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The 8th NFL game day
The strongest goes: Which superstars could change NFL teams by Tuesday evening
Is the “kid” leaving Tennessee? Derrick Henry is considered a possible transfer candidate before the NFL transfer window closes.
© Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFP
It’s the day that many NFL fans are looking forward to. The transfer window in the NFL ends on Wednesday night. The rumor mill is bubbling about upcoming changes of superstars. But before that there is a German duel in the league.
Mona Stevens and Anja Driver
The rumor mill in North America is churning: Tuesday is the trade deadline in the NFL, i.e. the last day of the current season on which players can be traded for other players or future draft picks. In recent years there have often been surprising changes: wide receiver Calvin Ridley went to the Jacksonville Jaguars, All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens and Von Miller, most valuable player of the 2015 Super Bowl, to the Los Angeles Rams.
After eight weeks of play, the teams usually already know whether they have a chance of making the playoffs or whether they will finish in one of the bottom places, but will therefore be one of the first teams to select a promising talent in next year’s draft. Accordingly, the trades in the middle of the season usually pursue two goals: Either sign another superstar in order to go “all in” for the Super Bowl victory, or their own top performers, whose contracts are expensive or would expire after the season anyway , can still be traded for good draft picks. Then you are in the so-called “rebuild mode”, you completely restructure the team.
Anja Driver (left) plays as a wide receiver for the Erlangen Rebels and the German national team (tackle and flag). With the national team she won the bronze medal at the European Championships in 2015 and the European Championship silver medal in flag football in 2017. The sports and Latin teacher previously played football for 25 years, including for SV 67 Weinberg in the second women’s Bundesliga. Since 2023, she has also been working as offensive coordinator on the coaching team of the newly founded U17 girls national flag football team.
Mona Stevens plays for the “Saarland Ladycanes” and the German women’s national football team (flag and tackle) in the quarterback position. Stevens has also served as the NFL’s official flag football ambassador since 2022. The Saarland native is part of the RTL NFL on-air team and can be seen in numerous formats as a football expert.
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If you look at how the season has gone so far, swapping some superstars by Tuesday night seems quite realistic.
Derrick Henry / DeAndre Hopkins (Tennessee Titans)
Tennessee sits third in their division with a record of 3-4 (won three games and lost four games), already three wins behind the Jaguars. Both superstars cost the Titans between 13 and 14 million a year and are relatively old at 29 and 31 respectively. The Titans have announced that Henry is not for sale, but if the offer is high enough, every statement is put into perspective. Especially since Henry remains one of the best running backs in the league despite his age.
Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) / Tee Higgins (Cincinatti Bengals) / Jerry Jeudy (Denver Broncos)
All three wide receivers have one thing in common: their contract expires this season. If you, as a team manager, do not plan to extend the contract from a financial or performance perspective, now is the right time to get something back for players who are after the Can leave for free at the end of the season. In particular, the changes from Jeudy and Evans seem quite realistic. Evans is one of the most consistent receivers in the league; he has caught balls over 1,000 yards in each of his eight seasons so far – and is well on his way to exceeding the 1,000-yard mark again this season. The fact that the Broncos are already behind in their division despite the surprise win against Kansas City on Sunday speaks in favor of Jeudy’s move.
Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals)
Actually, quarterback Kyler Murray is under contract in Arizona through the 2028 season. Just last year, the playmaker extended his contract for five years and has been earning around $46 million per season since then. The only problem: Kyler Murray is injured and the Cardinals aren’t winning games with or without him. Should a team be found that is willing to take over the quarterback including the current contract, the Cardinals would have much more financial flexibility to strengthen themselves for next season. Additionally, the Cardinals are in the running for the first pick in the upcoming draft and could thus secure the services of Caleb Williams, who is considered one of the greatest quarterback talents in college football.
The duel of the Germans
The time has come on Tuesday night. The Detroit Lions play against the Las Vegas Raiders and two Germans also meet: Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jakob Johnson.
Amon-Ra was born in California, his father was a bodybuilder and even Mr. Universe in 1982. His mother, a German, comes from Leverkusen – during his childhood he visited his grandmother every summer. The 24-year-old has been proving his talent since his first season in the NFL in 2021. He finished last season with 106 receptions for 1,167 yards and six touchdowns, even surpassing his outstanding rookie season. After seven of 17 games played, Amon-Ra currently has 51 receptions for 557 yards and three touchdowns, proving that he can play very consistently at the highest level. In Detroit, he is undoubtedly the most important pass receiver for quarterback Jared Goff, who relies on the German in game-deciding situations. And he provides many reasons to extend his contract, which expires next year – at quite lucrative conditions.
Jakob Johnson’s path to the NFL, on the other hand, was not as straight as Amon-Ra: The Stuttgart native played for the U19 Stuttgart Scorpions before going to high school in Florida and from there moving to the University of Tennessee. Because he missed the draft due to a serious injury, Johnson went back to Stuttgart, but a year later he got the chance to show himself in the International Player Pathway program for players who were not born in the USA. After initially signing with the New England Patriots, Johnson moved to Las Vegas before the 2022 season.
The position of the fullback is very unspectacular for the casual viewer: As a strong and heavy running back, he rarely gets the ball in his hands; instead, his actual job is to run in front of the ball carrier and block the opponents out of the way. So it’s not surprising that he hasn’t racked up any official yards yet this season. Nevertheless, he is an important part of the team: In week five, Jakob made the key block two yards from the end zone for his teammate Josh Jacobs, who was able to score the decisive touchdown in the 17:13 victory over the Green Bay Packers. The 28-year-old is also repeatedly praised in the US media for his block work.