NFL trade rumors: Non-Aaron Rodgers QB trades that can still happen

NFL trade rumors: Although Aaron Rodgers won’t be on the move in 2021, there are still some big QB trades that could go down before the season.

Aaron Rodgers has officially agreed to a restructured deal to go back to the Green Bay Packers for the 2021 season, but make no mistake about it — the 2021 NFL trade rumors are not dead. In fact, there could yet be some big-name quarterbacks on the move before the 2021 regular season.

Rodgers was certainly the most high-profile disgruntled quarterback in the 2021 offseason. The three months of speculation about Rodgers’ future was a ton of fun and not for nothing — his restructured deal with the Green Bay Packers ensures we will have at least another couple of months of fun speculating about his future after the 2021 season.

For the time being, though, it’s time to move on.

There are plenty of other NFL trade rumors to get to involving the quarterback position, and it would be surprising if at least one of these guys didn’t get moved before the season.

Let’s start with the biggest name.

NFL trade rumors: Non-Rodgers QB trades that could still go down

1. Deshaun Watson, Texans

The Houston Texans have apparently been willing to take calls on Deshaun Watson for some time.

After initially refusing to trade the star quarterback, the Texans were stuck in an impossible situation as 22 civil lawsuits were filed against Watson for sexual misconduct. Watson has not been charged with anything criminal at this point, but investigations are ongoing.

Ongoing investigations include the NFL teams that may have an interest in trading for Watson.

In terms of the teams that may have the desire to trade for Watson and teams Watson — who has a no-trade clause — would play for? That list is pretty short.

The Miami Dolphins have been a top candidate since Watson’s trade demands first surfaced. The Philadelphia Eagles may have three first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Teams like the Jets and 49ers that may have had interest in Watson prior to the 2021 NFL Draft almost certainly won’t anymore.

The Denver Broncos? They remain a possibility as well.

With the Texans opening up the phone lines here, the Watson rumors won’t die down anytime soon and it is bordering on expected that he will be traded before training camp is over.

2. Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars

Among the NFL trade rumors at the quarterback position, it’s surprising that Gardner Minshew has not gotten a bit more buzz.

The new coaching staff in Jacksonville brought in CJ Beathard as a backup option. They obviously used the first overall pick on Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence.

With two years remaining on his rookie contract, Minshew’s value might never be higher if the Jaguars are willing to trade him away to the highest bidder.

In 23 games (20 starts), Minshew completed almost 63 percent of his passes with 5,530 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Not that he proved himself to be a franchise quarterback in that time, but it’s not often you see that kind of production from a sixth-round pick in his first two NFL seasons.

There’s something there with Minshew worth exploring. At worst, he seems like he could be a second-coming of a Ryan Fitzpatrick type of player or something like that.

Minshew also isn’t taking his demotion without a fight.

We’ll have to see what Minshew can do in preseason action and obviously, there’s already plenty of film on him out there. If he can have a strong preseason, he could very well get traded to a team for a third-round pick or maybe even better than that.

3. Nick Foles, Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears made a big move in free agency to sign veteran Andy Dalton.

They made an even bigger move in the 2021 NFL Draft to jump up for Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.

Where does Nick Foles fit in at this point?

If Andy Dalton projects as the initial starter with Fields as the heir apparent, Foles is the odd man out, without question.

The Bears could save $4 million in cap space by trading Foles away and some team could acquire him for the low price of $4 million. That’s really a solid deal for a guy who was the Super Bowl MVP within the last five years, right?

Foles has struggled outside of playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, so perhaps there won’t be many buyers here. With that being said, if a team suffers an injury at the position, Foles will be a hot commodity on the NFL trade market.

This would not be a blockbuster move for a team, by any means, but Foles still has plenty of friends around the league on various NFL coaching staffs, and would probably have no shortage of suitors by the end of the preseason.

4. Marcus Mariota, Las Vegas Raiders

Marcus Mariota’s market in free agency must not have materialized the way he’d initially hoped for.

The former number two pick in the 2016 NFL Draft signed a two-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders last offseason worth $17.6 million.

Mariota was a mildly hot name among the NFL trade rumors earlier in the 2021 offseason, but nothing materialized. Likely due to his larger 2021 cap number, Mariota wasn’t moved and signed a restructured deal to remain with the Las Vegas Raiders at one year, $3.5 million.

That’s more than a 50 percent reduction from his previous AAV and I think it could be a clear indicator that the Raiders are willing to move on from Mariota for the right price.

Nathan Peterman behind Derek Carr doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, so the Raiders may need some insurance, but do they really want to lose Mariota for nothing after the season when they could possibly get a fourth or fifth-round pick for him now?

I think by the time the preseason is done, depending on how Mariota plays, there could be a bidding war from a handful of teams for him.

He’s still just 27, and Mariota has been a Pro Bowl player in the past. Can he recapture that magic? Can he stay consistently healthy?

Some team will take the gamble for $1.75 million in base salary.