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Brand-New Landing Spots for NFL’s Top Trade Targets

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    Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

    The 2022 NFL offseason has
    already seen several trades occur, and more could be coming in the months ahead.

    There are several high-profile
    players who could be available after requesting a trade, falling out of favor
    with their current teams or would return draft capital for a rebuilding
    squad.

    With that in mind, here is a look at five top trade targets—listed in alphabetical order—and where they could land if dealt.

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    Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

    The Dallas Cowboys receiving corps has been gutted this offseason. Trades, injuries and free agency took a toll on what was
    one of the league’s deepest groups last year.

    While the Cowboys still have CeeDee Lamb as their No. 1 wideout
    and promising rookie Jalen Tolbert behind him, there is a critical lack of
    depth. That could change if the club engineers a trade with the
    New England Patriots to acquire Nelson Agholor.

    The receivers room in New England has gotten a bit crowded
    this offseason after the franchise landed veteran DeVante Parker in a trade and drafted a promising second-round prospect in Tyquan Thornton.

    With Jakobi Meyers and Kendrick Bourne returning to round
    out the receiving corps, Agholor could be the odd man out.

    The 29-year-old didn’t live up to expectations in 2021. He only caught 37 passes for 473 yards and three scores after signing a two-year, $22 million contract.

    Agholor is just a season removed from a career-best
    showing with the Las Vegas Raiders, however. He reeled in 48 receptions for 896
    yards and eight touchdowns in 2020 and could get
    back to that form with a change of scenery.

    The Cowboys would provide ample opportunity. Even with Michael Gallup and James Washington returning this season, Agholor
    could provide big-play capabilities for a unit that is one injury away from a full-blown crisis.

    Keep in mind Gallup is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered late last season, while Washington will miss six-to-10 weeks after fracturing his foot in practice Aug. 1.

    Given Agholor’s expiring contract and New England’s logjam at the
    position, it shouldn’t take much more than a Day 3 pick to get the Patriots to move
    on from the wideout.

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    Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

    With Baker Mayfield seemingly well
    on his way
    to earning the Carolina Panthers’ QB1 gig, the
    team will soon have to figure out what to do with incumbent starter Sam Darnold.

    The Panthers kicked the tires on Darnold last year after the signal-caller had three
    disappointing seasons with the New York Jets. Unfortunately, they didn’t get
    much out of him.

    Darnold went just 4-7 as a starter, passing for 2,527 yards
    and nine touchdowns against 13 interceptions. He cost three draft picks, including a 2022 second-rounder, which is capital Carolina will struggle to recoup in a trade.

    The Seattle Seahawks may be able to get a bargain for a quarterback
    who is still only 25 years old and has some upside remaining.

    Seattle made the franchise-altering decision to deal Russell
    Wilson to the Denver Broncos this offseason. Although Drew Lock and Geno Smith are competing to fill the role
    in training camp, neither is a viable long-term starter.

    Darnold would give the Seahawks a chance at
    unearthing a franchise QB during a rebuilding year. If he can stay healthy—he has yet to play a full NFL season—and reach the ceiling
    that made him the No. 3 pick in 2018, there is a chance he’ll emerge as a viable starter.

    With weapons like DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett surrounding
    him, Darnold could finally find sustained success. Though there is a good chance the quarterback doesn’t realize his potential, for a
    late-round pick at most, this is a trade worth making for the Seahawks.

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    Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

    The San Francisco 49ers have been attempting to find a taker
    for Jimmy Garoppolo for months. While there has been little interest thus far, that
    could soon change if he’s cleared to play following a recovery from shoulder surgery.

    The Detroit Lions may emerge as a contender for a healthy Garoppolo’s services.

    They are one of the more intriguing up-and-coming squads
    in the league. While the Lions have been inept for years, team brass
    has quietly assembled a promising young roster with several playmakers on both
    sides of the ball.

    The one glaring hole is under center. The
    team relied on Jared Goff as its QB1 last year after the No. 1 overall pick in
    2016 came over as part of the Los Angeles Rams’ trade package for Matthew
    Stafford.

    Goff went just 3-10-1 in the Motor City and does not appear to be the
    long-term fix for the Lions’ QB woes.

