3 wide receivers who could get traded before the 2026 NFL trade deadline
Wide receivers usually dominate the trade block conversation, and one former top pick’s price tag makes him a no-brainer call for every front office in the league.
The 2026 NFL trade deadline is creeping closer, and the offensive side of the ball is where the most intriguing names live — despite the splash trade of Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys this week.
Wide receivers, in particular, have a long history of changing hands midseason. This year could be no different, with several pass catchers on rosters that may be better served cashing in on talent rather than letting it walk. So who are some current receivers who check the boxes to serve as a possible trade target at the 2026 NFL trade deadline?
On the ‘4th and Football Podcast’, Kyle Crabbs and Garret Greenlee discussed defensive players who could become trade candidates as the 2026 NFL deadline approaches. Watch their full conversation on the A to Z Media, LLC YouTube channel below.
Cleveland Browns WR Jerry Jeudy makes sense as a trade chip
The Cleveland Browns are 3-1 and watching their young pass catchers ball out. That makes veteran wide receiver Jerry Jeudy a logical trade candidate. Jeudy carries a base salary of $1.5 million and is in the next-to-last year of his contract — making him an obvious one-year rental candidate. Cleveland has two rookies producing at receiver, and clearing the runway for them makes organizational sense. Jeudy has flashed throughout his career but has never fully put it all together. He’s still just 27, though, and there’s an upside sell to be made to a team looking for pedigree at the position.
What could Cleveland net? The Browns originally acquired Jeudy for a 2024 fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth-round pick. Something in the same ballpark feels right: a fifth-rounder, maybe a conditional sixth that could escalate based on production.
Jeudy’s cash schedule also works in the acquiring team’s favor. He’d be heading into a year where he’s owed roughly $23 million, but a large chunk of that is an option bonus with no guarantees. A team could treat it as a one-year rental and then cut the rest loose. That kind of structure caps the return at a mid-Day 3 pick, tops.
Marvin Harrison Jr. should have every team in the NFL calling the Arizona Cardinals
Call me crazy, but every single team in the league should be picking up the phone on Marvin Harrison Jr. right now. The former No. 1 receiver prospect has had a brutal start to his NFL career. But this idea that MHJ is completely done? That’s not something I can fathom just yet. This is a player who had nearly 900 yards and eight touchdowns in his rookie season, nevermind the player he was at Ohio State.
There are legitimate concerns. You can see moments where Harrison doesn’t appear locked in on his routes, and whether that’s a culture issue or something more personal requires due diligence from any acquiring team. But the economics here are team-friendly for a new team. His 2026 compensation structure included a roster bonus, meaning any team that trades for him this year gets him on a minimum salary contract for 2026. Then you’d have $5.6 million in commitments for 2027. That’s effectively two years of player control for less than $6.5 million.
Jacksonville Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. is worth entertaining as a trade piece
Here’s one that just hasn’t gone away as a trade speculation: Brian Thomas Jr. in Jacksonville. The Jaguars have Parker Washington, Jacoby Meyers, Travis Hunter, and an emergent rookie Josh Cameron flashing, too. BTJ is second on the team in targets but is working with just a 53% catch rate on 13 targets through three weeks. His 2025 campaign was a significant step back from a rookie year that featured nearly 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The key detail is that this was not a Liam Coen selection. Coen arrived the year after Jacksonville drafted Thomas Jr. did. The Jaguars could net a better return for BTJ than what Cleveland would get for Jeudy, too. That’s a given considering the age and production profile. At 22 years old during that monster rookie season, the talent is undeniable and there’s still plenty of youth on his side.
Could this be the year the whispers about Thomas being available actually come to life? Jacksonville’s pass-catching depth might make the return worth more than keeping him. And at his age, the acquiring team would be getting a player with significant upside still on the table.
Cleveland Browns News