Plausible X/#1 receiver trade candidates — are there any?

[racketmaster]

I don’t like giving up any prime assets for another injury prone player like Chris Olave. He is a very good player but has a serious concussion history going back to college and he missed significant time last year as a result of having 2 concussions. We have enough brittle players on this team. I’d rather take a shot at someone like DJ Moore if it were for a 3rd round pick. 

[Andrew Son]

7 minutes ago, racketmaster said:

I don’t like giving up any prime assets for another injury prone player like Chris Olave. He is a very good player but has a serious concussion history going back to college and he missed significant time last year as a result of having 2 concussions. We have enough brittle players on this team. I’d rather take a shot at someone like DJ Moore if it were for a 3rd round pick. 

LOL, the guy who went to the hospital with an injury after last weeks game?

[dorquemada]

13 hours ago, BearNorth said:

We did have John "Smoke" Brown for a year, he could outrun coverage.  That first pass to Palmer Monday night was a beauty, would have been a TD if Josh hadn't underthrown it a smidge.

 

Yeah how did I forget Brown.  Was great to see him stretch the field and thats what we need now.  53 year old john brown would be the fastest guy on this team too

 

[BuffaloBaumer]

If last night in Cincinnati did not prove how freaking important it is to have at least one number one receiver, I don’t know what will

[Coach Tuesday]

2 hours ago, starrymessenger said:

Ok, but then McD will probably trade for a corner. 

I bet they’re in on Riq Woolen.

[Kirby Jackson]

5 minutes ago, BuffaloBaumer said:

If last night in Cincinnati did not prove how freaking important it is to have at least one number one receiver, I don’t know what will

We’ve legitimately seen people argue on here that “everybody eats” is a better idea. “Yeah but if you have a guy that demands targets it takes away from other people.” Imagine being like, “naw, forget about adding (any name mentioned) what is that going to do to Tyrell Shavers targets?!?” 🤣🤣 You can find people making that argument all over the internet. Are they completely brainwashed or really, really stupid? There is no alternative. Imagine being like, “but if we have a good receiver that will mean less balls will be thrown to the bad receivers.” 🤣

9 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

I bet they’re in on Riq Woolen.

That feels like a move they’d make. My guess is it is 1 DB and 1 WR. If I had to guess I would say Woolen and Jauan Jennings (just a feeling on that one).

[BuffaloRebound]

If McBeane goes after a guy like Olave that isn’t a just a half season rental they'd almost have to trade Coleman too.  I wonder what Coleman’s trade value is right now?  He does have 2.5 years left on a cost controlled rookie contract and is still very young.  I’d guess 4th rounder value to team like the Saints since he fits their timeline better.  

[The Jokeman]

1 hour ago, racketmaster said:

I don’t like giving up any prime assets for another injury prone player like Chris Olave. He is a very good player but has a serious concussion history going back to college and he missed significant time last year as a result of having 2 concussions. We have enough brittle players on this team. I’d rather take a shot at someone like DJ Moore if it were for a 3rd round pick. 

Ironically you named a former Panther. 

[TheBeaneBandit]

3 minutes ago, BuffaloRebound said:

If McBeane goes after a guy like Olave that isn’t a just a half season rental they'd almost have to trade Coleman too.  I wonder what Coleman’s trade value is right now?  He does have 2.5 years left on a cost controlled rookie contract and is still very young.  I’d guess 4th rounder value to team like the Saints since he fits their timeline better.  

I would do that plus a 3rd all day. Coleman just doesn't have hardly any upside.

[Low Positive]

24 minutes ago, BuffaloRebound said:

If McBeane goes after a guy like Olave that isn’t a just a half season rental they'd almost have to trade Coleman too.  I wonder what Coleman’s trade value is right now?  He does have 2.5 years left on a cost controlled rookie contract and is still very young.  I’d guess 4th rounder value to team like the Saints since he fits their timeline better.  

At this point Coleman’s trade value is tied to other teams pre-draft analysis of him. Every team in the NFL would have a scouting report on him as he was a top 50-75 prospect on every team’s board. They may think that the Bills haven’t been using him correctly and that they can develop him. I think if another team puts Keon in the slot, he’ll develop and make this place explode. But the Bills need him to be something he’s not, and they keep trying to force that square peg through the round hole. 

