Washington Football Team reportedly shopping surprise player before trade deadline

The NFL trade deadline is officially less than 24 hours away, and all signs point to the Washington Football Team selling off some expendable pieces.

While this is one of the most disappointing teams in the league, Washington’s roster flaunts a plethora of high-end talents.

It remains to be seen if any of those players will be made available, but you better believe players on expiring contracts, or players who simply don’t have futures with the franchise, could be gone by this time tomorrow.

With Tuesday’s 4 p.m. EST deadline fast approaching, we’re starting to get a better picture of Washington’s approach.

While a firesale is still out of the question, Ben Standig of The Athletic understands that Landon Collins is being floated in trade talks.

Can the Washington Football Team actually trade Landon Collins?

This isn’t entirely surprising. As of three weeks ago, every fan in Ashburn would’ve admitted to wanting Collins off the roster. That might still be the case, but it appears that Washington is trying to take advantage of the former All-Pro’s newfound effectiveness as a box linebacker compared to his old role as a safety.

Collins is coming off his best game of the season on Sunday against Denver, racking up eight tackles and a sack of Teddy Bridgewater. He was flying all around the field and made a number of momentum-shifting plays.

We don’t doubt that teams — maybe even some contenders — would be willing to take a mid-round flier on Collins. The only problem is his contract, which, despite his recent hot stretch, remains an atrocity, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Washington is open to adding money to a potential deal.

Collins has three years remaining on the six-year, $84 million contract he signed during the 2019 offseason. That doesn’t include what he’s owed this season ($12.5 million). Over the final three years of his deal, Collins is owed $11.5 million, $12.5 million and $13.5 million, respectively.

The former second-round pick will account for a combined cap hit of $48.6 million during that stretch, which could be a major red flag for potential buyers. Depending on how desperate Washington is to free themselves of Collins’ contract, they’ll likely have to send a significant sum of money to whomever wants to acquire him.

This is admittedly a weird time for these rumors to surface.

Collins is coming off arguably his finest performance for the Burgundy and Gold, one that has a majority of the fan base questioning whether he has a future in this defense as a box linebacker. At 27 years old, he’s smack in the middle of his prime and could be a potential solution to the team’s burning questions at LB.

It’s funny how quickly things can change in the NFL. One minute, Collins is seemingly using the rest of the season as a tryout for his future in Ashburn. The next, he’s made available in trade talks right before the deadline.

The NFL truly never ceases to amaze.