NFL Deadline Deals that Should Have Happened

Another NFL trade deadline came and went with little to show for it. Being the hopeless romantic I am, I spent the days prior thinking of some deals that seemed both exciting and logical--but then 4:00 pm came. I kept refreshing different websites to see if any last-second moves would be made, but it was all for naught. I couldn’t really make sense of it. There were too many opportunities for good teams to become great and bad teams to, well, still be bad--but not for as long of a time. Still, nothing happened.

No disrespect is intended to the lone deal at the deadline, nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga getting sent to the Patriots with a sixth-rounder for a fifth. Smart move by the Pats, who lost Pro-Bowl Defensive Lineman Vince Wilfork for the season, but the deal hardly widened my eyes. I’ve been spending the days since Tuesday trying to figure out if I’m dumb for not seeing why the deals I thought up didn’t happen, or if I’m a genius who should be hired by an NFL team immediately to help with personnel decisions.

I’m hoping it’s not the former, and know it’s probably not the latter, but I’ll let you be the judge. Here are the three deals I think should’ve been made before Tuesday’s deadline:

Kenny Britt to Indianapolis for a sixth round pick

I wouldn’t be shocked if it were a seventh, actually. While they were not too vocal about it, both sides clearly hoped to part ways before Tuesday. Britt did say he would be open to a “fresh start”, and reports were that the Titans were strongly shopping him.

Seeing Reggie Wayne go down with a season-ending injury was extremely difficult for the Colts and for NFL football fans, but you can’t sit and sulk when you are in charge of a organization eyeing a playoff run. The Colts are sitting above the AFC South (admittedly the same division the Titans are in), and are clearly playing at a much higher level than the other teams in their division. Nothing is a sure thing in football, but for the Colts to not win the South this year would be extremely surprising. Once Indianapolis gets to the playoffs, though, how can they compete if their offense (which has a struggling running game as well) doesn’t have the weapons to put points on the board? The Colts have their speedy, explosive wideout in TY Hilton, but need someone to at least try to replace what the team lost in Wayne.

A consistent, reliable, talented target would elevate the Colts from a team that can win a weak division to a legitimate contender to come out of the AFC. Darrius Heyward-Bey is not that guy. He has a history of inconsistency and is injury prone. As a matter of fact, at the time I am writing this article, he is currently questionable for the first game he is slated to be the second receiver. And the third receiver for the Colts? No one. Seriously. I can throw a name at you, and maybe by the time you read this some random undrafted kid from Montana State goes for 300 yards, but they really have no one. Chuck Pagano was asked who their 3rd receiver was, and he actually laughed and said, “I don’t know. Shake them up, pull a name out of a hat.”

I challenge Griff Whalen, David Reed, or Lavon Brazill to prove me wrong; I really do. And the reason you don’t know those guys’ names is because THE COLTS DO NOT HAVE A 3RD RECEIVER. From NFL Media columnist Michael Silver: “If you have a 12-pack of Coke and athletic tape, you can have Kenny Britt.” A late-round pick to add some talent to a perhaps dead offense that is trying to make a run at the Super Bowl? A no-brainer. Seems like the Colts didn’t have any soda lying around.

Tony Gonzalez to the Chiefs for a fourth round pick

Would this not be the most beautiful ending to an already incredible career? When I watch Tony Gonzalez play, I can’t fathom the fact that he was planning on retiring after last season. And with him playing at such a high level, it seems as if the Football gods set up this situation perfectly for Tony. Gonzalez became an NFL superstar during his 12 years with the Chiefs, and for him to end his career there would just seem right. But that’s not why I think this deal would be perfect--it simply makes sense. Andy Reid has the Chiefs playing their best football since I’ve been alive, as they sit at 8-0. It seems like they have a star at every position--except for, you guessed it, a tight end. Anthony Fasano is far from a star, and 25-year-old Sean McGrath can learn a lot from Gonzalez.

Meanwhile, Gonzalez is playing for a team in the Falcons that are sitting at 2-5 with a difficult schedule ahead. The Falcons are playing at a low-level, and it seems Tony is going to finish his career in a “fitting” way--by missing the playoffs. Gonzalez has only won one playoff game in his career, which was last year. But it doesn’t have to end like this. The Falcons don’t need Gonzalez anymore. They’re missing the playoffs, and can use the mid-round draft pick. With the pick, they can get a solid offensive lineman to help give Matt Ryan some more protection to throw to a healthy Julio Jones and Roddy White next season, and more importantly, help Steven Jackson and their terrible running game get some space to run. The Chiefs DO need Gonzalez.

We can sit around dropping our jaws at the Chiefs 8-0 (and with the dismal Bills coming up, probably 9-0) record, but their schedule up to this point has been weak. By using the eye-test, they don’t seem to be on their division rival Denver Broncos’ level. With Gonzalez, the Chiefs passing game can go from pretty good to great, and we will have a true Super Bowl contender on our hands.

If Tony Gonzalez didn’t want to have this deal done, it shouldn’t have been. I do, however, feel that he couldn’t reject the opportunity if approached by Atlanta management saying: “It’s up to you. We can trade you back to where you spent the majority of your career so you can compete with a sure-fire playoff team who has their eyes on realistic Super Bowl goals. Or you can stay here, have fun, and finish the year and your career with an organization who has no shot at the playoffs.” Fine, maybe the Falcons wouldn’t say exactly that, but what right-minded man wouldn’t take that opportunity. Maybe he really likes the schooling system in Atlanta for his kids, but you only get one shot--in his case--at a Super Bowl.

When he is 70 and looking back at his career accomplishments, I think Gonzalez would agree with me that it was worth a shot. And when the Chiefs are one and done in this year’s playoffs (unless they get the Colts, who with no passing game and Kenny Britt, is an easy win), I think they will be sorry they didn’t make the deal as well.

Jared Allen to the 49ers for a 5th/6th round pick

If you have watched the Vikings play this season, I don’t have to tell you how terrible they are, and how helpless their 2013 season is. Most people allude to the primetime Monday Night Football game against the Giants as proof of their laughable play. But for everyone who saw that game, they can admit that one play stuck out--Jared Allen’s sack on Eli Manning while an offensive lineman was standing in between them.

I saw that, and it confirmed something I already knew: Jared Allen’s still got it. He’s in the final year of his contract with Minnesota, who obviously do not need him at this point. The 49ers, meanwhile, have been playing inconsistent football, but still have realistic intentions of finishing what they started last season and winning the Super Bowl. An addition of Jared Allen can make the 49ers defense the best in the league (they are currently trailing the Seahawks in that department), and take San Francisco one step closer to New York in February.

This is probably the biggest stretch of the three on this list, although I still think the move should have been made. Allen’s base salary is about $14.2 million, meaning he would be due $7.5 million over the rest of the year. The 49ers were going for this deal because they knew that they afford him, but it would put a strain on their salary cap. They were aware of what Allen could bring to the team, though, and if that was a Super Bowl, the move would obviously be a brilliant one. The Vikings, meanwhile, would lose the obligation of having to pay that large sum of money, and receive a late-round pick (because of the money factor) as well. Another deal that made sense for both sides, but wasn’t able to get done.

As a fan of a team that is not the Chiefs, Colts, or 49ers, though, I am happy they couldn’t get these deals done. Any of these trades would’ve made those teams scary good, and put the rest of the NFL on notice. A lot of teams feel like they can do it with the players they have on their rosters right now. I’m sorry to break it to them, though, but only one team is going to be right about that assumption. The other 31 may have wished they had done something before Tuesday. I know NFL fans did.