    Garoppolo represents a major upgrade as a proven winner. The
    eight-year veteran boasts a 33-14 record and has reached the conference
    championship game in each of his last two healthy seasons. He’s amassed nearly 12,000 passing yards and thrown
    71 touchdowns against 38 interceptions since entering the league.

    The costs of acquiring him would be low. Although the Lions would have to take on his $24.2 million base salary,
    a conditional Day 3 pick was enough for the Panthers to get Baker Mayfield
    from the Cleveland Browns, and a similar offer would likely work for Garoppolo.

    He may not take Detroit to the Super Bowl immediately, but securing Garoppolo and keeping him around on a
    long-term extension would cross off the biggest to-do item on the team’s rebuilding list.

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    Nick Cammett/Getty Images

    Kareem Hunt made it clear he wasn’t happy with the Browns this week, opening the door for his potential exit.

    ESPN
    reported Sunday that the running back asked to be traded after failing to get a
    contract extension. The Browns denied Hunt’s request, but the club may relent given it is already dealing with questions over Deshaun Watson’s personal-conduct policy suspension.

    One team that Hunt could get dealt to is the one
    that he emerged as a star with: the Kansas City
    Chiefs.

    Hunt burst onto the scene as a third-round rookie in 2017, tallying 246 yards from scrimmage and three scores in his first game. It was the first step toward a 1,782-yard, 11-score campaign and his lone
    Pro Bowl appearance.

    Hunt was eventually cut from the team in 2018 after TMZ published footage that appeared to show Hunt kick and shove a woman during an argument. The running back served an eight-game suspension, but he wasn’t charged despite the woman telling police she wanted to press charges.

    Hunt voluntarily underwent treatment and counseling during the NFL’s investigation into the allegations against him. There have been no reports of him being in trouble since that point, so it seems possible the Chiefs may consider his return.

    The 27-year-old hasn’t reached his same levels of success since exiting Kansas City but there is a real opportunity for him to thrive with the 2022 version of the Chiefs if they are willing to take him back.

    Kansas City appears to be lacking a playmaking running back. 2020
    first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire has failed to live up to expectations
    and is in danger of being a bust. The club also parted ways with versatile
    pass-catcher Tyreek Hill this offseason, leaving the 120 touches he got last
    year up for grabs.

    If the Chiefs wish to keep their streak of four consecutive
    AFC Championship Game appearances alive, they would be wise to consider
    flipping a middle-round pick to the Browns for the dynamic back.

    Even if it only amounts to a one-year rental—Hunt is in the
    final season of a two-year, $12 million contract—it
    would better position Kansas City to compete in what has become a much more
    daunting AFC West.

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    Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

    The New England Patriots declined to retain longtime linebacker Dont’a Hightower this offseason. They could opt to get younger and faster at the position
    by trading for Roquan Smith.

    Smith publicly demanded a trade Tuesday, releasing a written statement
    that detailed his frustration with the Chicago Bears.

    The 25-year-old has been
    seeking an extension as he prepares for the final year on his rookie contract but believes his current employer has “refused to negotiate in good faith” and that the “new front-office regime doesn’t value me here.”

    Although general manager Ryan Poles has said the club is working to
    retain 2018’s No. 8 overall pick, this situation may be irreparable.

    The Patriots are an intriguing landing spot for Smith given
    their need for a talent of his caliber. The team has a rich history of off-ball
    linebackers thriving under head coach Bill Belichick.

    New England has some expendable talent in addition to draft
    picks that could entice Chicago.

    Nelson Agholor would give the Bears the type of receiver
    they direly need to foster the development of second-year quarterback Justin
    Fields. The Patriots already sent a failed first-round pick in Harry N’Keal to the Windy City earlier in the
    offseason, but the reclamation project has a long way to go before he proves to
    be valuable depth behind Darnell Mooney.

    If New England is confident in its offensive line depth, offering tackle Isaiah Wynn may just get the Bears to bite.

    Wynn moved from left
    to right tackle during training camp but still represents a sizable upgrade on
    either side of Chicago’s line. Pro Football Focus projected the Bears to have the second-worst performance in the offensive
    trenches in 2022 if a move isn’t made.

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