Jack Bechta of The National Football Post is hearing from several GMs that if the salary cap is allowed to expire next month, the bizarre restrictions on free agency could make trades a much more appealing route. Trades have been the exception, rather than the rule, in the NFL for over a decade, but pretty soon you may be able to entertain yourself with fanposts on how Reinfeldt should trade LenDale White and David Thornton to the Jets for Darrelle Revis and three years worth of first round picks.
The crux of the idea is that a lot of guys who would be on the open market are now going to be RFAs; including some players that teams aren't dying to keep around at the price the sorta-CBA wold require (looking at you, Bo). Also, the top 8 teams from last year are, for all intents and purposes, prohibited from doing much of anything in free agency. Ergo, teams can hang on to a guy's rights as an RFA, then negotiate trade terms that are more flexible and beneficial for both sides.
Trades are good for the NFL because they give teams another avenue to improve and put a additional emphasis on scouting/front office/coaching acumen that's much like the draft, but trade speculation creates more mind-numbing hypotheticals than most sane people can handle sober. Need proof? Read an NBA message board or ESPN Sportsnation Chat from the past week.
So, if all this comes to be, I just have one demand for our front office: no deals with the Pats, or even Scott Pioli in Kansas City. History says you won't win.