NFL Draft
2/21/25
9 min read
5 Teams that Should Make 2025 NFL Draft Trades
Part of what makes the NFL Draft fun is the flurry of trades that quickly shake up everything we thought we knew. While we're all busy watching prospects, scouring through rumors, and creating 2025 NFL Mock Drafts, various front offices have surely discussed several trades. We've done our best to identify five teams that should be in the mix to make a trade in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Some franchises want to hoard draft picks for trade opportunities on draft weekend, while others like to swap Day 3 selections for disgruntled veterans. Others are much more aggressive and keep a small cupboard of picks after acquiring stars and leveraging their assets. We've seen Super Bowl rosters born out of both strategies.
Here are five teams that must consider making a trade based on the assets available for each team, the direction of where each franchise is going, and the talent within this 2025 NFL Draft class. We'll also explore who the specific trade partners could be and which player each franchise should have in mind with a move-up.
2025 NFL Draft Team Trade Candidates
New York Jets 
Direction: Trade Up
Barring a shocking rekindling of passion between the New York Jets and Sam Darnold, the Jets' decision to cut ties with Aaron Rodgers will leave them without a clear answer at quarterback entering free agency. New head coach Aaron Glenn might be making the right call to swap Rodgers out for someone who brings fewer locker room headaches, like Daniel Jones or Jacoby Brissett, but those guys can't be the only options he brings in.
Finding a franchise quarterback is still the Jets' top priority, but their task will be more difficult since they select seventh overall, and four teams in front of them also need one. As of today, the only realistic three first-round quarterbacks are Cameron Ward, Shedeur Sanders, and Jaxson Dart. It's not difficult to see why the Jets are in a trade-up position.
It's possible the Jets get help, and Darnold signs with the Giants or Raiders, two teams with picks above them, or the Titans or Browns make the foolish decision to punt on the position. None of these franchises have earned the right to benefit from the doubt, but if Ward and Sanders are talented enough to be taken by the Giants and Raiders, as we've seen in recent mock drafts, then the Titans and Browns should take them first.
If the first three picks don't include one of Ward, Sanders, and Dart, and the Raiders haven't filled their quarterback need elsewhere, then the Jets must get on the phone with the Giants and Patriots to hammer out a deal to bring their next franchise quarterback into the building. The only alternatives are to trade for a veteran like Kyler Murray or Matthew Stafford or hope that a Day 2 option like Jalen Milroe or Will Howard can become one of the rare mid-rounders to become more than a stopgap starter.
A move up from No. 7 could be costly, whether it's a picks-based deal or one that includes someone like Breece Hall or Garrett Wilson. But the current merry-go-round the Jets are perpetually stuck on isn't getting them anywhere.
New Orleans Saints
Direction: Trade Down
It's time for the New Orleans Saints to finally pay the piper after so many years of dodging the salary cap's limitations. Projected to be over the cap by $54 million with one of the league's oldest and least-talented rosters, there aren't many productive moves the team can make to help new head coach Kellen Moore. Another batch of restructures is coming, but this roster will get worse before it gets better.
The key to breaking the endless cycle of bringing back aging, expensive veterans who aren't contributing to wins is to draft better. New Orleans has eight picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, and five of those are within the top 111 selections. Hitting on three would be a massive boost for the franchise but having more chances to unearth quality starters on rookie deals is helpful.
A trade down from the ninth overall pick makes sense in almost every scenario. Unless there's an unexpected falling quarterback, the Saints should get a relatively similar prospect much later in the first round than what they would at No. 9, especially considering they're not operating under a win-now mindset. The first-year returns could be lower if they move down into the twenties, but the difference between someone like Shemar Stewart and James Pearce Jr. is negligible for a rebuilding roster.
The cost of moving from the late teens to mid-20s up to No. 9 should net the Saints at least one more Day 2 pick in 2025 and potentially another in 2026. Having six picks in the top 111 and another carrot to dangle in 2026 for a big move to land a quarterback should be the team's top priority for this class.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Direction: Trade Up
While one NFC South team is bailing on its core, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should be doing the opposite. The NFC houses the reigning Super Bowl champions, but the Buccaneers can't be dissuaded from aggressively hunting upgrades because of the Eagles. Picking 19th, the Buccaneers could sit tight and land a good player who will address an immediate need.
However, the Buccaneers aren't a young or cheap roster to build around. Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, Vita Vea, Chris Godwin, and Jamel Dean are at least 29 years old, and there's no strong talent pipeline behind them. This team needs impact starters to replace outgoing free agents.
Moving up from the 19th pick for a starting-caliber pass-rusher, receiver to replace Godwin (if he departs in free agency), or cornerback can raise this team's ceiling. If Michigan's Will Johnson or Colorado's Travis Hunter falls beyond divisional foes Carolina and New Orleans, then Tampa Bay must get on the phone to work out a deal. It'd be too painful to miss out on a blue-chipper to San Francisco, Dallas, or Atlanta compared to throwing mid-round picks in exchange for a star.
Obviously, the actual target will matter and play into the cost of trading up. Georgia's Jalon Walker or Mykel Williams, in addition to the cornerbacks mentioned, would be especially attractive as the top 10 rounds out. A big swing on Arizona star receiver Tetairoa McMillan would also be a fun fit as the team braces for life without Evans in future years.
Cleveland Browns
Direction: Trade Up
It's awfully hard to trade up from the No. 2 pick to the No. 1 selection, and I'm not advocating for that at all. However, it would be wise for the Cleveland Browns to cash in on their whopping 12 picks to move up from Round 2 into the bottom of Round 1. Twelve rookies won't make this Cleveland roster, so leveraging those picks is a better usage of them.
Cleveland's strategy should be to land as much high-end talent as possible. Every good roster has a small window to win, even with the Deshaun Watson disaster. That window changes if Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward get traded, but Cleveland has the assets to avoid hitting the reset button.
Finding the right quarterback will play a big part in that. Whether Cleveland walks out of Round 1 with Sanders, Ward, or Dart and then a quality left tackle or edge rusher doesn't specifically matter as long as they walk out of night one with potential Pro Bowlers and critical positions. Trading the 33rd overall pick, along with either their 67th, 94th, or 103rd, will be very attractive to teams in the late teens and twenties, including teams on this list.
An ideal outcome for Cleveland might be pairing Sanders or Ward with one of the two Ohio State left tackle prospects, Josh Simmons or Donovan Jackson. Or Cleveland could go with Abdul Carter at No. 2 and move up for Dart. Nailing the quarterback part is the biggest piece of the pie, but maximizing that second selection is what can make this a franchise-defining class for Cleveland.
Houston Texans
Direction: Trade Down
On the opposite side of Cleveland's side is a team they made one of the NFL's biggest trades ever with, the Houston Texans. Houston's rebuild was put on the fast track when they hit on C.J. Stroud, and the roster is still catching up. Injuries have further made their efforts more difficult, as the outlook on Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell loom over how this team can proceed forward with little cap resources.
The Texans' defense is also old and relies on stopgap talents all over. Veterans like Diggs, Eric Murray, Folorunso Fatukasi, Jimmie Ward, and Denico Autry will be gone sooner rather than later. The only way to plug so many holes in the next two drafts is to have more top-100 picks and hope for the best after that.
The 25th overall pick won't fetch a ton in return, but there will be teams like the Browns, Jets, and Bears that have reason to be a little more aggressive with their roster-building strategies. Can the Texans pluck the 39th and 72nd overall picks from Chicago for No. 25? Those are the types of deals that can solve more problems for this coaching staff.
