Two NFL teams still have something to cheer for in 2024. But for everyone other than Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, the season is already over.

For fans of those 30 teams, the focus has turned to 2025. To getting better, making the playoffs and winning it all next year.

Mostly, that improvement will come via free agency or the NFL draft. But a trade or two can make a big difference as well. The Chiefs made one in-season, acquiring wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins after Rashee Rice suffered a torn LCL.

Trades are more frequent in the NFL than they used to be, but this ain't the NBA. No teams have traded away their 2031 first-rounder yet.

But some relatively plausible moves that could happen this offseason would send major waves across the league—waves that will roll through the summer and into the fall.

QB Derek Carr to Pittsburgh Steelers

Saints Get: 2025 fourth-round pick, 2026 conditional pick

Steelers Get: QB Derek Carr

The New Orleans Saints have all kinds of problems right now. Per Over the Cap, they're a whopping $54.1 million over the projected salary cap. Whomever they hire as their new head coach will inherit a roster in desperate need of an overhaul.

Step 1 in that overhaul could be moving on from quarterback Derek Carr.

A Carr trade won't be easy for a few reasons. The first is his no-trade clause, which would give him veto power over his new home. The second is Carr's $51.5 million cap hit in 2025—the fourth-highest in the league. And per ESPN's Katherine Terrell, the 33-year-old isn't interested in discussing a pay cut.

"I wouldn't take a pay cut," he said. "Yeah, I wouldn't do that. Especially with what I put on tape. Would I restructure? Absolutely. I'll always help the team that way. But there's some things that you put out there that you earned. Even in some cases it could be even worse, but I felt confident when I signed it that this would give the team the best flexibility at the time. ... But there's always a kind of respect as a quarterback you're like, well still we're in that respectful lane. 'We're good. Build the team.' But yeah, I wouldn't take anything less to do this. It's hard enough putting our bodies through it. And you're trying to get everything you can for your family for it."

However, Carr's willingness to restructure (and waive his no-trade clause) could be swayed by the opportunity to play for a contender. And as the Steelers showed in 2024, they don't need an elite quarterback to be one.

The Steelers will undoubtedly be mentioned as a suitor for Sam Darnold, but if they whiff on him, they might not have a great Plan B. And Pittsburgh doesn't have the draft pick to land an impact rookie this year, either.

Steelers fans might not be enthused about another retread quarterback. But in 2024, Carr threw three times as many interceptions as touchdowns and posted a passer rating of 101.0.

The Steelers will be expected to be in the AFC North mix again next year. Carr could be the best veteran option whom they can reasonably get their hands on. And if the Saints can get some cap relief and jump-start their rebuild, general manager Mickey Loomis should be willing to deal Carr.

WR Cooper Kupp to Los Angeles Chargers

Rams Get: 2025 fourth-round pick

Chargers Get: WR Cooper Kupp

Back in 2021, Los Angeles Rams wideout Cooper Kupp was named the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year after catching 145 passes for a whopping 1,947 yards and 16 scores. He paced the league in all three categories.

Fast-forward three years, and Kupp has been usurped by Puka Nacua as the Rams' No. 1 receiver. The 31-year-old has been discussed as a potential cap casualty thanks to his cap hit of almost $30 million.

While talking to reporters, Rams head coach Sean McVay sounded like he expected his team's offense in 2025 to look much different from this season's iteration.

"How do you utilize the offseason and how are you making yourself more versatile from a personnel perspective or from a run variety perspective?" McVay said. "Those are the things that I'm excited to be able to dive into."

The Rams don't have the cap space or the draft capital to make major changes in the offseason unless one of those changes involves moving on from Kupp.

The rampant speculation about Kupp's future doesn't help his trade value. Teams can try to wait the Rams out and get Kupp without having to surrender anything but money.

But a Day 3 pick is worth calling "dibs" on Kupp. And the Chargers would be an excellent fit for multiple reasons.

A restructured contract would likely be part of any deal. But with $63 million and change, the Bolts have the cap space necessary to afford Kupp. They are a playoff team with a clear need at wide receiver opposite rookie breakout Ladd McConkey.

The Chargers can also offer Kupp continuity. There would be no cross-country move. No uprooting his family. He could close out his career in the same stadium where he won a Super Bowl in.

Just in a different uniform.

WR Garrett Wilson to Washington Commanders

Jets Get: 2025 first-round pick, 2026 sixth-round pick

Commanders Get: WR Garrett Wilson

The notion of trading a promising young player like Wilson might seem like madness. In three seasons, the former Ohio State standout has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards three times. His 101 receptions and 1,104 receiving yards this season were both career-highs.

But the Jets are also at a crossroads in more ways than one. They have a new head coach and general manager. They're also unsure if aging veterans like quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams intend to continue their careers in 2025.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, if Rodgers does play another season in New York, Wilson might ask for a change of scenery.

"Privately, there have been questions regarding whether Rodgers and Wilson can find common ground since they had a blowup during training camp," he said. "While Wilson will not publicly say it, those who know him well believe he's been frustrated at the lack of looks from Rodgers while wondering what else he can do to fix the relationship. Is getting open not enough? Those who study the film will notice him being open while the ball goes elsewhere."

Trading Wilson would be a tough pill to swallow. But as good as he is, the Jets need a quarterback. Combining Washington's No. 29 overall pick with their No. 7 overall pick would give Gang Green a better chance at moving up if they're enamored with one of the top rookies.

