 Fantasy Booking The SFL Trade Deadline
Seven trades that SHOULD have happened, but didn't!
by Anthony Fernandez, October 11th, 2013
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Fantasy Trade Deadline Deals 
Trade #1
 Indianapolis Colts Send:
WR Jaymar Johnson
1st Round Pick (MIA)
2nd Round Pick (MIA)
 Baltimore Ravens Send:
WR Alshon Jeffery
Feedback
Everyone knows Breck LOVES to trade, and late last night prior to the deadline the shark was circling the waters. Breck has been stocked with ammo on his trade block for some time (the light is always on, like Motel 6), but last night he was pushing aggressively on discord, too. I honestly think it might hurt Breck internally to see so few trades at a deadline, whether he's involved or not. Personally, as a trade guy, I love it. I did receive one of those calls, for WR Adam Thielen, as I have a few other times since draft night. Frankly, I'm here for it, as Breck is a die-hard Vikings fan and he wants his guy. I can totally relate, as a RL Bucs guy who has already brought in Lavonte David and Gerald McCoy. Breck was offering a WR and a 1st last night for Thielen, which honestly is pretty fair. Unfortunately with us rebuilding and grooming a rookie WR, the timeline for us to get good isn't accelerated enough for us to maximize the worth of Jaymar Johnson. That said, homer chasing aside, Breck has a keen eye for talent, and surely he knows how great Jeffery could be in that system with Meachem and LaFell. That trio catching passes from Carr (the one on the roster now, or the one coming in the draft next year) would be fun to watch for years to come. From the Ravens point of view, it's tough to lose a former Top 10 pick, but Jeffery is going to be 24 years old and still has quite a ways to go in AWR and CTH. He also is pretty pricey at $5M a pop. He's definitely a player you'd love to have on your roster, but if you weren't QUITE sure if you could catch Cincy this year, swapping him for Jaymar and adding a couple of the Colts plentiful assets might not be a bad play at all. Breck wasn't willing to offer more than the 1st with Jaymar for Thielen (who Breck might be kicking himself for not just drafting at [1.26] last year), but maybe he'd be willing to up the ante for Jeffery, who adds an extra dimension to his game and gives him a direct line of succession for Meachem, who he could then turn and flip for maximum profits in a couple seasons. I dunno, maybe it would never happen (and I'm sure Breck will let me know), but this one was fun for me for if nothing else because I know how much the city of Baltimore loves owning things the Colts used to own. (zing)
Trade #2
 Houston Texans Send:
1st Round Pick (TB)
2nd Round Pick (TB)
2nd Round Pick (IND)
 San Diego Chargers Send:
1st Round Pick (HOU)
Feedback
This one would be a little unusual to happen, because usually straight "draft pick trades" are made in the offseason when the picks are set - but some folks are gamblers. As someone in Mr. Pearce's position... being a rebuilding ( 2-8 ) team without my 1st round pick... I can totally relate to what is happening here. GM William Cook has ALL the power in this situation, as the Texans 1st could very well be [1.1] overall - but it also could pretty easily end up later in the Top 10. I know poor Apolo Shapiro must be sick of all the times I've reached out begging for control of my own 1st round pick back, and I can say from those conversations the cost to re-acquire is HIGH. Now - the Texans are in a better position with assets to make it happen, so if there was someone that came out in the 2014 draft that Pearce likes - why not take a shot? I'm sure there are some young players they could have used to entice Cook, but in this hypothetical I'd be offering all draft capital. The Bucs are currently in 1st place in the NFC South, but could easily fall out of the draft. If the Texans win a few games down the stretch and the Buccaneers struggle, this would be a big win for Cook, while he'd also be showing some compassion for one of his fellow GMs. If, however, the Texans bottom out and it ends up being a Top 3 pick, the mid-late 1st and some 2nds will not cure the pain in Mr. Cooks heart on draft night. Probably too risky to happen... but I bet in this hypothetical world there is a scenario where the Texans sub out a 2nd for a player that could help the Chargers in the playoffs, and maybe you'd have a deal. If the Texans had a little more cap space, I bet Cook would even throw in CB Donald Strickland to help mentor the Texans young DBs next year (although the Texans would need to resign him, so maybe they just wait or find one in FA).
