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NFL players have more power than ever before. This, however, doesn’t always equate to them getting what they want.
Aaron Rodgers is, perhaps, the most recent significant example of a superstar demanding a trade away from his team and not being allowed to leave.
NFL history is littered with teams that respond to trade demands by acquiescing and seeing how much they can receive in exchange. A number of franchises now stand their ground and refuse to let a player leave.
There had been more instances of this in the early 2000s. The free-agency system made it virtually impossible for NFL teams to recoup assets on a talent. This was especially true if he was allowed to move into the final year of his contract.
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When a player began to look unhappy, teams seemed happy to trade them. This, however, often brought minimal returns.
Now teams are looking at that and making the decision to keep the player and the production they know he brings. They are doing this instead of taking a below-par NFL Draft pick in exchange.
In more recent times, we’ve seen teams look to take stands against player power and refuse trade requests from their biggest stars.
Which 5 NFL superstars saw their trade demand turned down?
#1 – Deebo Samuel
Deebo Samuel has been the story of the 2022 NFL offseason. The San Francisco 49ers simply refused to let their dynamic offensive leader depart.
Samuel took on the responsibilities of both a leading receiver and a running back. Many thought his play for a move away from the Bay Area was a ruse to force the Niners into offering him a huge contract extension.
This would have been fair enough, given the fact Samuel took ownership of the Niners offense in 2021. This made it so Raheem Mostert wasn’t missed and Jimmy Garoppolo wasn’t too much of a problem in decisive games.
Ahead of the NFL Draft, it was thought that Samuel would be traded. This was especially true after he made it clear to 49ers management that he wanted to leave. It was the only period left that the 49ers could recoup serious draft capital, but they refused all offers.
Samuel was deemed to be so valuable that trading him ahead of the 2022 NFL season would make no sense whatsoever. This was especially true since the San Francisco franchise believes they are still in the Super Bowl window.
As such, Samuel has since remained in place after his trade request. As the season gets closer, it doesn’t look like it will be changing.
#2 – Marlon Mack
Marlon Mack found himself in a difficult spot in Indianapolis at the start of the 2021 season. The running back had been displaced by the outstanding Jonathan Taylor.
His 2019 season saw him rush for 1,091 yards and 8 touchdowns. He was, by no means, considered an elite running back.
When Taylor took over, it was unsurprising that Mack delivered a trade request to the front office.
The Colts, understanding of Mack’s situation, were not at odds with the player. They explained they couldn’t weaken their roster by trading him away, especially if Taylor went down with an injury.
Thus, Mack saw his trade demand declined. He remained with the Colts until the end of the 2021 NFL season. He made just six appearances and no starts.
He would eventually sign with the Houston Texans as a free agent in the current offseason.
#3 – Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson may have eventually been traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2022. People, however, often forget the saga surrounding his off-field exploits began back in 2021.
During the 2020 NFL season, Watson was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Following this season, he demanded to leave the Houston Texans and move to a team that was capable of winning.
The Texans were perceived to be being run poorly. This perception was reinforced by the team’s ludicrous decision to trade away All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins for virtually nothing.
Watson lost patience with the Texans and wanted out, despite signing a lucrative contract with them.
The Texans refused to let him leave. This set the stage for an all-time player/team standoff until allegations of sexual misconduct against Watson by several women emerged.
He sat out the 2021 NFL season as a member of the Texans, who refused to trade him. This situation was beneficial to absolutely nobody.
#4 – Russell Wilson
When a player reaches a certain level, they can make a trade request in a way that doesn’t need to become public knowledge or destabilize their team.
Russell Wilson is one such player, although he maintains he never officially requested a trade from the Seattle Seahawks in 2021.
The reality is that Wilson had been looking to move away from the Hawks since then, but the franchise simply refused to deal him in 2021.
His partnership with DK Metcalf was seen as promising and was able to guide the team into a playoff spot. It was only when this proved not to be the case that the Seahawks softened on Wilson’s demands. His official trade request in 2022 was accepted, and he was dealt to the Denver Broncos.
#5 – Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers’ two-year long battle with the Green Bay Packers front office is one which will live long in the memory… even if it ended exactly where it started with the player staying in place in Wisconsin.
Rodgers was left consistently frustrated with the Packers’ refusal to draft him offensive weapons. Then, the franchise made the move to draft his replacement at QB in Jordan Love without consulting him. This left Rodgers heading into the 2021 offseason demanding to leave.
The defending MVP refused to return to training camp. He even contemplated retirement. He was so central to the Packers’ offense that the team refused to trade him… as they did a year later when, once more, Rodgers demanded a trade and again threatened retirement.
Paying him $150.8 million over three years soon calmed Rodgers down though, and he will continue with the team. It’s unclear if he is any happier in Wisconsin now. This could be an issue that arises again at the end of the 2022 NFL season. For now, the Packers have held strong and refused to trade their quarterback.
