NFL Trades: Insider Jason La Canfora Reveals Six Pass Rushers to Watch

There is a proven adage in football, dating all the way back to the dark ages before the salary cap and analytics and $1M players let alone $50M players: You can never have enough pass rush.

And there is a new one, in part a product of this information and financial boom in the NFL: You can always go out and trade for it.

The times, they are a changin’ in the NFL. And in recent years we’ve seen players with truly unique profiles – generational pass rushers still very much in their prime – change teams not just at the trade deadline in teardowns and rebuilds, but at the start of the offseason (Maxx Crosby in March, well, almost) and just before the draft (Dexter Lawrence) and in the dead of June (Myles Garrett!) and, last year, right before the season (Micah Parsons).

It’s become all the rage, and there are no signs of it stopping. No, if anything, executives and coaches around the league believe, the Garrett deal will only be a springboard for more trades involving impact defenders who can get to the quarterback. The need is always acute, even among teams already perceived to have the best rosters, and dynamic general managers are willing to pay a high price for it, and lesser teams are going to be more willing than ever to move them with it no longer considered taboo.

Strength in numbers, you could say. Or at least cover.

Multiple general managers have continued to mention the same teams, over and over, as those that were at least gauging the recent market for Crosby and/or Garrett and will be willing to move multiple assets for the right pass rusher: Buffalo, Philadelphia, San Francisco, New England, and Jacksonville were the teams I continue to hear the most about, and they will undoubtedly have options to sort through.

"There are going to be two or three more (deals of pass rushers)," said one GM who has been engaged in this market in recent years. "The value’s been set."

Which players could he be thinking of? We have some pretty good ideas. Chatter among NFL executives is only going to increase between now and the midseason trade deadline about these players, and several of them could change teams even before the start of Week 1.

Jeffery Simmons (Titans): There aren’t many people on the planet who are a comp for Lawrence, who the Giants landed the 10th overall pick for. Simmons fits that mold as an interior pocket destroyer and he is also with a rebuilding team and he is also about to turn 29 and has a decidedly team-friendly contract at this point ($21M this season and $23.5M cash next season). Are the Titans even contending for a Wild Card the next two years let alone anything real? And are they going to pay a 30-something DT, even one this transcendent, $40M a year? "I think he goes," said one long-time NFL personnel executive who believes the Titans will get offers they can’t refuse, even as they try to send messages in the media that he’s a keeper.

TJ Watt/Alex Highsmith (Steelers): Pittsburgh is making major headway with extensions lately and bet big on emerging pass rusher Joe Herbig last week when they already had dipped deep into their pockets for these two. That sent a significant signal to the marketplace. "Watt is the guy they should be trying to trade, but I can’t picture them doing it," the exec said. "This is still the Rooneys (old-school owners) and he’s their franchise guy." Watt’s hefty contract and recent injuries woes would further complicate that trade. And while Highsmith’s production has tailed off, they might be able to land players for him, rather than picks, that help the roster in other areas of need.

Josh Sweat (Cardinals): He finally reported to mandatory mini-camp so he didn’t get fined, but the entire league knows he wants out this rebuild ASAP and didn’t think he was signing up for this when former coach Jonahan Gannon lured him to Arizona as a free agent. He’s 29 and has three years left on his deal at $18M a year … but it’s pay-as-you-go with no significant guarantees, allowing for maximum flexibility. He’s coming off a career-best 12 sacks and spent most of his career with the Eagles. "If nothing else, I think (Eagles GM) Howie (Roseman) takes him back," the GM said, believing Philadelphia is going to beef up its defensive line somehow.

Kayvon Thibodeaux (Giants): He’s at the end of his rookie contract, he’s still in his prime but yet to really breakthrough and the subsequent selection of Abdul Carter may have been with an eye to replacing him. Any sort of contract extension seems highly unlikely now with new coach John Harbaugh in control: they spent big in free agency already and he’s been the subject of trade rumors for years and they already traded Lawrence. He is in a younger spot in his career arc, of course but he’s never seemed the right fit in The Big Apple and the Giants aren’t going to contend this season, and shedding $7M in salary at the deadline and adding a draft pick might be the right move. "I think they get something for him instead of letting him walk (as a free agent)," the GM said.

Crosby (Raiders): My suspicion is he plays out his career in Las Vegas, but that’s just a hunch. If the Raiders are six weeks into the season and they still look like they are a few years away and someone offers them two-first round picks like Baltimore did (or more), perhaps it gets the wheels turning again, If nothing else. What I’m not concerned with is Crosby remaining an elite edge defender despite his knee procedure in early 2026. "He’s an animal man," said one scout who watches a lot of AFC West teams. "And he’s going to be more motivated than ever." Maybe the Raiders sell high on him in-season, but any move before that would be fairly surprising.