2025 NFL trade deadline: CBs are hot. It's unclear if Maxx Crosby is off limits. And will Eagles shock everyone?

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/2025-nfl-trade-deadline-cbs-are-hot-its-unclear-if-maxx-crosby-is-off-limits-and-will-eagles-shock-everyone-174249514.html

The NFL prides itself on being a league of parity.

It boasts about how many games come down to the fourth quarter and it delights in how close this year’s playoff race is shaping up to be.

Five divisions with a second-place team within one game of the lead? Great. Twenty-three of 32 teams with at least three wins in eight weeks? A win.

But as the league hopes for an exciting trade deadline, parity may be its downfall.

The tight race is creating hesitancy among typical deadline sellers. Teams still mathematically in the hunt don’t want to trade their best players. Teams in the hunt, albeit not quite as close as they think, want to buy more than their counterparts want to sell.

An imbalance, particularly for star players as opposed to depth guys, has ensued.

“It’s so wide open this year that aside from a few teams who are bad because they have no talent, everybody thinks they’re in it,” one high-ranking NFC executive told Yahoo Sports.

Added another NFC executive: “No GM wants to trade for a draft pick they’re not going to use.”

That parity comes to tamp down on what an AFC talent evaluator described as an increased comfort from general managers with making trades the last five to six years. Look at the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns’ trade for quarterback Joe Flacco as an example of philosophical evolution.

“That would’ve been unheard of 10 years ago to just all of a sudden start running an offense that’s completely different than the ones he’s run in the past,” the AFC evaluator told Yahoo Sports. “It used to be like, ‘You don’t trade in-season because it was too hard to acclimate a player into your offense or your defense that late in the game.’

“Now, because of the way things are coached and the game has changed and evolved so much, I think you’re having more and more success with guys that are coming in.”

The coming days could slow as teams deepen into their week of game-planning. Further moves of starters are more likely to come Monday and Tuesday to minimize game-week disruptions.

And if activity doesn’t pick up before the 4 p.m. ET Tuesday deadline at all, the NFL could yet again vote this offseason to delay the trade deadline to later in the season when the playoff picture is settling. For now, what should NFL fans expect in these final days? Here’s a snapshot of what Yahoo Sports senior NFL reporters Charles Robinson and Jori Epstein are hearing around the league — and how it may impact your team’s race to the postseason:

The most enticing position is …

Multiple executives at the league’s owners meetings last week agreed: Teams are looking for cornerbacks. Since then, the Los Angeles Rams have acquired cornerback Roger McCreary from the Tennessee Titans and the Philadelphia Eagles have acquired Michael Carter Jr. from the New York Jets to total a full five in-season trades for cornerback (Jarvis Brownlee Jr., Greg Newsome II and Tyson Campbell predated McCreary).

“Everybody’s always looking for corners,” an NFC talent evaluator said. “Corners and usually if you get an interior d-lineman or offensive linemen. … Everybody talks about receivers, but those [three] are the ones that teams generally pursue because it’s just the hardest to find.”

The San Francisco 49ers could be among teams interested in bolstering their cornerback spot.

The positional need makes the Cowboys and Trevon Diggs’ evident discontent interesting. The Cowboys and Diggs disagreed in the offseason on his decision to rehabilitate in Florida, the team exercising its contractual option to fine Diggs $500,000 for offseason absences. Since then, Diggs has injured his other knee during the season and sustained an apparent concussion that no one has explained. Add in team owner Jerry Jones’ assessment that Diggs needs “to be in better shape to play,” and the conflict is thinly veiled.

Diggs’ health, and up-and-down performance, will hurt the Cowboys’ ability to receive much compensation in return for Diggs. His contract, too, will make him less appealing to teams. But a player with a high ceiling desiring a move from a team that seems ready to move on? Teams should at least be calling. Do opponents expect the Cowboys to listen?

“It’s gonna be hard to predict,” one NFC talent evaluator said. “He’s been shaky when healthy. He’s much better off coverage where he has freedom to play the ball. But his health and contract are big issues.”

