With 2024 NFL free agency also comes the offseason trade market. Sometimes blockbuster deals are forecast weeks or months in advance, much like the Chicago Bears with quarterback Justin Fields, who's widely expected to be shopped as the team considers resetting the position atop April's draft. Other times, big-name moves sent genuine shockwaves around the league.
With that in mind, here are seven notable veterans who probably won't -- or maybe shouldn't -- be dealt but could be floated in trade talks anyway:
The Seattle Seahawks have already guaranteed $12.7 million (or 40%) of Smith's base salary for 2024, but that hardly means he's locked into place. The team is starting fresh with a new coach, sniffed around top QB draft prospects a year ago and can still save an immediate $13.8 million by dealing him prior to June 1. Smith has been just gutsy and dynamic enough to warrant another ride as the starter, but if another club is desperate for veteran help, it's hard to envision the Seahawks denying the call.
Running it back with Derek Carr and Dennis Allen suggests the Saints are yet again refusing to rebuild, which bodes well for Kamara entering his age-29 season. Despite a few down years in rushing efficiency, the former Pro Bowler remains an all-purpose weapon, which should also make him appealing to new coordinator Klint Kubiak, who enjoyed Christian McCaffrey's versatility in San Francisco. But the Saints are also dead-last in 2024 cap space, can save $1.5 million by dealing Kamara, who's owed a whopping $29 million in 2025; before replenishing the position with an ultra-rich crop of free agent backs.
The Las Vegas Raiders will never say they're shopping Adams, who just two years ago inked a five-year, $140 million deal to headline their offense. But with a new coach and general manager, plus a respectable Jakobi Meyers under contract out wide, there might not be a better time to sell. Dealing his contract would net only $1.8 million in immediate savings, but considering Adams is owed more than $44 million per year from 2025-2026, why wouldn't they court offers from win-now contenders?
A general rule of thumb for Super Bowl contenders is to keep, not sell all-star playmakers, especially when said players have a proven, steady rapport with a highly paid star QB. But Diggs' personal frustrations led to his landing in Buffalo from the Minnesota Vikings years ago, and he's since struggled to fight the perception that he's unhappy with the Bills' late-year direction. Fellow wideout Gabe Davis is an impending free agent, so obviously Buffalo would need a serious plan to restock the position if it dealt the 30-year-old Diggs, but a trade would save an instant $9.7 million, helping get the club back under the 2024 cap.
Do the San Francisco 49ers plan to pay Aiyuk what the market says he's worth? Fresh off a career year as Brock Purdy's top downfield target, he figures to command top dollar on a future deal, which has come due with 2024 marking the final year of his rookie contract. There's a case to be made fellow wideout Deebo Samuel is the more logical trade chip as an older, more injury-riddled starter, and certainly the 49ers would rather keep both coming off a Super Bowl bid. But dealing the ascending star would save them an immediate $14 million, allowing the front office to reallocate money to the trenches and defense.
The former Chicago Bears stud returned to All-Pro form in 2023, logging a career-high 17 sacks as the Los Angeles Chargers' top edge presence. And new coach Jim Harbaugh probably prefers to win sooner rather than later, with Justin Herbert already locked up as the franchise signal-caller. But Mack is 33, and L.A. would save a whopping $23.3 million by trading him before June 1, clearing most of the $35.5 million the Chargers are projected to be over the 2024 cap.
An eight-year veteran of the Denver Broncos, Simmons is arguably the heart and soul of a perennially tough defense, and he hasn't lost his ability to track the ball at age 30, totaling 30 interceptions in his career. But he's entering the final year of his contract, and Denver -- which is projected to be $24 million over the cap -- could save an immediate $14.5 million by sending him elsewhere. With other stalwarts like Patrick Surtain II already in the secondary, perhaps now is the time the two sides will consider a split.
