Winners and losers from the NFL trade deadline
An exciting NFL trade deadline is officially in the books. After breaking down the biggest deals in the moment, let's zoom out for big-picture look at the overall winners and losers from this year's action.
Winner: Future Jets (maybe)
We'll start by discussing both sides of a stunning day for the Jets. It's tough to imagine that they went into the deadline wanting to move Sauce Gardner or Quinnen Williams. There are only so many players that are truly untouchable, though. Virtually every non-quarterback has a price. And when teams step up with the kinds of offers that have the potential to alter the future of your franchise, you have no choice but to listen. The Jets were evidently blown away by the collection of picks that was put on the table for their pair of elite defensive players. And rightly so.
Because as difficult as it may be to find defenders of that caliber, this team knows as well as anyone that tracking down a franchise quarterback can be damn near impossible. Getting a pair of first-round picks from the Colts for Gardner, and then first- and second-round selections from the Cowboys for Williams, gives New York all the capital it could possibly need to navigate the next two drafts in search of a young passer. And who knows? If the Jets are as bad as they look on paper, perhaps they end up at the top of the 2026 draft all on their own, allowing them to use all these extra picks on other top prospects that can grow alongside their new quarterback. That brings us to the other side of this.
Loser: Current Jets (definitely)
While it's possible that the Jets turn all of this draft capital into the kind of rebuild that finally produces a consistent winner, it's going to be a long road to get there. If you thought this team was bad after a pathetic 1-7 start, just wait to see what it looks like when their two best players are removed from the equation. There might not be another win on the schedule from here on out. With that in mind, everyone in the organization needs to be aligned on expectations over the second half.
Again, the Jets naturally ending up with the No. 1 pick in addition to all the picks acquired Thursday would be something of a dream scenario for first-year general manager Darren Mougey. Anyone capable of taking the long-term view can surely appreciate that. But what about the rest of the roster? How many of the other top players are going to be excited about sticking around when young superstars are getting shipped out for picks? Breece Hall reportedly wanted to be traded on deadline day. Considering the effort to stockpile picks, and the fact that Hall is scheduled to hit free agency in March, it's a little shocking that the Jets didn't oblige. With a number of exciting pieces on the roster, I had previously seen this team as one that could potentially be a top QB prospect away from taking off. That's simply no longer the case after Thursday's wheeling and dealing. Tearing things down in this manner undoubtedly creates a longer road back to relevance. Haven't Jets fans been through enough already?
Winner: Chris Ballard
The Colts are all in. That's probably the first time we can say that about a Chris Ballard team. The ninth-year general manager has a well-earned reputation as one of the league's most conservative team builders. In years past, you could pretty much guarantee that he'd pass up any and all opportunities to make big moves in favor of a more methodical approach. It turns out these things can change when you finally find your quarterback.
That's not to say I'm completely convinced that Daniel Jones is certain to return value on the long-term deal he inevitably receives in Indy. Nobody can argue with the results we've seen thus far, though. The Colts are legitimately good, and they know it. So while you could certainly quibble with the price tag in the Sauce Gardner blockbuster - there will always be a strong case to be made against spending multiple first-round picks on a non-quarterback - I have no choice but to respect the long overdue boldness. Gardner is, conservatively, one of the five best cornerbacks in football. He's still only 25 years old, and he's already under contract through 2030. Barring some sort of catastrophic collapse, adding this type of game-changer in the midst of his prime should ensure nobody in Indianapolis is missing a pair of late first-rounders.
Loser: Bengals
It's long been understood that the Bengals have a different way of doing business. To be clear, I mean that negatively. Declining to move Trey Hendrickson before the deadline is just another example of the stubborn approach that so consistently ends up setting this organization back.
Keeping Hendrickson would be a totally reasonable move if there was any intention of paying him what he's worth. After multiple years of contract standoffs, including a 2025 training camp hold-in resolved by a one-year band-aid solution, there's no reason to believe that's going to happen. Hendrickson is scheduled to become a free agent in March. Considering the prices teams were evidently willing to pay for impact defenders at this year's deadline, there was likely a real opportunity for Cincinnati to flip the 30-year-old for picks to help rebuild this barren roster. The Bengals could theoretically use the franchise tag in March and entertain trade options thereafter, but there's no telling what Hendrickson could net them at that point. Why not capitalize on a hot trade market in the midst of what is likely a lost season?