Trade #3
 Denver Broncos Send:
CB Marcus McCauley
 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Send:
1st Round Pick (DET)
Feedback
Ah, two GMs who dislike me... let's include them in the article! These are two teams heading in different directions. The Buccaneers are run by a league menace who has won multiple SFL Super Bowls and intends to do so in Tampa before everything is said and done. He is trying to do just that this year, but he may be a year away. But I want to emphasize that he's very close. The NFC is seemingly WIDE OPEN after the Arizona Cardinals. The Bucs could either miss the playoffs all together, or be the #2 seed with a 1st round BYE. Such parity! Looking over the Buccaneers roster, it's painful that they will be without Cousins for this stretch of the season. If Leftwich goes down, they'll be in real trouble. Other than that though, their roster looks quite solid. They have a good secondary, but it does look a little thin past the starters. McCauley has had a good career so far, but turning 28 next year (and just two seasons away from regression) - a 1st Round Pick at this junction is not a bad return. The Broncos have had some bad luck with injuries this year and have lost some close ones - (2-6) in one score games - but ultimately I don't foresee them winning a Super Bowl before McCauley loses all value. They HAVE however been drafting very well, so why not stack some assets. For the Bucs, Marcus would still have two more reasonable years on his contract, so it's protected in the sense that if they don't win the Super Bowl this year or next, they could probably flip him in his contract year for a 2nd or so.
Trade #4
 Philadelphia Eagles Send:
HB Rashard Mendenhall
RE Trevor Laws
2nd Round Pick (PHI)
 Carolina Panthers Send:
WR Marc Mariani
HB Marshawn Lynch
Feedback
This trade is one that might be a little difficult to pull off, because it's mostly players involved, and you never really know how much a GM values their own guys. That said, I think there is value for both GMs to make a move like this. The basis of this deal is that the Panthers are in contention for the #1 overall pick in the 2014 SFL Draft, and the Eagles, despite being (4-6) are only two games back in the NFC East. That said, the Giants just KILLED the Eagles, so they'd be silly to just stand still and not make some kind of move and hope to win the East. The Giants are coming back to Philly in three weeks, and if the Eagles win that game (and finish strong in other games that feature opponents like the Rams, Deadskins, and Seahawks), then they could pull a surprise here. It's a long shot, but perhaps one worth taking with such a wide open NFC. The Cardinals look like the best team BY FAR, but in Madden, you never know. If the Eagles sneak in, they might not even have to play the Cardinals. So why does it make sense for each team? The Eagles would swap Mendenhall, who they aren't really even using, with the veteran Lynch. Having played the Eagles twice, they REALLY want to beat you on the ground, and Lynch might be the guy to wear teams out in the playoffs. Especially if there are Skittles around. The Panthers would be swapping out a guy who was about to regress for a young (about to be) 26 year old who'd still have 4 years left on his contract that should take him right up to regression. The Panthers would be losing a talented WR in Mariani... but the WR classes have been solid lately, with talent slipping into the 2nd round even. Mariani is also an expiring contract that the team would no longer have to worry about. With LOLB Keenan Clayton (former 1.6 pick), stud CB Dom Franks (93/93/97), plus Mariani and QB Mike Vick all expiring this offseason... the deadline was probably the time to get some value on one of those guys before the vultures all land this offseason. Seems likely that the team will resign CB Franks, and hope to keep Clayton through Match Eligible FA... but then it'll be a bidding war to keep Mariani (or let him walk for nothing). For the Eagles, their WR depth is so low that I'm sure AC would have been happy to trade for him and use some Activity Points to restructure him and give Whitehurst a target. The Eagles could then solely focus on sleeper OROTY HB Le'Veon Bell and maybe compete with some teams through the air with a rejuvenated pass attack. Laws feels like an add-on... but the Panthers DEs are all super old and on their way out. The Eagles have good depth there, and Laws has the size to be a real force at LE in a 34 system. Could be a sneaky add there for the Panthers, who would also get a 2nd Round Pick in this hypothetical move.
