🏈 NFL Trade Rumors 2026: Top Post-Draft Trade Candidates to Watch

Since the end of the season, NFL trade rumors have been flying, and they're only heating up following the 2026 NFL Draft.

With Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown topping most NFL trade candidate lists, he has a 90% chance of being shipped out of Philly, according to prediction market apps. Meanwhile, players like Brian Thomas Jr., Brandon Aiyuk, and Justin Jefferson are attracting the most traffic at prediction markets.

Teams gain much more financial flexibility to make roster moves post-June 1, so multiple major NFL trades could be on the horizon. 

📊 NFL trade rumors: Popular names on the block

📈 Players with the highest chance of being traded at Kalshi

According to Kalshi's prediction market, these players have the highest chance of being traded.

🧱 Breaking down the biggest names on the block

AJ Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (90%)

• Age at start of season: 29
• 2025 stats: 78 receptions, 1,003 receiving yards, 7 TDs
• Landing spot prediction: New England Patriots

The saga of Brown and the Eagles has been one of the hot topics in the NFL for months, with Howie Roseman expected to deal his star receiver at some point post-June 1. However, the three-time All-Pro has long been tied to a New England Patriots team that's dealing with major turmoil.

One of the big questions right now is, will Mike Vrabel be the Patriots' coach in Week 1? Vrabel and Brown's relationship dates back to their time with the Tennessee Titans, so the Patriots' bench boss's future could impact whether or not New England makes a trade.

While the NFL first coach fired odds have Vrabel with a 19% chance of being out of a job, either by firing or resignation, by September, I believe he's more than safe with Robert Kraft calling the shots. As such, I'd expect Brown to be a Patriot before the end of June.

New England needs another wide receiver for Drake Maye, and Brown gives them a true X to complement Romeo Doubs and Kayshon Boutte. Plus, the Eagles traded for Dontayvion Wicks and drafted Makai Lemon and Eli Stowers with their first two picks to prepare for a future without Brown.

Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (20%)

• Age at start of season: 23
• 2025 stats: 48 receptions, 707 receiving yards, 3 total TDs
• Landing spot prediction: Stays with Jacksonville Jaguars

It's tough to understand how a player who was third in the NFL in receiving yards (1,282) as a 21-year-old rookie in 2024 could drop off as much as Thomas did in his second year. The hiring of Liam Coen as head coach seemed perfect for Thomas, after his success with Mike Evans in his lone year as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinator.

Instead, Thomas didn't have a single 100-yard game in his sophomore season and only caught more than four passes in a game twice. With the fourth-most drops in the NFL (8) and questions about his limited route tree, could the Jacksonville Jaguars move on?

Though the acquisition of Jakobi Meyers mid-season and breakout of Parker Washington could point to Thomas being a tradeable asset for Jacksonville, the decision to have Travis Hunter focus on defense makes me think the Jaguars plan to keep Thomas.

He's heading into the third year of his rookie deal, and is set to be just the 57th-highest paid receiver in the league this season ($3.66 million) and the 53rd-highest paid next year ($3.66 million). Thomas' trade value is at an all-time low; moving him now would be bad process from general manager James Gladstone.

Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers (17%)

• Age at start of season: 28
• 2025 stats: Didn't play
• Landing spot prediction: Washington Commanders

Nobody knows what's going on here with Brandon Aiyuk, but the only certainty seems to be that he'll never play for the San Francisco 49ers again. In March, general manager John Lynch said, "It's safe to say he's played his last snap with the Niners." And head coach Kyle Shanahan added that San Francisco is in "no rush" to move him.

Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million contract in August 2024 before tearing his ACL and MCL less than two months later. He hasn't played since, and the 49ers eventually voided the guaranteed money in his contract due to his lack of participation (Aiyuk isn't filing a grievance).

How much interest is there in a player who hasn't played since Oct. 20, 2024, and essentially abandoned his team? It's hard to say, given that Aiyuk is still under 30, and the last full healthy season he played, he earned second-team All-Pro with 1,342 receiving yards. 

One landing spot that makes sense is the team Aiyuk seemingly was trying to get to two years ago, the Washington Commanders. He and QB Jayden Daniels played together at Arizona State in 2019 and remain friends. The Commanders need more wide receiver help, and I could see general manager Adam Peters swinging on Aiyuk by sending a Day 3 pick to the 49ers.