The NFL trade deadline came and went with little fanfare. Only 50 deals were made during the 2014 trade period and just 25 of them involved players. Yawn. Somebody wake me up at the NBA trade deadline.
Here are three deals we wish would have gone down this week.
1. Vincent Jackson to the New England Patriots
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 1-6. They aren't competing for anything right now and need to start building for the future. That being the case, it would seem fitting to ship off a 31-year-old receiver who is underachieving this year. But, since it's the Bucs, the logical solution was not to do that.
New England has reeled off four straight wins after a rocky 2-2 start to the season. While receiver Brandon LaFell has played admirably as the Patriots' deep threat, averaging 15.4 yards per reception, he is a far cry from Jackson's Pro Bowl pedigree. LaFell has never caught more than 49 passes in a season. Jackson has five 1,000 yard years and 54 career touchdowns. Even in this down year Jackson is averaging 17.2 yards per reception.
Jackson could have been the missing piece in a New England offense that is just now starting to hit its stride. Even with the Patriots looking like a lock to win their eleventh AFC East title in the last 12 seasons, adding Jackson could have put the team over the top.
2. Marshawn Lynch to the Indianapolis Colts
Second time is the charm for the Colts. No, the Trent Richardson trade didn't exactly work out. Yes, Ahmad Bradshaw has been an unlikely stud after injuries ruined his 2013 season. But Lynch is still producing at an elite level and all signs point to a split between him and the Seattle Seahawks.
Lynch's contract has one more year after this one with a $5 million base salary and $2 million in roster bonuses, so Indianapolis could have gotten out of it relatively unscathed if they needed to. Despite the blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, the Colts look like legit contenders. Andrew Luck is having an MVP-caliber season. Adding Lynch to an offense that already ranks first in yards per game (452) and second in points (31.2) would have been lethal.
3. Doug Martin to the Miami Dolphins
Martin has fallen off big time since his Pro Bowl rookie season in 2012. Injuries and ineffectiveness have relegated him to a non-factor on this Tampa Bay offense. With third-round draft choice Charles Sims coming off of short term IR, the Bucs could have cut ties with Martin easily.
Still, Martin is only 25 years old and a change of scenery would have been welcomed. The Dolphins are surprisingly in the race for an AFC playoff spot at 4-3 and could have used some extra firepower after losing Knowshon Moreno to a season ending injury. Lamar Miller has done a nice job as the lead guy in Miami behind a revamped and effective offensive line, but a consistent complimentary runner would have added another dimension to this Miami offense. Martin would have benefited from the improved blocking and maybe regained some of his old form. Alas, we'll never know.
