If there's one thing you can always count on in the NFL Draft, it's the fact that there will be a lot of trades and this year should be no different. When it comes to this year's draft, the Bengals got the trade party started over the weekend when they sent the 10th overall pick to the Giants in exchange for Dexter Lawrence.
That likely won't be the last time this week that we see a player get dealt for a draft pick. As a matter of fact, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach is expecting things to get kind of wild once the first round of the draft starts on Thursday night.
"It should be an entertaining night," Veach said last week. "There'll probably be a lot of trades."
Let's check out five player trades that could go down between now and the end of the draft.
Pitts is definitely the most surprising name on our trade list, but it certainly seems possible that the Falcons could end up dealing him this week. For one, new Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham openly admitted that the team will be listening to any offers for Pitts (or any other player).
"I would say, for all the players, we are going to listen," Cunningham said Monday, via the AJC. "I wouldn't just say Kyle. All players, we are going to listen. That's our job.That doesn't mean that's going to happen. But people call, we'll listen."
Pitts was also mentioned as a possible trade candidate by ESPN's Adam Schefter, which adds even more intrigue to the situation. If the Falcons do decide to trade Pitts, then the Chiefs should be the first team to give them a call about making a possible deal. The Chiefs currently have two first-round picks heading into the draft and they would likely be able to get a deal done by sending just one of those to Atlanta.
The Falcons would likely be open to this deal for two reasons: For one, they don't have a first-round pick this year, so this would get them the chance to get back into the opening round. Also, Pitts is set to play under the franchise tag, which will pay him $15 million in 2026. If the Falcons trade him away, that will immediately free up $15 million in cap space.
The Falcons only have five picks in the draft this year, so you can bet they'll be looking to add to that total and trading Pitts would certainly help.
On the Chiefs' end, if they were to acquire Pitts, he would serve as the heir apparent to Travis Kelce. The Chiefs' star tight end recently signed on for his 14th season in Kansas City, but at 36, it's hard to see him playing past the 2026 season. If the Chiefs add Pitts, that would give Patrick Mahomes an almost unfair advantage in the passing game.
Pitts is coming off a career year where he caught 88 passes for 928 yards and five touchdowns, and he could potentially top those numbers in the Chiefs' offense.
After watching Malik Willis leave in free agency, the Packers should be in the market to add a backup QB and they could look to do down the same path they went with Willis.
Willis was drafted by the Titans, but he didn't find much success in Tennessee. Back in August 2024, the Packers decided to make a trade for Willis and Matt LaFleur ended up developing him into one of top backup quarterbacks in the league.
On Richardson's end, the 2023 former fourth overall pick has already requested a trade after fizzling out in Indianapolis. If the Packers were to add him, it would give LaFleur another raw talent to work with. The Packers need to find a suitable backup for Jordan Love and although they could look to take someone in the draft, making a trade for Richardson might actually have a higher upside. Under LaFleur's tutelage, Richardson could potentially turn into a quality NFL quarterback.
The Packers have two fifth-round picks and if they can use one of those to acquire Richardson, then this deal would make a lot of sense for Green Bay.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard didn't close the door on a possible Richardson return in 2026, but a trade still feels more likely.
"Nothing has transpired at this point," Ballard said Monday. "I don't know any question you're going to ask other than will he be here? Well, he could be. We'll see, but as of right now, he's down there training in Jacksonville."
Richardson skipped the first day of offseason workouts and is training away from the team.
It's not often that Jerry Jones admits that he was wrong about something, but the Cowboys owner did exactly that back in January when he admitted that letting nickel corner Jourdan Lewis leave in free agency was a mistake.
"We lost the nickel, and it hurt us more than we thought. The nickel was a serious loss for us. It made a big difference not having [Lewis] out there. And, so, we have got to get better there," Jones said three months ago.