The trade deadline, rapidly approaching, is this Tuesday, Nov. 5. Deadlines spur action, but no team wants to sell too early if they still have a chance at competing this season. The AFC is really top heavy, but the middle of the conference is pretty fluid and not very strong overall. That means there will likely be some wild card spots up for grabs and maybe even a nine-win team can sneak in.
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, several AFC teams have put a halt on trade talks for the next couple days to see how things shake out in Week 9.
“Sources: Several AFC teams have paused trade talks to see where they stand after Sunday’s games. With so many 2-win teams in the AFC, some aren’t ready to give up on their seasons or trade players at a discount,” Schultz wrote on X. “Sunday’s results will likely tip the scale one way or another before Tuesday’s trade deadline.”
While he didn’t specifically mention teams, he did make sure to note that the Jets won their third game of the season on Thursday Night Football.
The Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Baltimore Ravens all feel like pretty safe playoff bets right now, but after them it appears to be relatively up for grabs. The Denver Broncos are at five wins and then there are a pair of four-win teams in the Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis Colts. With 10 weeks remaining in the regular season, three-win teams could absolutely still work their way back into the wild-card picture.
The Jets are the most obviously interesting of the bunch. WR Allen Lazard was placed on IR yesterday, and they have reportedly been shopping WR Mike Williams with the Steelers having interest. Maybe their win and Lazard’s injury could compel them to pause trade talks.
Tony Pauline recently reported that the Steelers are interested in three receivers, including Williams, Courtland Sutton, and Darius Slayton. The Broncos have five wins, so I don’t think their Week 9 results will have a huge impact on whether they are selling or not. I also wouldn’t imagine this is an isolated thing to the AFC. The New York Giants could be more likely to sell if they are staring at a 2-7 record following their game against the Washington Commanders this weekend.
The opposite is probably also true. The teams near the top of the conference probably also want to see where they stand before making a significant investment to go all-in on this season.
