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Hypothetical NFL 7-team blockbuster trade inspired by the NBA

Inspired by the first ever seven-team trade in NBA history that was made this past weekend, multiple members of our A to Z Sports staff created a hypothetical seven-team NFL trade. The deal involves the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, and Minnesota Vikings, featuring six players and three draft picks. Let’s break it down.

Lions get edge rusher Tyree Wilson: “Wilson can be a guy who can come in and right away earn the starting spot opposite Hutchinson and can continue to grow. In Las Vegas, we got to see the minimum from him since he had to compete with Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce. In Detroit, we can see just how much he can grow with a solid defensive line coach in Kacy Rodgers." —Mike Payton

Cowboys get NT D.J. Reader: "The biggest question surrounding the Dallas Cowboys' defense is whether or not it can stop the run. Over the last couple of years, evidence shows it can't and the front office did close to nothing to change that going into the 2025 season. Landing D.J. Reader gives the Cowboys' ferocious pass rush led by Micah Parsons another dimension by clogging things up the middle. Giving up Trevon Diggs hurts but I view this as his final year in Dallas anyway and he's unlikely to be ready to go in Week 1. I'd make this deal." —Mauricio Rodriguez

Vikings get CB JuJu Brents and a 2026 7th-round pick from the Colts: "Brents has 34" arms at a shade under 6'3 and 200 lbs, and that kind of length can provide the Vikings a major advantage in coverage. It's something that they don't have as well, with their top three cornerbacks all being shorter than 6' and under. The other major concern is that Brents has major injury concerns with multiple injuries that have hindered his development, with just 11 games played in his first two seasons. The Vikings have continued to make calculated bets on players who have often been injured, with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah believing his medical staff is a major advantage over other teams. With just a late-round pick swap being the only price to pay for a high-upside player, this has Adofo-Mensah written all over it." —Tyler Forness

Giants get WR Romeo Doubs and a 2026 5th-round pick from the Vikings: "Abdul Carter and Brian Burns are the future of the edge rusher position in New York, making the former No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, Kayvon Thibodeaux, expendable. Getting a playmaking wide receiver like Romeo Doubs to pair with the likes of Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Jalin Hyatt gives the Giants offense a much more potent passing attack. That’s regardless of whether Russell Wilson, Jaxson Dart, or Jameis Winston wins the starting job in New York. The draft pick compensation is a cherry on top because if things don’t improve for Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll in 2025, New York could quickly find itself with a new regime and a need for draft picks in 2026." —Charles Goldman

Colts get 2026 6th-round pick from the Raiders: "The Colts’ CB situation is very different than where things stood just a year ago. JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones were the projected starting outside duo for the Colts, and the depth behind them was pretty bleak. This season the Colts have done a solid job building a more competitive starting group with the addition of Charvarius Ward. The team now has four viable options to be their second starting outside CB to join Ward and Kenny Moore II. One of those is Brents, who has had a rocky tenure with the team due to injuries, and the new defensive scheme under Lou Anarumo doesn't really fit his skill set." —Destin Adams

Packers get CB Trevon Diggs: "After moving on from Jaire Alexander, the Packers have an obvious need at cornerback. Even though Diggs had a concerning ACL injury, he's now two years removed from that and is still fairly young at 26. His ball skills are a great fit inside Jeff Hafley's defensive scheme, and the price tag is reasonable. Regarding Romeo Doubs, it's tough to trade him while Christian Watson is recovering from his own injury, but a deal like this is hard to pass up—especially because Doubs is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and the Packers don't seem inclined to give him an extension." —Wendell Ferreira

Raiders get edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux: "When it comes to what the Raiders are willing to give up and what they can give up, there isn't much. And while I'm not sure this actually happens, Tyree Wilson is a guy who could find himself a new home, whether that's by trade or after his rookie deal is up. Wilson was selected No. 7 overall, but not by this regime, or the last one, but the one before that. Josh McDaniels and Dav Ziegler drafted Wilson with the hopes that Wilson would develop into a monster. He hasn't done that yet. The Raiders do need a big season from him, especially because no one really knows if Malcolm Koonce will be back to the way he was before, as he's recovered from an ACL tear last season and is on a one-year deal." —Justin Churchill

That would certainly be an unprecedented and exciting trade for the NFL, but there’s next to no chance anything like that will ever happen. Even player-for-player trades are extremely rare. In the spirit of playing along, I think the Packers win this trade.

Landing a high-end CB in exchange for a middle of the road WR is a great deal for them, and Diggs would solidify an already good Green Bay secondary. The Giants are also getting a solid deal by acquiring another much-needed weapon in Doubs as well as a mid-round pick. The Colts clearly get the short end of the stick by receiving just a sixth-round pick for Brents.

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Hot takes for each team in the AFC East

Destin Adams and Kyle Crabbs wrapped up their hot takes series with the AFC East. Here are their bold predictions for the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and New York Jets.

Bills win the Super Bowl: “I know Kyle is going to take the field, and who can blame him? The odds are better that way. However, I'm calling my shot: I think the Bills will be the number one seed in the AFC playoffs, and after hosting the AFC Championship, I believe Josh Allen will get to play in his first Super Bowl. Allen did his part last season by winning the league's MVP award, but the defense struggled at different points throughout the season. They added veteran Joey Bosa to the fold and drafted Maxwell Hairston in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft to address the issue. The sky is the limit for the Bills this season, and I think they will finally reach the mountain top and win the franchise's first Super Bowl." —Destin

Does Kyle agree? Find out here.

Dolphins TE Darren Waller retires again before the 2025 regular season ends: "The Dolphins made a massive trade late in the offseason, sending players Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick. This led them to have one of, if not the worst, TE groups in the league. Not for long, though, as they had another surprise up their sleeve by trading for Darren Waller out of retirement. Ahead of his retirement, there was some instability surrounding Waller, and even now, he appears to be non-committal. I'm predicting. Waller doesn't make it through the entire 2025 season before hanging up the cleats one final time. I wouldn't be shocked if he ultimately retires before the regular season even arrives." —Destin

Does Kyle agree? Find out here.

Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez posts 5+ interceptions in 2025: "‘Gonzo’ had a great second season in New England despite playing with a pretty limited front seven in front of him and a general inability of the team to play complementary football in 2024. I would suspect that the changing tides in this regard will allow New England to put more pressure on opposing quarterbacks late in the game and in the fourth quarter when playing with a lead. If that indeed becomes the case, Christian Gonzalez will have the opportunity to develop a reputation as a ‘closer’ and convert more opportunities in coverage into turnovers. This is one of the best young corners in football, and this feels like the year that his ball production reflects that." —Kyle

Does Destin agree? Find out here.

Jets QB Justin Fields set a new career high in both passing and rushing touchdowns: "Fields is the Jets' opportunity to get a quarterback investment that will not ultimately require a top draft choice. If he hits as the answer in New York, the entire scope of the rebuild can be rapidly accelerated. Do I believe he's going to go down as a ‘hit’ and the unquestioned starter long-term? I'm still undecided there. But Fields should have every opportunity to go out and put some points on the board behind a good offensive line and an inspired new vision. As a result, I think Fields tops 17 touchdown passes and eight rushing touchdowns, both of which he posted in 2022 as career bests." —Kyle

Does Destin agree? Find out here.

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