The 2024 NFL Draft is now just two weeks away. Getting closer to the draft means the end of free agency and players getting new contracts. This season, lots of players have gotten franchise tags from teams. This could make them a trade candidate on draft night. Here are the top players that could be headed to new teams in two weeks.
NFL Draft Trade Candidates
Tee Higgins, WR – Cincinnati Bengals
Tee Higgins has been an incredible wide receiver for the Bengals his entire career. Last season, Higgins struggled with injuries and had one of the worst seasons of his career. Unfortunately, 2023 was the last season on his contract and it seemed that the Bengals would not extend him. Instead of letting him walk in free agency, Cincinnati used the franchise tag on Higgins which keeps him on the team for one more year. Many teams in the NFL trade franchise-tagged players to get some draft capital rather than letting them work in free agency.
Since the Bengals have not had talks about extending Higgins, he would be a prime candidate to be traded. Since Higgins has not been traded yet, the Bengals will likely wait until the NFL Draft to trade him. Higgins’s trade price would likely be a late first or early second-round pick. Teams like the Bills and Cardinals have been linked to trade NFL draft picks for Higgins.
Josh Allen, EDGE – Jacksonville Jaguars
Josh Allen is also in a tough spot heading into the 2024 NFL draft. Allen had the best season of his career in 2023 where he put up 17.5 sacks. Therefore it seemed like Allen was going to get a massive extension. Instead, the Jaguars have tagged Josh Allen to keep him for another year. While it seems like the Jaguars could still re-sign Allen, if he requests too much money, Jacksonville could look to trade him.
With many teams in the NFL missing that top-tier edge rusher, it seems like he would have a lot of interest in the trade market. To be able to trade for Allen teams would have to give the Jauagrs at least a first-round pick. Therefore Josh Allen could be headed to a new team during the NFL draft.
Brandon Aiyuk, WR – San Francisco 49ers
One of the most talked about players over the past few weeks has been Brandon Aiyuk. Ever since rumors started that the Steelers could be trading for Aiyuk, people have not stopped talking about him. Aiyuk is heading into the last year of his contract and it seems likely that he gets extended by the 49ers.
Depending on how Aiyuk performs in 2024 he should be requesting around 25 million dollars a year, which means that it would be very expensive for San Fransico to keep him around. Instead, the 49ers could look to trade Aiyuk for some high draft capital during the NFL draft.
Many more players could be traded in just a couple of weeks, but here are just some of the top dogs.
If you are looking for more NFL draft content follow me on X @ChaseGrimm28. If you are just looking for more football content check out more from Gridiron Heroics.
