NFL Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Top Names Before 2016 Deadline

Week 8 of the 2016 NFL season will wrap up on Monday night when the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears do battle. The following day, the NFL trade deadline will commence.

Unlike in some other sports, the NFL trade deadline isn’t usually met with a flurry of activity. In fact, blockbuster trades rarely occur during the season at all. This, of course, doesn’t stop rumors from swirling around the league as the deadline looms.

This year’s deadline will pass on Tuesday, November 1 at 4 p.m. ET. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest names that have surfaced in recent trade rumors and what their respective futures could hold.

Joe Thomas, OT, Cleveland Browns

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One of the biggest names to have come up ahead of this year’s trade deadline—as has happened in several past years—is Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas.

Thomas is a nine-time Pro Bowler who is still playing at an incredibly high level. Pro Football Focus rates him fourth overall among all offensive tackles for the season so far. It’s easy to see why a potential contender would show interest in him.

Browns head coach Hue Jackson has stated that he doesn’t want to see Thomas go anywhere, though.

“We. Are. Not. Going. To. Trade. Joe. Thomas.” — Hue Jackson

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 24, 2016

As Bleacher Report NFL Insider Jason Cole points out (see above video), however, the decision to trade Thomas would be made by executive VP of football operations Sashi Brown, not Jackson.

This leaves open the possibility that Thomas could indeed be moved before the deadline, though it would make little sense for the Browns. The team is undertaking a massive rebuilding effort, and giving away one of the team’s only proven commodities would only make that effort more difficult.

My best guess is that Thomas doesn’t go anywhere.

Joe Staley, OT, San Francisco 49ers

Thomas isn’t the only Pro Bowl lineman that has been linked to the trade market recently. There have been rumors that the San Francisco 49ers could part ways with left tackle Joe Staley. According to Jason Cole (see video below) the 49ers are reportedly willing to move several of their veterans before the deadline.

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Like Cleveland, the 49ers are in the beginning stages of a rebuilding effort. Future draft picks could be enticing, though it doesn’t make a lot of sense to part with a quality anchor tackle.

There is certainly no shortage of …

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