Superstar cornerback Xavien Howard has told the Miami Dolphins that he wants to be traded. He's yet another marquee name asking out of his team this offseason, following Deshaun Watson and the Aaron Rodgers Saga.
Howard claims that he's taking a business-first approach after failing to agree on terms of a new contract with the team and that he feels too undervalued at this point, even adding that he's not even the best paid cornerback on his own team.
"There's a way," coach Brian Flores told the Miami Herald. "I think we just continue to have discussions with him, his representation, and keep the lines of communication open, continue having dialogue and, hopefully, work something out. At the same time, we've got 90, 89 other guys that we'll be working with, to include X. Try to build this team and improve on a day-to-day basis, build team chemistry. That's where most of our focus is. The X thing is something we're having discussions about, as well."
NFL Trade Rumors: The 3 Most Likely Destinations For Xavien Howard
So, now that Howard is eyeing a move out of the team and that the Dolphins will likely have no choice but to trade him, let's take a look at the top 3 most realistic destinations for the star cornerback.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
Well, you know what they say: The rich will always get richer. The Pittsburgh Steelers already feature an elite defense and their secondary with Minkah Fitzpatrick and Joe Haden is among's the league's finest. But they could still add more help to their backfield.
The Steelers' offense has been pedestrian at best and this team is build through their defense. Adding an elite player like Howard would take them up a notch in one of the most physical divisions in the league.
2. New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints have been elite at managing the salary cap and that could come in pretty handily now that they need to add as much help as they can to make up for their flaws at the quarterback position.
A duo of Marshon Lattimore and Howard would be a nightmare for opposing teams and they have enough assets to pull it off. It's not that we don't trust Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill to win a couple of games (we don't), but this team needs to focus on their defense.
1. Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals need to go all-in on Xavien Howard. Now. They've shown that they're ready to win now and that won't hesitate to make bold moves - such as the signings of AJ Green and JJ Watt plus the DeAndre Hopkins trade), but they're secondary defense is terrible.
The Cardinals were just shy of a playoff spot last season and even though they would have to add some picks to get this deal done, Xavien Howard could turn them from pretenders to actual contenders.
