Throughout the past few seasons, we’ve seen many teams trade multiple first round picks for a superstar player who is finishing their rookie contract, such as Jalen Ramsey and Khalil Mack. Now, getting a cemented top 20 player in the league is undeniable, but in my opinion, the price is too much. Here’s why:
My first issue with this is the massive capital given up. Two first round picks is a lot to give up, especially when some of the picks that you’re giving up are 18 months away. It is hard to predict what will happen in the upcoming season, let alone the offseason and next season as well.
Now, you may be wondering, why are you making this article when Khalil Mack was traded for Josh Jacobs and Damon Arnette. And my response is that the Raiders were super irresponsible with the picks gained from the Mack deal and they should not have invested two first round picks on a running back (not a bad player but not necessary) and on a cornerback who will be 24 in September, with basically no upside in a cornerback room with a lot of solid talent but no outlier. You get it, I hate the pick.
The salary situation that these types of trades make puts the team trading two picks in a rough financial situation. First, the player often asks for a huge extension that often resets the market. This puts the team in a bad situation, as the reason that teams should give these massive extensions is because they can fix up other holes on the roster with cheap rookie contracts that come from first round picks. When you trade two picks for this asset, you are unable to plug the holes in your team with first round picks, leaving the option of having to get replacement level talent like Leonard Floyd in free agency.
Overall, these trades put teams in sticky situations. Now sit back, and watch these teams slowly descend into mediocrity.
Photo: Chicago Bears
