As the NFL's trading deadline -- Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 4 p.m. ET -- approaches, we explore five explosive, albeit unlikely, possible deals.
Trade No. 3:
Cardinals trade wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald to Packers for their 2014 No. 2 draft choice, running back Johnathan Franklin and receiver Jordy Nelson
The Arizona Cardinals got off to a nice little start this season, but do they really think they can beat the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers?
There is one massive hole in this team: quarterback.
A year ago, John Skelton, Kevin Kolb, Ryan Lindley and, yes, even Brian Hoyer took turns under center. This year, it's been Carson Palmer, most recently of the Raiders. He's thrown 13 interceptions -- balanced against only eight touchdowns -- and been sacked 20 times. Cornerback Patrick Peterson (1-for-1) has a better passer rating by nearly 50 points.
Fitzgerald is 30 years old, and he deserves another a shot at Super Bowl ring. He has produced the goods. In nine-plus seasons in the desert air, he's caught nearly 800 passes for 10,000-plus yards and 81 touchdowns.
Full disclosure: Fitzgerald, in the wake of his recent megadeal, will see his base salary rocket to $12.75 million in 2014 -- and his salary-cap hit will be an astounding $18 million. Clearly, the Packers would have some work to do, but as luck (and some good, earnest work in the trenches) would have it, they reportedly have the most space (an estimated $10 million) of any elite team in the league. The Packers' Ted Thompson hates to give up draft choices, but this one might be worth it.
The Cards would get a promising young running back and a proven receiver to help fill the void left by Fitzgerald, and the resulting slide down the standings would allow them finally to get their hands on a legitimate quarterback in the draft.