With the November 10 NFL trade deadline approaching, several teams face an uncomfortable decision: keep pretending they can contend or start turning valuable veterans into assets for the future.
The NFL trade deadline is approaching, and it’s time for some uncomfortable conversations.
Every struggling team wants to believe its season can be saved. Coaches talk about getting healthy, correcting mistakes and taking things one game at a time. General managers insist they still believe in their rosters.
Sometimes that optimism is justified.
Other times, it’s little more than an expensive exercise in denial.
With the November 10 trade deadline approaching, several NFL franchises face decisions that could shape their futures well beyond the 2026 season. They can continue chasing increasingly improbable playoff dreams, or they can acknowledge reality and turn valuable veterans into draft capital.
The NFL standings already reveal some glaring problems. The Los Angeles Chargers are winless, the Philadelphia Eagles have lost four straight, and the Los Angeles Rams are falling dangerously behind in the NFC West.
But being a seller doesn’t necessarily mean dismantling an entire roster. It means recognizing which players are part of the future, which veterans have more value to contenders and when the cost of chasing one more victory outweighs the potential long-term reward.
Here are five NFL teams that should stop pretending everything is fine and start making some difficult decisions.
1. Los Angeles Chargers (0-6): The Season Is Over, So Start Planning for 2027
Potential trade candidates: Khalil Mack and other veterans on expiring contracts
There is no way to sugarcoat what has happened to the Chargers.
A franchise that entered the season with legitimate postseason expectations has lost its first six games. Even worse, Los Angeles is already buried in an AFC West dominated by the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.
At 0-6, the Chargers would need a remarkable turnaround merely to enter the playoff conversation.
And for what?
Even if Los Angeles somehow salvages a respectable record, this season has already exposed problems that won’t disappear with a few late-season victories.
The Chargers need to stop thinking about saving 2026 and start thinking about maximizing Justin Herbert’s championship window.
That begins with Khalil Mack.
The veteran pass rusher remains capable of helping a contender, but at 35, he is hardly a long-term building block. With his contract approaching expiration, Los Angeles should be aggressively exploring his trade value.
A reunion with the Chicago Bears would be particularly intriguing, although several contenders could use another proven edge rusher.
The Chargers should also examine the market for other veterans who don’t figure prominently in their plans beyond this season.
The verdict: Trading Mack wouldn’t mean giving up on Herbert. It would mean giving Herbert a better chance to win when the Chargers are actually ready to contend.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (2-4): It’s Time to Admit the Championship Window Has Closed — For Now
Trade strategy: Move expendable veterans while protecting the long-term core
The Eagles might be the most fascinating team on this list because their problems extend well beyond an ordinary losing streak.
Philadelphia has lost four consecutive games, and the situation surrounding quarterback Jalen Hurts has transformed the franchise’s outlook.
Hurts is expected to miss the remainder of the season because of blood clots, leaving the Eagles without the player around whom their offense was built.
The NFL’s Week 7 power rankings paint a bleak picture of Philadelphia’s predicament.
The Eagles have already demonstrated a willingness to make difficult decisions.
Earlier this month, Philadelphia traded center Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens in a deal that brought back significant future draft compensation.
That transaction should be viewed as the beginning of a broader reassessment rather than an isolated move.
Philadelphia doesn’t need to conduct a complete fire sale. The organization still has enough foundational talent to rebound when its quarterback situation stabilizes.
But the Eagles should absolutely entertain offers for veterans who are unlikely to be central to their next serious championship run.
This is especially important because the NFC East remains unusually unsettled. A weak division can create the illusion that a struggling team is closer to contention than it really is.
The Eagles shouldn’t allow the possibility of winning a mediocre division to dictate their long-term strategy.
The verdict: Philadelphia needs to protect its core, collect draft capital where possible and resist the temptation to sacrifice future flexibility for a season that has already gone terribly wrong.
3. Los Angeles Rams (2-4): Stop Chasing Yesterday’s Super Bowl Dream
Trade strategy: Listen to offers for expensive veterans and prioritize younger contributors
This is where the argument becomes controversial.
The Rams aren’t winless. They aren’t completely devoid of talent. And Sean McVay remains one of the NFL’s most respected offensive coaches.
But Los Angeles is 2-4, and the NFC West is rapidly moving beyond its reach.
The San Francisco 49ers are undefeated, while the Seattle Seahawks remain in the postseason conversation.