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 28: Micah Parsons #1 of the Green Bay Packers and Trevon Diggs #7 of the Dallas Cowboys trade jerseys after the game at AT&T Stadium on September 28, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

(Sam Hodde via Getty Images)

The Cowboys would likely need to eat some of Diggs’ contract to make this deal palatable.

A team that should at least call: the Green Bay Packers, who may remember which number to dial after a preseason trade for Micah Parsons. Green Bay could use cornerback depth and seems to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender that would have use for a player late in December and into January if not beyond.

Add in Diggs’ best friend, Parsons, being there, and his college position coach, Derrick Ansley, now the Packer defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach? The Packers may be able to maximize Diggs in ways the Cowboys no longer can. –Jori Epstein

To move or not to move? That’s the defensive line question

Three defensive linemen have piqued league interest, with questions about whether their current teams would listen. Teams are curious about the Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson, Tennessee Titans’ Jeffery Simmons and Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby.

Hendrickson’s contract ending after this season helps make more palatable the $29 million Cincinnati agreed to pay him this year. But after Hendrickson aggravated a hip injury Sunday against the New York Jets, his ability to contribute before that contract expires is now in more question.

The Titans may not desire to move their best player in Simmons, as general manager Mike Borgonzi considers how his spiraling team will retool after firing head coach Brian Callahan this month. But one NFC executive wondered if a second-round draft pick would change that, believing “everyone should be available” on a team that could use draft capital for the uphill climb that awaits.

Crosby may be the most interesting, with Vegas’ interests in clear conflict. On one hand, the 2-5 squad has less than a 1 percent chance to make the playoffs, per ESPN’s playoff predictor, amid a talented AFC West that likely features at least two playoff teams in the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. On the other hand, Pete Carroll is 74 years old. Will he and the club want to stomach a long rebuild if they trade away their game-wrecker?

“I think their whole issue this year is you wanted someone with gravitas and experience,” an NFC executive, “but you’re in a rebuilding phase and not in a competing phase.”

An NFC talent evaluator from another team didn’t think the door was closed.

“I still think for the right price, Crosby could be on the move,” the evaluator said. “First and a pick swap, most likely.”

Raiders team owner Mark Davis downplayed that likelihood at league meetings last week after initially playing coy.

“I would talk to our general manager and head coach — I don’t make those decisions,” Davis told Yahoo Sports last week. “I expect Maxx to be here with the Raiders for quite a while.” –Jori Epstein