An extension for Wilson would undoubtedly be part of the equation here, but the Commanders have more cap space than any team in the NFC ($86.7 million). Washington just fell one game shy of the Super Bowl and has star quarterback Jayden Daniels on a rookie contract. The time to win is now.

It'd be worth surrendering the 29th overall pick to gain a proven wide receiver who would (along with former college teammate Terry McLaurin) give the Commanders one of the better one-two punches at wideout in the league.

Boy, the Aaron Rodgers era in New York has really been something.

Edge Trey Hendrickson to Detroit Lions

Bengals Get: 2025 second-round pick, 2026 third-round pick

Lions Get: EDGE Trey Hendrickson

Last offseason, Cincinnati Bengals edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson requested a trade after extension talks went nowhere. The Bengals did not acquiesce, and Hendrickson responded by leading the NFL with 17.5 sacks.

While speaking to reporters at the Senior Bowl on Wednesday, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said that the 30-year-old has absolutely earned an extension. He's just not sure that the Bengals will be able to give him one.

"Has he earned a pay raise and a bump in an extension … he has," Tobin said. "We're cognizant of that, and we will give that to him. But whether we agree on what that looks like is, is what is to be determined.

"... We can't have guys at the top of the payroll in every position, right? We'll do what we can. We'll do what we feel is right, and we will try to get Trey re-signed. It's not giving anybody an extension. It's agreeing with somebody on an extension."

Hendrickson is hardly Cincinnati's only big-ticket contract dilemma this offseason. Wide receiver Tee Higgins is set to hit free agency, and mega-star Ja'Marr Chase's next pact still needs to be worked out. Add to that Cincy's history of not extending aging players, and you have a player in Hendrickson who could well be on the move.

If Hendrickson becomes available, the Lions should kick the tires—hard.

It's not just a matter of a Detroit pass rush that all but evaporated when Aidan Hutchinson got hurt last year. It's the matter of where the Lions are as a franchise. If they're going to make their first-ever Super Bowl, the time is now.

Hendrickson and Hutchinson would be a phenomenal duo on the edge. The Lions have the salary-cap space to make an extension for Hendrickson work.

Push your chips into the middle of the table, Lions. Get what you can for a player who won't be extended, Bengals.

The deal makes considerable sense for both sides.

CB Denzel Ward to Minnesota Vikings

Browns Get: 2025 first-round pick

Vikings Get: CB Denzel Ward, 2025 sixth-round pick

The Cleveland Browns are a dumpster fire. Period. Full stop. The team reportedly has no interest in trading edge-rusher Myles Garrett, although that could change given Garrett's desire to play for a team that might actually win once in a while.

However, with the worst salary-cap situation in the AFC and a murky future under center (again), the Browns are widely expected to be sellers this offseason. ESPN's Ben Solak noted that could mean a shakeup in the secondary.

"With no contending future in sight, I expect the Browns to trade players for picks," he wrote. "Both cornerbacks Denzel Ward (who had an excellent season) and Greg Newsome II (who had an uncharacteristically shaky season) should be made available, and one will be dealt. For my money, I expect a young, rising team to put a first-round pick on the table for Ward (Packers? Vikings?) and give the Browns the draft capital they need to aggressively rebuild."

Ward has long been one of the NFL's better players at a premium position. He's headed to his fourth Pro Bowl and is in the prime of the career. But if Minnesota offers the 24th overall pick for Ward, Cleveland should pull the trigger.

It would be a truly "all-in" move for the Vikings, who are already short on draft picks this year. But with $57.9 million in cap space, the Vikings could make this splash trade and still have enough money to bring back Sam Darnold.

Calling pass defense the Vikings' biggest weakness this season doesn't do it justice. They were 28th in the NFL during the regular season and got shredded by the Rams in a playoff loss. Ward would be a massive upgrade at their most vulnerable position. He'd all but surely a more impactful player in the short-term than that 24th pick.

If the Vikings believe that Darnold and last year's 14-3 record were not a fluke, getting aggressive this offseason makes sense.

The Lions aren't going anywhere. Not for a while.

S Tyrann Mathieu to Baltimore Ravens

Saints Get: 2025 fifth-round pick

Ravens Get: S Tyrann Mathieu

It's hardly a secret that the Saints could be holding a fire sale this offseason, especially where aging players are concerned. The Saints are years (plural) from being a contender. They need to get what they can for some players and get their salary off the books.

There was a time when veteran safety Tyrann Mathieu would have cost potential suitors a lot more than a Day 3 pick. Mathieu been named a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler three times each. He's a versatile safety who can stuff the run, hold his own in coverage and who has extensive experience in the slot.

But Mathieu is 32, and Father Time is undefeated. The 2024 campaign wasn't his best, although he posted a respectable 76.4 passer rating against.

It's not at all unfair to say he's lost a step. But 85 percent of Mathieu could be a big boost for the Ravens—and one that a cap-strapped Baltimore team can afford.

The Ravens did a lot of things well in 2024. Playing the pass was not one of them. The Ravens secondary surrendered the second-most passing yards per game in the regular season, and that pass defense was the team's undoing in the postseason.

The Ravens don't have the cap space to chase huge names around, but they are in the middle of a Super Bowl window that may not stay open for much longer.

If Mathieu could turn back the clock for Baltimore in 2025, he could be the most impactful trade of any of the moves featured here—or at least the one offering the most bang for the proverbial buck.