The Rams have also endured a difficult schedule and significant injury problems, so their record doesn’t tell the entire story.
That is precisely why this decision is complicated.
There is a legitimate argument that a healthier Rams team could make a second-half push and compete for an NFC wild-card berth.
But there is an equally important question.
How much should Los Angeles sacrifice to make that happen?
The Rams have repeatedly demonstrated an aggressive willingness to pursue championships. That philosophy helped deliver a Super Bowl, but it also requires knowing when to change direction.
This doesn’t mean shopping every recognizable name on the roster.
It means determining which veterans still fit the franchise’s next competitive window and which could bring meaningful returns from teams with more realistic championship ambitions this season.
If a contender offers substantial draft compensation for an established player who isn’t central to the Rams’ future, Los Angeles should listen.
The verdict: The Rams shouldn’t panic, but they also shouldn’t confuse loyalty to a successful era with a sound strategy for the next one. Their next two games could determine whether selling becomes the obvious choice.
4. Arizona Cardinals (2-4): They’ve Already Started Selling — Now Finish the Job
Trade strategy: Continue converting underperforming assets and expendable veterans into draft picks
At least Arizona has already acknowledged that changes are necessary.
The Cardinals made one of the most surprising moves of the season when they traded wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Houston Texans.
The former No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft was supposed to become a cornerstone of Arizona’s offense.
Instead, the Cardinals moved on and acquired future draft compensation.
According to NFL.com’s trade analysis, Arizona received a 2027 second-round selection and a seventh-round pick while sending Harrison and a sixth-rounder to Houston.
That is the kind of difficult decision rebuilding teams must be willing to make.
Now the Cardinals need to continue evaluating their roster with the same discipline.
Arizona is 2-4, has been outscored by 52 points and faces an uphill battle in a division featuring the undefeated 49ers.
The Cardinals shouldn’t trade talented young players simply because the season is going poorly. But they should be willing to move veterans whose value is greater to another team than it is to Arizona’s future.
The Harrison trade demonstrated that the organization is prepared to move beyond past investments when circumstances change.
That approach shouldn’t stop with one transaction.
The verdict: Arizona has already taken the first major step. The worst thing the Cardinals could do now is abandon a long-term strategy because of a few encouraging performances before the deadline.
5. Miami Dolphins (0-5): There’s No Reason to Keep Pretending This Roster Can Win
Trade strategy: Explore the veteran market and accumulate assets for a major roster reset
The Dolphins may have the clearest case for becoming sellers outside of the Chargers.
Miami entered Week 7 without a victory, having been outscored 132-70 through five games.
That’s not a team suffering from a couple of unlucky bounces.
That’s a team being comprehensively outplayed.
The Dolphins have scored just 14 points per game while allowing more than 26. Their minus-62 point differential reflects problems on both sides of the football.
At some point, a franchise must recognize that its existing construction simply isn’t working.
Miami should be examining every veteran contract, identifying players who could help playoff contenders and determining how much draft capital it can acquire without sacrificing its most important younger assets.
That doesn’t require trading every productive player.
It does require acknowledging that holding on to veterans simply to avoid the appearance of rebuilding is not a winning strategy.
The Dolphins need a coherent plan for becoming competitive again, not another attempt to manufacture a respectable finish to a lost season.
The verdict: Miami should be one of the NFL’s most aggressive sellers. There is little reason to preserve the status quo when the results have been this poor.
The Biggest Mistake These NFL Teams Can Make Is Doing Nothing
There is a difference between giving up and recognizing reality.
The Chargers aren’t winning the AFC West. The Dolphins aren’t one adjustment away from becoming contenders. The Cardinals have already demonstrated that they are willing to make significant changes.
Philadelphia faces an uncertain future without Hurts, while the Rams must decide whether their championship aspirations remain realistic.
Not every team on this list should approach the deadline the same way.
Los Angeles and Miami should be aggressive sellers. Arizona should continue a process it has already started. Philadelphia should make selective moves without compromising its foundational talent.
The Rams have the strongest argument for remaining patient, but even they should be prepared to change course if their season continues to unravel.
There will undoubtedly be general managers who insist their teams remain committed to winning in 2026.
That’s what general managers are supposed to say.
But the smartest organizations understand that sometimes the most important victory isn’t the next game.
It’s making a decision today that gives the franchise a much better chance to win tomorrow.
And with the NFL trade deadline approaching, the clock is ticking.
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