Exploring 10 Cardinals players and why they will or won't be dealt at the NFL trade deadline

The trade deadline is on Tuesday right after week 8, November 5. But big moves have already been made, with wide receivers Davante Adams and Amari Cooper changing teams. It's trade talk season, and the Arizona Cardinals will more likely than not be sellers.

The start of the season was full of ups and downs, so it makes sense to recalibrate the thought process and acquire assets for the future.

Therefore, we will list ten players and evaluate if they are tradable or not, taking into consideration the contract and overall value and situation of each piece.

RB James Conner - yes

Conner has been a productive player, but he's 29 and the Cardinals have just drafted Trey Benson to be their guy at the position. Arizona would open up $2.345 million by trading Conner, which per se isn't a big incentive to make the move. However, if a desperate team is willing to give up a decent draft capital compensation, the Cardinals would probably listen to it.

WR Zay Jones - yes

This is hard because Zay Jones is so cheap that the Cardinals don't have a real motivation to deal him, but he's probably not good enough to generate trade interest. So the answer is yes, because his contract is movable (the acquiring team would absorb $634k at the deadline), but it's difficult to imagine anything coming to fruition.

S Budda Baker - yes

This is a spicy one because the Cardinals exercised a club option to keep him around in 2024 and he is still a really good player in a defense that lacks really good players. And Baker is still 28, so presumably he can play at least two more years at a high level. The problem for the Cardinals is that he is a free agent next offseason.

Moving Baker would create $7.5 million in cap space, but it's hard to foresee someone willing to pay that salary plus significant draft compensation. So the options are keeping him through the end of the season trying to negotiate a new deal later on, pay part of his remaining salary to get a higher pick, and trade him for basically nothing just to save money, which seems the least likely scenario at this point.

DE Zaven Collins - no

Collins has just signed a two-year extension with the Cardinals, so he's under contract through 2026. The team has no real reason to consider a trade.

DE LJ Collier - yes

Collier is an underwhelming former first-rounder, and the Cardinals took a shot to see if they could take something out of him. But they have not. If someone is willing to absorb the $600k, sure, but it's not a likely scenario.

EDGE Dennis Gardeck - yes

Gardeck is the exact type of player that tends to be moved near the trade deadline. He's older at 30, the acquiring team would absorb a reasonable $1.7 million salary, and he's a relatively productive rotational edge — but not so good to a point where the Cardinals must keep him.

LB Mack Wilson - no

After signing a prove-it deal with the Patriots last year, Wilson found a long-term home with the Cardinals. He's played well and is under contract through 2026. He's 26, so Arizona has no motivation to trade him away.

EDGE Julian Okwara - yes

This is more like a "yes but why" answer. He can be moved because his salary is close to the league's minimum, but unless the Lions are really desperate to get any edge that knows the system and want to bring him back, Okwara is more of a run-game specialist edge defender that won't attract other teams.

S Jalen Thompson - no

A trade here would open up $4.4 million in cap space for the Cardinals, but Thompson is an intriguing strong safety with run defense and pass rush skills. Especially with Budda Baker potentially hitting free agency, the Cardinals are better off just keeping Thompson around.

CB Sean Bunting - no

Just like Mack Wilson, this is another player coming off a prove-it deal elsewhere that the Cardinals signed for three years. It's not inexpensive, but the Cardinals will probably keep him around at least for one more season.