Last week, the Chicago Bears‘ business began when they granted linebacker Tremaine Edmunds permission to seek a trade. It wasn’t a huge surprise. The veteran had become too expensive for them to keep around with their salary cap issues. Removing him from the books would net $15 million in space. The only question was whether they could get something in return for him. Most don’t think so. Why trade for somebody destined to be cut? The simple answer is that teams who really want him don’t want to risk another team luring him away in the open market.
That is why it was never completely crazy that Chicago might find a suitor for Edmunds’ services. If we follow the breadcrumbs, it appears they may have a bite, courtesy of notorious Twitter (X) insider Rickey213. He posted on a New York Giants forum that the team is planning to trade for a linebacker.
Rickey213 has earned a reputation for surprisingly accurate information going back over the past few years. He broke Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff, and Amon-Ra St. Brown, all getting their contract extension before everybody else. He’s also correctly pinpointed eventual trades. This revelation about pursuing a linebacker makes sense, and people close to the Giants think they know who it is.
This Tremaine Edmunds idea makes logistical sense.
New York needs serious help at linebacker. That hasn’t been a secret. Edmunds is a quality veteran who is still only 28 years old. Their new defensive coordinator, Dennard Wilson, prefers linebackers who can function in coverage. Edmunds had four interceptions last season despite missing a month with an injury. Conversely, the Bears need pass rush help. New York can’t afford to pay Kayvon Thibodeaux because they’ve already given Brian Burns a huge contract and must retain funds for when they’ll need to do the same with Abdul Carter.
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Thibodeaux is in the final year of his contract, just like Edmunds is. Swapping the two players makes sense. Each fills a critical need for the other team. If Thibodeaux excels, the Bears can either extend him or let him hit free agency, where he’ll likely fetch them a compensatory 3rd round pick. New York has lots of cap space clearing up after this year, so they could extend Edmunds if he performed well for them. More importantly, neither team gives up draft picks, which will ease any fan backlash.
NFL Player-for-Player Swaps since 2000
| Year | Player 1 (Team A) | Player 2 (Team B) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | LeSean McCoy (Eagles) | Kiko Alonso (Bills) | One of the most famous modern “one-for-one” swaps. |
| 2013 | Jerry Hughes (Colts) | Kelvin Sheppard (Bills) | Often cited as a win for Buffalo, where Hughes became a long-term starter. |
| 2010 | Reggie Nelson (Jaguars) | David Jones (Bengals) | A change-of-scenery trade for both defensive backs. |
| 2005 | Santana Moss (Jets) | Laveranues Coles (Redskins) | A rare swap of high-profile wide receivers in their primes. |
| 2005 | Reuben Droughns (Broncos) | Ebenezer Ekuban & Michael Myers (Browns) | A “two-for-one” player-only trade involving defensive linemen for a RB. |
| 2004 | Joey Galloway (Cowboys) | Keyshawn Johnson (Buccaneers) | Two veteran star wideouts exchanged straight up. |
| 2003 | Thomas Jones (Cardinals) | Marquis Walker (Buccaneers) | Arizona traded their former high pick for a young wide receiver. |
| 2015 | Jordan Devey (Patriots) | Asante Cleveland (49ers) | A minor depth-chart trade involving an OL and a TE. |
This idea was hinted at last week.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN indicated that the Giants were among three teams interested in Edmunds. New head coach John Harbaugh often prefers to build his teams through a defensive identity. It’s what brought him so much success in Baltimore. Tremaine Edmunds is the type of long, athletic linebacker he usually prefers. More than anything, it’s his winning experience that will appeal to the Giants. Edmunds has now made the playoffs with both Buffalo and Chicago. That mentality will hopefully carry over to New York.
Free agency begins next Tuesday. Teams often prefer to get trades done before then. The Bears are no exception, having worked out the Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney deals at the same time last year. If something happens with Edmunds, it will be in the next five days. Maybe the Giants are the landing spot, or maybe another team swoops in at the last minute. As always, it is a fluid situation.
