Google Image
Matthew Adams
Managing Editor
As the NFL draft draws near, teams have been constructing trades with one goal in mind, a Super Bowl win. Some teams participated in trades and were able to positively affect the future of their organization.
One trade that made front page news was the Chicago Bears Justin Fields trade. This trade was highly publicized throughout social media and sports news coverage.
Fields was on the chopping block as the 2023 season ended and many media personalities were suspicious of the trade coming to fruition.
According to Bleacher Report, Bears General Manager Ryan Poles was hesitant to trade Fields. “Probably one of the harder things I’ve had to do,” he said. “I always kinda touch on the empathy part. Having that conversation with my own son was hard. [Fields’ jersey is] up in his room. So it kind of puts into perspective how difficult those moves are.”
The former Bears quarterback was able to amass over 40 touchdowns and throw for over 6,600 plus yards. Fields was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick.
This would not be the only trade that the black and gold team would make. The Steelers would make another trade that would surprise many and make sense to some.
The Denver Broncos were currently going through a feud with their former quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson was benched for the final two games.
This was due to some tension with head coach Sean Payton that would ultimately end after the 2023-2024 season. As the Broncos quarterback, Wilson never made the playoffs in both seasons with the team.
The Broncos were able to make a deal with Wilson that was able to give him the veteran minimum deal that is for one-year and consists of $1.2 million.
The Steelers were not the only team to make some intense changes to the roster. The Philadelphia Eagles were also able to add some game changing players to their lineup.
One player that shocked the NFL was Saquon Barkely going to the Eagles. As a multiple 1,000-yard rusher, Barkley will now team up with the likes of Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown, DaVonta Smith, and a multitude of other stars on a star-studded offense.
Barkley was made a free agent in 2023 and signed to the Eagles for $37.7 million with a guaranteed $26 million.
During his stint with the New York Giants, he put up incredible numbers. In his 6 years with the Giants, he accompanied his 5,211 yards with 35 touchdowns.
Even though Barkely was able to accomplish these feats, many wonder if his injury prone behavior is going to hinder the Eagles and their offense.
Preston Adams, a sophomore, business administration major from Chicago, Ill., shared similar disdain for his injury proneness.
“The Eagles could possibly have a liability on their hands. Hopefully he is able to be as productive as he was when he was with New York for the first 3 years with them,” said Adams.
This move to Philadelphia put some former NFL players on edge, specifically retired Giants running-back, Tiki Barber.
Barber had a few rash sentiments that he was able to share via X(formerly known as Twitter).
“You’re dead to us Saquon. Good luck, you’re dead to me,” he said in the post.
Barkley would quickly respond with a few more responses that would indicate that he did not pay much mind to the former running-back’s opinion.
Recently Stefon Diggs, a star wide-receiver from Buffalo, was traded to the Houston Texans. This comes after many blunders in the AFC championship.
Diggs will join the offensive Rookie of the Year CJ Stroud, on a young Texans offense. The former Bills receiver put together six straight 1,000-yard seasons that propelled the Bills to multiple seasons of 10 wins or more.
As trades continue within the NFL, some teams have yet to make any moves to add to their roster to ensure a successful season.
