get on track in the stacked AFC West, both head coach and quarterback being firmly on the same page in knowing what it takes to win would be huge. Those extra hours together in the early mornings could add up.
As stated, it was a surprise he didn’t go until well into Day 2, but the gamebreaking talent of Milroe is obvious. He had a year of development for a tremendous franchise, which is only a positive and increases his value. This deal could potentially get done for a conditional third-round pick in 2027 that could become a second-rounder depending on production this year.
Piggybacking off acquiring Milroe, the Raiders would then be able to explore getting an astronomical offer for the No. 1 overall pick if another team is desperate to move up for the presumed top pick Mendoza.
Bills acquire: WR Justin Jefferson
Vikings acquire: Bills’ 2026 first-round pick, Bills’ 2025 fifth-round pick, Bills’ 2027 second-round pick
This one might lean toward the unrealistic side, but I wouldn’t be so sure. Justin Jefferson was very clearly not thrilled with Minnesota’s quarterback play last season. The Vikings need a plan at the game’s most important in 2026 and beyond that worksfor him to be content. But for a player of his caliber barely hitting the thousand-yard mark in receiving—he might already have had enough.
The former LSU star loves new Bills head coach Joe Brady and gives a lot of credit to Brady making him a first-round pick while he was the offensive coordinator for the Tigers. Not to read too much into a spur-of-the-moment game during a Super Bowl media appearance, Jefferson picked Brady as the head coach for a team to go 17-0 after getting the Bills as his first choice in the minigame. He could’ve taken Josh Allen at quarterback (which he certainly would be overjoyed with in real life) or James Cook at running back, so it displayed the respect he has for Brady to have faith in the first-year head coach.
Basically, this is another situation where it’d be surprising if Brady and Buffalo haven’t at least kicked around the idea of acquiring the all-world talent. From there, they can call the Vikings—and who knows what happens?
On the Vikings side, the relationship between Kevin O’Connell and Jefferson is rare. They basically communicate as a head coach and quarterback typically would. KOC might make it a firm “no” in terms of ever exploring a trade of his All-Pro wide receiver.
But, while Jefferson is not a “diva,” we know receivers can make things interesting when they become unhappy. If Jefferson isn’t thrilled with the plan at quarterback, a quiet nudge about being open to moving on is a definite possibility.
Overall, Minnesota would likely consider a first, a second, and a Day 3 pick while trusting that O’Connell can get production from Jordan Addison and others at receiver.
Broncos acquire: RB David Montgomery
Lions acquire: Broncos’ 2026 fifth-round pick
This one is simple. David Montgomery did not have close to the type of role you would expect for the Lions in 2025. The offensive line’s production dropping was a key reason for that, but so is the presence of Jahmyr Gibbs. Detroit has stated plainly that Montgomery deserves to be someplace where he can have the type of role his ability calls for. So, there’s a high probability for a trade.
J.K. Dobbins was an excellent fit for the Broncos and might be back, but Montgomery is another path to explore. D-Mo is consistently productive and has had better injury luck than Dobbins while bringing a similar mindset as a leader. He’d fit right in with the type of players and attitude the Broncos brought in last offseason.
The 2026 free agent running back options are very good, including Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III. Travis Etienne Jr. is someone I think would be a tremendous fit. But Montgomery churns forward for positive yardage as well as anyone—so he’d help put Denver ahead of the sticks and in favorable third-down situations, where Bo Nix is becoming one of the NFL’s best at keeping drives moving. It’d cost a Day 3 pick, but Montgomery would be a value at around a $10 million cap hit over the next two seasons if the prices for free agent running backs get too high to the Broncos’ liking.
Bears acquire: DE Maxx Crosby
Raiders acquire: WR DJ Moore, Bears’ 2026 first-round pick, Bears’ 2026 third-round pick
Finally, there is a ton of uncertainty surrounding Raiders star edge defender Maxx Crosby this offseason. He was clearly not happy with the franchise after they shut him down to end 2025. But he was back at the facility already this offseason and perhaps the relationship can be fully repaired for a guy who’s previously always made clear that he’s a Raider.
I’m looking at this more from the Bears side in adding a player of Crosby’s caliber while going for it in the NFC, but first for how the Raiders might see it.
While Klint Kubiak saw first-hand that defense wins championships, he’s an offensive coach and his success as a head coach will probably come down to how he gets that side of the ball to perform. There are pieces there like Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty, but there’s work to be done—particularly on the offensive line. Trading Crosby is the type of move that can help rebuild that side of the ball—and eventually you’ll have to hit on more draft picks to boost the defense regardless.
This deal including DJ Moore at receiver could help the Raiders be more competitive immediately. Moore is a versatile piece Kubiak would be able to utilize while boosting a weak position on the roster, and Raiders co-owner Tom Brady saw Moore make big plays first-hand while calling games for FOX.
As for the Bears, Crosby fits the type of player Ben Johnson wants in the locker room. He’s relentless and plays incredibly hard every snap, rarely leaving the field. The fit in Dennis Allen’s defense would be among the best in the league. He recently did a podcast episode with Caleb Williams. And shifting Moore’s cap hit to pay for a chunk of Crosby’s deal would make sense.
Crosby might remain in Vegas, but it’s much more of a question than it has been in the past. Hitting on the picks is another story, but imagine the draft capital Vegas can work with to finally build a sustainable winner by trading Crosby and the No. 1 overall pick.