[BuffaloRebound]

20 minutes ago, TheBeaneBandit said:

I would do that plus a 3rd all day. Coleman just doesn't have hardly any upside.

could probably even make it coleman plus a conditional 2027 pick based pick based on who has more catches over the next 1.5 years.  Can’t see Olave going for more than a 3rd rounder straight up.  

[DCOrange]

53 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

We’ve legitimately seen people argue on here that “everybody eats” is a better idea. “Yeah but if you have a guy that demands targets it takes away from other people.” Imagine being like, “naw, forget about adding (any name mentioned) what is that going to do to Tyrell Shavers targets?!?” 🤣🤣 You can find people making that argument all over the internet. Are they completely brainwashed or really, really stupid? There is no alternative. Imagine being like, “but if we have a good receiver that will mean less balls will be thrown to the bad receivers.” 🤣

That feels like a move they’d make. My guess is it is 1 DB and 1 WR. If I had to guess I would say Woolen and Jauan Jennings (just a feeling on that one).

Jennings would be a hilarious outcome for the "we're missing a speed element" folks. He might be the slowest WR in the NFL (good player though).

[Kirby Jackson]

2 minutes ago, DCOrange said:

Jennings would be a hilarious outcome for the "we're missing a speed element" folks. He might be the slowest WR in the NFL (good player though).

Lol, that’s kind of why I though Beane might be interested. 🤣🤣 

 

Bourne has gone nuts with McCorkle at QB. They probably owe him a shot to do the same with Purdy (if he comes back and holds off McCorkle). Jennings is also a FA after this year I think. They are the one team that seems to have good depth in a bunch of areas. I could see them trying to get a pick above what they would potentially get as a comp pick. 

[MikePJ76]

Here is Joe Buscaglia's take from a few days ago

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6717010/2025/10/15/bills-bye-week-trade-deadline-wide-receiver/

 

You can poke holes in all three of those positions, but the one spot on the roster I keep coming back to is a bona fide starting wide receiver. Over the last two weeks, the Bills have faced two different defensive coverage approaches, but they share a common thread. The Patriots played a heavy amount of man coverage while blitzing most of the time. The Falcons blitzed frequently and played mostly zone coverage. The commonality between the two, whether that’s the Patriots believing their one-on-one coverage was superior to the talent across from them, or the Falcons taking a coverage piece off the chessboard without fear of repercussions of getting beaten, all comes back to the Bills’ receivers.

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The Bills aren’t winning in the intermediate range, and they aren’t challenging defenses consistently enough deep down the field. Without another piece that defenses have to account for, it allows opponents to creep into the box against the run and play the matchup with little concern that the Bills’ receivers will burn the weak spot of their defense. The same thing happened to the Bills in 2024, and they sent a third-round pick to get Amari Cooper. It was an imperfect fit, given he was best suited at Keon Coleman’s position and the Bills had plenty of depth there, and it worsened as Cooper suffered an injury and never became more than a bit player in the offense. Just because it went poorly last time shouldn’t persuade the Bills to stay away from a receiver again in a trade. If anything, the Bills should be more willing to put a more worthwhile draft pick into a deal to get an impact player with term on their deal and youth.

 

 

2. Why I can’t seem to get Chris Olave out of my head

There will be other names that will come to the surface as the trade deadline gets closer because, naturally, teams will have three more games to determine if they’re going to be sellers in 2025. There are a handful of surefire sellers this season already, and the Saints are one of them. And if the Bills want to put a serious asset in a trade to acquire an impactful, young receiver, Chris Olave should be at or near the top of their list if he’s available.

 

 

Here’s what we know about the Bills receiver room right now. Khalil Shakir, their slot receiver, isn’t going anywhere. They won’t give up on Keon Coleman’s development anytime soon, and he plays their X-receiver role more often than not. With the inconsistency and injuries to Joshua Palmer and Curtis Samuel, finding an impact Z receiver who can separate, win the ball in the air, run crisp routes and uncover in short, intermediate and deep parts of the field should be the top priority. That pretty much sums up Olave’s skill set, who earns targets at an immensely high rate. Among wide receivers this season, only Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Drake London have earned targets more often than Olave, who has a target rate of 29.8 percent this season.

