The NFL draft is getting very close and that means trade rumors will start to fly and LaMichael James has been at the top of that with the 49ers shopping him, while CJ Spiller could get into the mix in the future if the Bills don't give him a contract extension and teams like the Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles could be interested in pulling off a deal down the line.
James is being shopped by the San Francisco 49ers this offseason after not getting much playing time over the past couple years and while it has been slow moving so far, the team is likely to get a deal done before the NFL draft. The Niners drafted James to help take the load off of Frank Gore, but things haven't worked out that way and if the Eagles hadn't traded for Darren Sproles already, there is a good chance that the Eagles would have jumped in, as James previously played for Kelly at Oregon.
James has only played in 14 games for the Niners over the past two seasons and he has just 184 rushing yards total and he has not scored a touchdown on the ground. James was expected to be a threat receiving the ball but that hasn't materialized either, while his biggest contributions were in the return game and that gave him some value to the team. Now they are looking to make a trade and they should be able to get at least a late draft pick out of it if that's what they want to do. The team already has double digit draft picks and if they get one back, they could use that to move up in the draft to get a player like Mike Evans, who is someone that Jim Harbaugh loves.
Regarding Spiller, he is in the last year of his deal and said that he would like to stay in Buffalo, but just because he is at offseason workouts doesn't mean he is not thinking about his contract. Spiller is in the process of getting a new agent and he said that he will speak to Jairus Byrd, who didn't sign his franchise tender last season and eventually signed with the Saints this year. Spiller is taking a different approach, but if things don't work out, he could get traded at some point.
Spiller has been a very productive player in his career and a number of teams could use a dual threat back like him, including the Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders and NY Giants. The Eagles also could be an option in the future depending on what happens with Darren Sproles this season. Spilled had his first 1,000 yard season in 2012 and he also had a career high 43 catches for 459 yards and he followed that up last season with 933 yards rushing and another 185 receiving on 33 receptions. Spiller is a very fast and explosive back and if he does get out on the market, he is sure to have some suitors.
