NFL Trade Deadline 2020: Latest News and Rumors After Sunday's Week 7

With Halloween right around the corner and the NFL trade deadline rapidly approaching on November 3, there is plenty of opportunity for superstar players to escape scary or horrifying situations.

Might a former MVP and Super Bowl quarterback leave behind the only team he has ever known for a more favorable situation?

Which third-year wideout could end his ghastly 2020 with a different team that better utilizes his talents?

Find out the answer to those questions and more with this collection of news and rumors surrounding what looks to be an active deadline.

Ian Rapaport of NFL.com reported that, despite rumors to the contrary, Atlanta Falcons Matt Ryan and Julio Jones will not be dealt by the trade deadline. "Along with the fact that both would be very cap-unfriendly moves," he wrote, "one source described the rumored thought to be 'ridiculous.'"

And it would be.

Ryan has been the cornerstone of the franchise since 2008, when he was drafted third overall. He is a former MVP and Super Bowl quarterback and is still better than a third of the signal-callers starting in the league.

To completely blow up the team, no matter the record, by trading both him and the best wideout Atlanta has ever had, would be a panic move.

The 1-6 team has underperformed exponentially since their Super Bowl LI loss to New England, but to risk losing Ryan in hopes of securing the rights to a quarterback or wide receiver that will be better than Ryan or Jones is a foolish mistake that could set the team back even longer than it already has been.

Better, more disciplined defensive players and a few key wins could easily catapult the Falcons back into the race for the NFC South before Ryan or Jones decide to hang up their cleats.

Given their contributions to the team, it would be a shame for either star to be ushered out of town before they have the opportunity to realize Atlanta's fullest potential. Some teams need a complete implosion and rebuild. This Falcons squad is not one of them.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters the San Francisco 49ers have both made and fielded calls about third-year wide receiver Dante Pettis.

"I know John [Lynch] has taken a number of calls on it," Shanahan said of his general manager. "I know he’s made some. It’s stuff that we do right now. We’ll see if it can help us. If it does, we won’t hesitate to do it. But nothing is imminent."

Pettis has 38 career catches for 576 yards and seven touchdowns, five of which came in his rookie year. He has yet to be a factor of any kind in 2020 and has largely been a disappointment.

The emergence of Deebo Samuel as a rushing and receiving threat, Jimmy Garoppolo's chemistry with all-world tight end George Kittle and the team's heavy run-based offensive game plan has lessened the impact of wide outs in the scheme.

That may very well contribute to Pettis' downfall, but his inability to get on the field in year three certainly is not helping matters, either.

If San Francisco can get a mid-round draft pick or a player in return, it will be worth it to unload Pettis, who the team clearly has no real plans for and who has not necessarily proved to be a worthwhile return on the investment.

At least to this point.

Rapaport also reported that veteran wide receivers who are due big money are the most likely to find new homes come November 3, with the Giants' Golden Tate and Eagles' Alshon Jeffery specifically mentioned.

Tate has three receptions of 20-plus yards this season for a New York team that has not been synonymous with explosive offensive plays. The veteran receiver can still take the top off a defense for big plays downfield, especially for a quarterback more adept to completing those plays.

Cam Newton in New England, Kyle Allen in Washington or Sam Darnold with the Jets would all benefit from another threat on the field as their offenses struggle to keep pace with the more explosive units across the league.

Jeffery is a little bit of a question mark at this point.

"Along with being expensive, Jeffery still hasn't played with foot and now calf issues, making trading him extremely difficult," Rapaport wrote.

There is no denying Jeffery's talent. He was an invaluable part of the Eagles' Super Bowl run at the end of the 2017 season, but there have been diminishing returns due to injuries and controversial comments that he may or may not have made about his quarterback did not help matters.

The Eagles would likely want to trade Jeffery, but his ongoing injury makes him incredibly difficult to move at this point. After all, teams will want him able to play and will want to know what the 30-year-old has left before they offer up anything of value for him.