Winner: Sam Darnold
The Seahawks probably didn't have to make an addition to the receiving corps. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, and rookie Tory Horton were already producing at a high level for Sam Darnold, who's been playing out of his mind halfway through his debut season in Seattle. But smart teams don't sit back when they have a real chance to compete. An aggressive move for Rashid Shaheed should make this passing game even more dangerous than it already is.
Shaheed is one of the NFL's premier vertical targets, and reuniting Klint Kubiak should allow for optimal usage in that regard. The new Seahawks coordinator had already been leaning heavily upon the vertical game, and Darnold is delivering downfield better than any other quarterback so far this season. In fact, his 144.8 passer rating on throws of 20-plus yards downfield is the best mark posted since air yards were first tracked in 2006, according to TruMedia. The Seahawks leaning into that ability even more should not only set the stage for more team success, but the gaudy numbers could very well make Darnold an MVP front-runner in the process. It may only be a matter of time before the three-year, $100.5-million deal he signed in March is replaced with a monster extension that solidifies him as Seattle's new franchise quarterback.
Loser: Aaron Rodgers
Everyone assumed the Steelers would be sniffing around receivers ahead of the deadline. The need for a capable No. 2 across from DK Metcalf couldn't have been more obvious. And after an offseason in which Pittsburgh really seemed to embraced the win-now approach of trying to build a contender around Aaron Rodgers, it seemed like a lock that a meaningful move would be made. Any such expectations were evidently giving this staff far too much credit.
The Steelers were indeed in the mix for Jakobi Meyers, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, but they ultimately got outbid by the Jaguars. The price: 4th- and 6th-round picks. Even if you think that was too much to pay (it wasn't), how was there not any sort of pivot to another option? Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who officially signed with the team as a free agent Tuesday, is now the sole addition to upgrade that painfully thin group. While he was a pleasant surprise in New Orleans last year, and the history with Rodgers probably helps the fit, this is an extremely underwhelming way for the Steelers to enter the second half. Unless last week's win over the Colts proves to be the first step in a monumental turnaround for a rapidly declining defense, I'm not sure this offense has nearly enough firepower to compensate.
Winner: Eagles
The first half of the Eagles' season was a bit of a roller coaster. The offense appeared to have sorted things out in bouncing back from a concerning two-game losing streak, but there were still some real concerns about whether this defense (T-13th in EPA/play, T-22nd in success rate) could do the same. Howie Roseman wasn't about to sit around and wait to find out.
Philly getting Jaelan Phillips from Miami for a third-round pick has the potential to be a steal. The former first-rounder could be exactly exactly what this pass-rush needs to start trending back toward the more disruptive ways of last year's championship run. Phillips has bounced back from a pair of injury-ridden seasons to rank 11th among edge defenders in pass-rush win rate, according to PFF. The Eagles were also facing question marks at the third cornerback spot alongside Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Doubling down with Michael Carter II and Jaire Alexander is a fascinating way to give coordinator Vic Fangio some options. Could a fresh start can help Alexander show glimpses of the form he enjoyed in Green Bay before falling out of favor on a one-year deal in Baltimore? Crucially, because the Eagles have always done such a great job of building up draft capital, these swings were probably pretty easy to justify. Roseman is the best in the business. His latest work makes me a little more optimistic about the Eagles' chances of defending their Super Bowl title.
Loser: Commanders
The Commanders are effectively out of the playoff picture at 3-6, and there's pretty much no hope of salvaging the season with Jayden Daniels now set to miss time. Considering they entered the season with the oldest roster we've seen since at least 2012, you'd think they would have been primed for a bit of a selling spree at the trade deadline. Instead, it was nothing but crickets.
Washington rolling into the second half of a lost season with aging veterans like Von Miller, Bobby Wagner, Zach Ertz, and even Deebo Samuel all playing out expiring deals really has me rethinking the endless praise we all had for this new staff coming off last year's NFC title game appearance. Aside from making the no-brainer pick with Daniels at No. 2 overall, this roster-building effort has left much to be desired. Taking whatever you could get for a few older players unlikely to be on the team next year could have gone a long way toward restocking some draft capital. Regression did hit harder than expected this season, but the Commanders have quite a bit of work to do if they're going to bounce back next year.
Dan Wilkins is theScore's senior NFL writer.