What else we’re hearing heading into the deadline …

While the Tennessee Titans have already made a few moves, I’ve heard they’re still open to discussion on other players and hunting draft picks in return. So long as the calls aren’t about young core pieces or defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, there are conversations to be had. While I still feel like a strong offer would force consideration from the Titans, a few executives have balked at his value being in the range of a first-round draft pick. One general manager noted that edge rusher Brian Burns drew only a second- and fifth-round pick (and a fifth-round pick swap) in 2024. Burns was 26, whereas Simmons is 28. And despite having two years left on his deal, there is a consensus that Simmons will want a contract adjustment for 2026 and 2027. One player I think could get a call is veteran guard Kevin Zeitler, who is on an expiring contract and could help shore up an offensive line for the stretch run. –Charles Robinson
Don’t bother calling the Cleveland Browns on Myles Garrett. That continues to be the message I’m hearing about the edge rusher — and it has been consistent. That said, I believe the Browns would be open to moving some of their running back and defensive edge depth. Jerome Ford would be the running back I’d watch there, and former first-round draft pick (of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) Joe Tryon-Shoyinka or Shelby Harris. –Charles Robinson
I still think there’s a chance that Cincinnati Bengals edge Trey Hendrickson gets traded in a big Monday move, but it may be dependent on the outcome of Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears. If the Bengals win that one, it could put Hendrickson on ice as Cincinnati tries to claw to the top of a messy AFC North. Like Jeffery Simmons, I’ve heard from a few personnel sources that the price on Hendrickson is not going to be stout (as in a first-rounder), but would more likely be in the range of a late second-rounder from a contending team plus a potential late pick swap on Day 3 of the draft. Pay close attention to the Indianapolis Colts, who aren’t being seen as a buyer publicly, but have caught lightning in a bottle and could use another edge rusher to fight their way through a tough field of AFC quarterbacks in the playoffs. Former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo makes this a definite potential landing spot for a Hendrickson rental. –Charles Robinson
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills are still poking around in the wide receiver market (for the umteenth straight year) looking for a bargain addition that could serve as a low-end No. 1 (read: not Jaylen Waddle or Chris Olave). The player who is more in that rung would be Raiders wideout Jakobi Meyers, who is available for calls and would come relatively cheap. I still believe Meyers and New Orleans Saints speed merchant Rashid Shaheed are the two likeliest receivers to get moved for either a late-round pick or a fourth/fifth pick swap type of compensation. Aside from Meyers, don’t expect a Maxx Crosby trade surprise unless Crosby asks for it, which I’ve been told he hasn’t done. –Charles Robinson
I know we’re all sick and tired of talking about how Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is always in the mix for potential trades, but there is a lot of buzz in other personnel departments that Roseman might have one big move up his sleeve this time around. I’ve had two high-ranking personnel sources tell me Roseman would give up a significant bounty if the Browns were to make Myles Garrett available. It feels a little like other personnel departments are dreamcasting a bit and guessing what Roseman might do, but there’s definitely a sense that the Eagles could be the one team that comes out of nowhere to pull a big deal for a defensive player. Dot-connecting is going to speculate that player to be Trey Hendrickson, but if Roseman would genuinely be willing to give up the farm for a player like Garrett, nobody is off the table. I wouldn’t rule out a Jaelan Phillips or Bradley Chubb pursuit. –Charles Robinson
The two quarterbacks worth monitoring are Atlanta Falcons backup Kirk Cousins and New York Giants backup Russell Wilson. With the Minnesota Vikings losing Carson Wentz for the season and having familiarity with Cousins — and Cousins still wanting to return to Minnesota — I wouldn’t completely rule out a potential reunion as the Vikings try to shore up the situation behind J.J. McCarthy. The recent knee issue with Michael Penix Jr. complicates this one, but Cousins didn’t look great in last weekend’s loss to the Miami Dolphins. I still think the Falcons would be open to moving him if another team was willing to eat the remainder of his salary and offer up something in late-round compensation. As for Wilson, he’s a dark horse candidate for the Indianapolis Colts, who need a veteran depth piece behind Daniel Jones, just as a measure of protection. It would be nothing more than a mercenary rental for the rest of this season, but a move that at least gives Indianapolis some experienced insurance. –Charles Robinson
One AFC talent evaluator said the 2026 NFL Draft was looking deep at edge rusher but shallower at offensive line, a reflection of the shortage of offensive linemen across the college game. Keep that in mind when teams consider how best to build their roster with multi-year acquisitions. Teams are interested in the Giants’ defensive linemen but don’t anticipate the availability they want, and certainly not at the price point they want. Could Kayvon Thibodeaux be more available than Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns? Ultimately, Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will have more incentives to keep their talent in-house with both jobs on the line and an optimistic future behind quarterback Jaxson Dart. –Jori Epstein
Don’t conflate the Micah Parsons trade with the Cowboys’ trade deadline strategy. Sure, Dallas’ defense is awful in his wake. But an acquisition wouldn’t be about replacing Parsons, whom team owner Jerry Jones told me they know they can’t replace. It would instead be about building up a defense that needs help this year and beyond. And defense is where the Cowboys’ eyes would turn. “We don’t really feel like we need down-the-line guys,” executive vice president Stephen Jones told me at league meetings. “I mean, we need a guy who’d be a front-line guy who’d make a difference.” –Jori Epstein

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/2025-nfl-trade-deadline-cbs-are-hot-its-unclear-if-maxx-crosby-is-off-limits-and-will-eagles-shock-everyone-174249514.html