Trade #5
 Dallas Cowboys Send:
WR Devin Thomas
Carolina Panthers Send:
QB Michael Vick
Feedback
In somewhat of a corresponding move to the Eagles/Panthers trade, the Panthers would dump impending Free Agent Mike Vick here for a replacement for Mariani. Thomas was recently added from Green Bay, and while he's GOOD (but not special), he could do a lot of the things Mariani did. Thomas is also under contract for three more years and will be turning just 27 next year. In my opinion, this would have been WAY too much to pay for Vick, a scrambler that I'd never start, but the QB market has been cruel since the mentor rule has begun. I'd probably try to nab a mid round pick in this exchange (or a developmental player like WR Hankerson), but ultimately after my brutal year of trying to acquire a QB (perhaps my curse for the Drew Brees trade), at the end of the day I may be able to be talked into just accepting this. I've cleared out some pieces so that I'd be able to purchase an extra restructure from AP and just ink the expiring Vick to a 3-4 year extension to assure that Glennon has a mentor for these pivotal years of development. As it stands, Vick is set to expire and be on the open market (along with QB Byron Leftwich and others), so GM Fernandez will likely have to just toss some of that $18M per year they just cleared up by trading Nnamdi to ensure Glennon gets the proper mentor he deserves. Thankfully, despite a pile of cash, it shouldn't cost the Cowboys any other assets... but who knows? Maybe that plan will get foiled for Dallas as well.
Trade #6
 New York Jets Send:
TE Orson Charles
RE/DT Barry Coefield
2nd Round Pick (HOU)
 Tennessee Titans Send:
TE Jared Cook
Feedback
Not gonna lie, these two teams don't have MUCH that the other would need/want, as both GMs are very active and have spent years curating their roster to their own tastes. That said, Apolo Shapiro is a very active fellow, and I was quite surprised that he wasn't more active at the deadline. Apolo, who swears he's actually trying to win games, is in the midst of a rebuilt (of sorts) and is poised to have as many as THREE picks on the Top 5 of the next draft class (their own, mine, and Buffalo). That would be quite the coup for Apolo, who doesn't even have that many holes on his roster to fill. The Jets, despite retooling at QB, are on the verge of a playoff run so should probably be buying... but that doesn't seem like the Kevin Mullendore I remember. I also don't remember if he puts a high value on TE in madden leagues (as I know the opinion across the board varies among GMs), but I do recall him being in the market for a TE this offseason. The Texans could be a Top 5 pick, so without the Jets having any 1st round draft capital, that pick might be enticing enough to have the Titans bail on former 1.7 pick Jared Cook. Whatever you believe about the importance of TEs, Cook is a freak. He'll be 27 next year, have a long contract remaining, and would setup as a wonderful target in the pass game as the Jets develop QB Matt Barkley. Coefield is long in the tooth, but Apolo has been known to move DEs to DT, so perhaps Coefield could have a 2nd life on the interior of Apolo's defensive line next to rookie DE Dion Jordan. I'd rate this trade as unlikely, but the thought of Cook in that Jets offense is exciting.
Trade #7
 Arizona Cardinals Send:
1st Round Pick (NYJ)
1st Round Pick (PHI)
5thRound Pick (ARZ)
 Detroit Lions Send:
HB Stevan Ridley
MLB E.J. Henderson
WR Braylon Edwards
Feedback
This is it. This is the "holy f-ck, we could win the Super Bowl but the Madden Injury Gods want to take it from us" trade. The Cardinals look, by all accounts, like the team to beat in the NFC. There are some tough teams in the AFC that they'd have to beat, but with huge injuries to league-leading HB Darren McFadden (Season) and WR Brandon Marshall (Season), not to mention MLB Chris White (Rest of Regular Season) - maybe they won't make it out of the NFC. This would be a tough pill to swallow, to lose all these assets, but it just depends on how close they TRULY feel they are. Legends win CHAMPIONSHIPS. They are close. Ridley would still have plenty of value after the season, and could be flipped for another 1st+. The season has not gone the way the Lions had hoped, so to get back two premium resources for a couple vets and a solid HB.... not too shabby. The Lions were still floating around (5-5) at the Trade Deadline though, so they decided to make no moves, so it remains to be seen how they feel about the team. It would be quite the exclamation point on the career of GM Scott Gardiner, who previously was fired by the Detroit Lions, to jump over to the Arizona Cardinals and win a title. I just wonder if after the injuries if they won't be able to get across the finish line without finding a way to pillage some parts from Free Agency now that the trade deadline has passed.
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