The NFC Trade Deadline is next Tuesday at 4pm… Forgive me if I don’t go into detail about the possible trade partners out there. The reality is; the NFL is not MLB or even the NBA for that matter. Head Coach Jon Gruden sums it up better than I ever could:
"Nobody makes trades. I think we’re the only team that’s made a trade in the last 10 years at the trade deadline. It’s fun to talk about. The reality is there are not many trades that happen. We’re always open for work here, but that doesn’t mean there are a lot of willing partners. Making trades at midseason, let’s be honest, is a tall order to get somebody in here and get them ready to play in your system. This is a little bit different than any other pro sport. The NBA, sometimes they can suit up and figure it out with 24 seconds to shoot it. Major League Baseball, you’re still playing third base, you’re hitting fifth here instead of third, it’s not culture shock. So there are some reasons why I think trades don’t happen. It’s just hard on both sides, I think." - Tampa Tribune
And Gruden is right, last year we acquired Michael Bennett near the trade deadline, if you remember he compared learning Gruden’s playbook to learning Chinese. He also contributed very little. That’s just a running back, forget a Wide Receiver who has to learn routes, terminology, and blocking schemes. The NFL isn’t set-up for roster moves to take place so effortlessly and it never will be with how intricate each staffs system is.
It would be fun to discuss the possibilities: Rams WR Torry Holt, Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin, Lions WR Roy Williams (although his clash with Jeff Garcia makes him a doubtful acquisition), Bengals WR Chad Johnson, Bengals WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, but it’s all wishful thinking. It’s fun to think about, could you imagine acquiring one of the guys above and then adding Joey Galloway once his foot heals up? That would be huge…. Ah well