The NFL trade deadline is a little over a week away on All Hallows' Eve. As teams gear up for the second half of the season, the hottest position on the trade market appears to be wide receiver.
ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler dubs wide receiver a "buzz-worthy position," (subscription required) specifically noting the Panthers, Packers, Colts, and Chiefs as potentially interested parties. Of course, there is time and opportunity for several more teams to join the WR mix, depending on how the market shakes out.
"I feel like everyone is out on a first date and feeling each other out right now," writes The Athletic scribe Dianna Russini (subscription required).
One has to imagine the outcome of Week 7 will increase the urgency with which some teams operate. There's a noticeable difference between 1-5 and 1-6, for example. Hope to advance to 4-3, but fall to 3-4 instead? That could inform a team's trade deadline philosophy.
Let's sift through the rumors. Here are three wide receivers who are definitely available via trade, one who might be, and one who definitely is not.
Panthers' Terrace Marshall Jr. is definitely available via trade
At first glance, it's a bit strange for the Carolina Panthers to actively shop a young WR given their established lack of production at the position. But, as Fowler reports, Terrace Marshall Jr. has requested a trade and the Panthers have granted him permission to explore the market.
The third-year receiver, a former second-round pick out of LSU, has been sparsely involved in the Panthers' passing attack. Marshall has caught 16-of-27 targets for 116 yards this season. Rookie QB Bryce Young only has eyes for Adam Thielen, which has led to Marshall operating on the offensive fringe alongside fellow second-round pick Jonathan Mingo. Carolina appears to have more invested in Mingo long-term.
Marshall should be relatively cheap for a 24-year-old WR with his blend of 6-foot-2 size, speed, and vertical athleticism. He's the kind of low-risk, medium-reward player contenders and rebuilders alike should seek out.
Carolina will welcome him back if a trade doesn't materialize, but be prepared for Marshall to change teams.
Raiders' Hunter Renfrow is definitely available via trade
The Las Vegas Raiders are somehow 3-3 despite feeling like a true candidate for the mantle of 'worst team in football' half the time. Davante Adams won't get traded, but he has made his frustration with the team's lack of identity clear. Josh McDaniels has done a lot of losing since his arrival last season and it's starting to feel like a teardown is inevitable. If not now, soon enough.
One potential trade deadline casualty (or beneficiary) is Hunter Renfrow. The speedy slot receiver has been virtually excised from the game plan this season. He has six receptions and 59 yards across six games. He was on the field for five snaps last week. It's a bit strange to see a 27-year-old with recent Pro Bowl honors completely ignored by his coach and quarterback.
Per ESPN's Fowler, Renfrow has been available for trade "for the better part of the last year." It's clear Las Vegas is done with him. Renfrow is owed slightly over $13 million this season with a contract out before his $13.7 million for next season kicks in. The contract could scare off teams, but it's a short-term investment, and the trade price shouldn't be very steep given the circumstances.
Renfrow went for 103 receptions and 1,038 yards with nine touchdowns in 2021. Injuries messed him up last season, but there's no doubting the Clemson product's ability to produce when he's right. If there's a team in search of a lost-cost slot receiver to work the middle of the field, Renfrow has the potential to deliver big time.
Broncos' Jerry Jeudy is definitely available via trade
ESPN's Fowler describes the Denver Broncos as "open for business," with only one real exception. That exception is not fourth-year wideout Jerry Jeudy, who is expected to receive interest from several teams. There is debate over the WR's value, but a pick as high as the third round could be used to acquire the former No. 15 pick.
It has been tough sledding for Jeudy and the entire Broncos offense this season. Russell Wilson's production remains muted under Sean Payton and, at 1-5, it's hard to chart a path back to relevance for Denver's 2023 squad. After losing several picks in the Wilson trade, it could behoove the Broncos to stock up on future assets in preparation for the oncoming rebuild.
Jeudy is still productive, accumulating 20 receptions on 29 targets for 222 yards. His 11.4 yards per catch this season is the lowest mark of his career (by a significant margin), but that's more indicative of Wilson and the offense around him. Jeudy remains a top-notch athlete with big-play ability. It would be completely unsurprising for his next team, in the event of a trade, to unlock a new level of production.
The Broncos owe Jeudy $12.9 million next season before he hits unrestricted free agency in 2025. Any team trading for Jeudy will have to calculate the long-term financial risks, but he's a 24-year-old coming off a successful 972-yard, six-touchdown 2022 campaign. There are more than enough positive indicators to suggest that Jeudy, once freed from the constraints of Denver's offense, will flourish.
Giants' Parris Campbell might be available via trade
NFL insider Ian Rapoport cites New York Giants wideout Parris Campbell as an expiring contract the team could look to move at the trade deadline. ESPN's Fowler doesn't specifically mention trade rumors, but he does note Campbell's movable $1.4 million salary and his lack of prominence in the Giants' offense.
It has been a down season across the board for Campbell, who has 16 receptions on 23 targets for 85 yards across six weeks. A second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Campbell has quintessential WR tools at 6-foot-1, plus he's coming off the best season of his young career — 63 receptions, 623 yards, and three touchdowns in 17 games (16 starts) in 2022.
The Giants' entire offense is a mess. Brian Daboll's group simply doesn't have its footing right now, thus the 1-5 start to the season. Daniel Jones has regressed, so it shouldn't be terribly shocking that Campbell is suddenly finding catches hard to come by. Even so, his complete lack of involvement (zero targets in Week 6) comes as a surprise.
The Giants aren't planning a fire sale. In fact, the team isn't actively shopping players at all. But, the circumstances make it clear that Campbell is very much a candidate to be moved if a team makes the right offer. New York would struggle to justify a continued investment if he's not going to be part of the offense.
Cardinals' Hollywood Brown is definitely not available via trade
"I don't foresee Arizona moving Marquise Brown, barring surprise," writes ESPN's Fowler.
"The Arizona Cardinals have received calls on wide receiver Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown, but the team isn't looking to move him," writes Russini of The Athletic.
And that's that.
The Arizona Cardinals are 1-5, but a spunky and sorta lovable 1-5. Kyler Murray is due for a return in the weeks to come, and while that probably won't mean much in 2023, it could be worth letting him establish chemistry with Hollywood Brown ahead of the Cardinals' planned bounce-back in 2024.
Brown has been the top target for Cardinals' fill-in Joshua Dobbs, accumulating 29 catches on 53 targets for 334 yards and three touchdowns. His speed remains a game-changer and he is the Cardinals' primary source of big plays in an offense that tends to run tepid at best.
Arizona is clearly angling for the future here. Brown is 26 years old. He went for 1,008 yards with the Baltimore Ravens in 2021, so there is established WR1 upside on a winning team. He's in the final year of his contract, but he "looks to be part of this team's future," writes Russini. She also notes that Arizona has six picks in the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft, so extra draft capital is not high on the priorities list.