He also fits into what the Bills usually look for in a trade target, given that he doesn’t turn 26 until June. That piece is important, and so is having roster control past 2025, especially if they’re giving up a premium draft resource, and Olave offers that. The Saints already picked up Olave’s fifth-year option for 2026, so he’s under contract for a manageable $15.5 million next year. The Bills would then get a full year-and-a-half to decide if they’d like to invest in a long-term deal with him around the same time as deciding on a second deal for Coleman, giving them multiple outs.

 

 

If there’s one thing that might drive his cost down a bit, it’s Olave’s injury history, but he’s been healthy all season and playing at an extremely high level. Although there is some risk involved, Olave would provide the Bills with the precise talent profile the receiver room is lacking, a high ceiling for room to grow in this offense, and the youth and term the Bills would crave in a medium-sized swing like Olave. Most importantly, it would give Josh Allen his most legitimate receiving target since Stefon Diggs, and as we’ve seen this season, that’s mightily important to the health of their offense.

[Low Positive]

8 minutes ago, BuffaloRebound said:

could probably even make it coleman plus a conditional 2027 pick based pick based on who has more catches over the next 1.5 years.  Can’t see Olave going for more than a 3rd rounder straight up.  

Remember, you’re dealing with a Pats team whose owner’s entire identity is tied to winning super bowls. The Pats will overpay because they are under a mandate to compete right away. The Steelers also see a huge need at WR after the Bengals horrible secondary schemed DK out of the game because their other WRs are non-factors. And they need to win THIS YEAR because it’s all they get before they need a QB again. So there are limited options and competition. Someone will overpay. 

[boyst]

3 hours ago, starrymessenger said:

Ok, but then McD will probably trade for a corner. 

it is interesting how we phrase this as McD trading for a player. few teams and fans will describe their head coach making a part of the trade.

[dave mcbride]

48 minutes ago, BuffaloRebound said:

If McBeane goes after a guy like Olave that isn’t a just a half season rental they'd almost have to trade Coleman too.  I wonder what Coleman’s trade value is right now?  He does have 2.5 years left on a cost controlled rookie contract and is still very young.  I’d guess 4th rounder value to team like the Saints since he fits their timeline better.  

Coleman is from Louisiana ...

[boyst]

1 hour ago, Kirby Jackson said:

We’ve legitimately seen people argue on here that “everybody eats” is a better idea. “Yeah but if you have a guy that demands targets it takes away from other people.” Imagine being like, “naw, forget about adding (any name mentioned) what is that going to do to Tyrell Shavers targets?!?” 🤣🤣 You can find people making that argument all over the internet. Are they completely brainwashed or really, really stupid? There is no alternative. Imagine being like, “but if we have a good receiver that will mean less balls will be thrown to the bad receivers.” 🤣

That feels like a move they’d make. My guess is it is 1 DB and 1 WR. If I had to guess I would say Woolen and Jauan Jennings (just a feeling on that one).

if we are going to make a move i expect it to be by tomorrow at the latest. i figured it'd be a wednesday through friday move originally to get the player here with the thought that the talks had begun on this prior to this week for groundwork.

 

if nothing by saturday 11pm i dont' think we are doing anything.

[Kirby Jackson]

1 minute ago, boyst said:

if we are going to make a move i expect it to be by tomorrow at the latest. i figured it'd be a wednesday through friday move originally to get the player here with the thought that the talks had begun on this prior to this week for groundwork.

 

if nothing by saturday 11pm i dont' think we are doing anything.

They better get moving!! Allbright is saying Miami wants a 3rd for Waddle. I’d offer: a 2nd, a depth OL (Alec Anderson) and a 2027 5th. I’d then turn around and trade Coleman and a 3rd for Olave. 
 

[boyst]

2 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

They better get moving!! Allbright is saying Miami wants a 3rd for Waddle. I’d offer: a 2nd, a depth OL (Alec Anderson) and a 2027 5th. I’d then turn around and trade Coleman and a 3rd for Olave. 
 

i am afraid of losing Anderson right now because we just had a few dings on the OL. but if we can make a turd shine it's on OL.

 

i think everyone is holding off because everyone is trying to get a deal done and people are undercutting offers. New England is probably willing to be more aggressive and cause a lot of noise. one a domino starts to fall i think the rest fall for who's going to make a move and i think that whole issue is stopping everyone in their tracks.