The NFL trade deadline was once just another week in a sprawling regular season. Recently, it’s become an event.
The league’s in-season cutoff date comes Tuesday, October 31 at 4 p.m. E.T.. After that, the only moves that can affect the race to Super Bowl 58 will have to come via free agent pickups and waiver wire bids. This fall, we’ve already seen two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard dealt from the only franchise he’s ever known (the Tennessee Titans) to reinforce the Philadelphia Eagles’ secondary.
There’s more to suggest 2023 could be a busy year for big name in-season trades. Last fall saw contenders like the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills add pieces to boost eventual playoff runs. With a wide-open playoff field and plenty of feasible contenders, there could be another wild flurry of action to close out trading season on Halloween.
Will those swaps meet the standard of some of the biggest in-season trades in recent memory? Here are the 15 biggest trade deadline season deals — i.e. occurring in October or later — of the past decade. They’re listed in chronological order so we can appreciate just how much more action we’ve gotten in recent years than the past.
2014 and 2016: Bill Belichick adds to his legend
New England Patriots receive: LB Akeem Ayers, seventh round pick
Tennessee Titans receive: sixth round pick
AND
New England Patriots receive: LB Kyle Van Noy, seventh round pick
Detroit Lions receive: sixth round pick
It didn’t look like much at the time, but Ayers was a classic buy-low deal for Bill Belichick. The Patriots turned the former second-round pick into found money, where he had four sacks in the final nine games of the season and played a key role in the team’s Super Bowl run — including a vital assist to Marshawn Lynch at the one-yard line to set up Malcolm Butler’s game-saving interception of Russell Wilson one play later.
Two years afterward, the Patriots pulled off essentially the same exact deal for another disappointing second round linebacker who’d play a significant role on a Super Bowl winner. Landing Van Noy not only boosted the defense, but allowed Belichick to deal Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns a week later in exchange for a third-round pick. The former Lions would stick around for a pair of championship parades through the streets of Boston.
Three years later Belichick would be involved in yet another October deal involving a second-rounder … except this time it blew up in his face when he sent a Day 2 pick to the Atlanta Falcons for Mohamed Sanu, who had 26 catches in 14 games as a Patriot.
2017: Russell Wilson gets his blindside protector
Seattle Seahawks receive: LT Duane Brown, fifth round pick
Houston Texans receive: second round pick, third round pick
Brown was unhappy in Houston. Russell Wilson was frequently getting battered in Seattle. Thus, Pete Carroll put an end to the All-Pro’s holdout and brought him to the West Coast, where he was a two-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro across four-plus seaons with the Seahawks.
2017: The 49ers get their franchise quarterback
San Francisco 49ers receive: QB Jimmy Garoppolo
New England Patriots receive: second round pick
San Francisco opted to deal for Garoppolo rather than wait and see if the club could land Kirk Cousins in free agency. The move paid off, at least in the standings. Though the former Patriot’s run ended without a taste of world championship glory, Garoppolo went 38-17 in the regular season as the Niners’ starting quarterback and led the team to the NFC title game three(-ish, thanks to Brock Purdy) times in five-plus years.
2018: Amari Cooper escapes football purgatory
Dallas Cowboys receive: WR Amari Cooper
Oakland Raiders receive: first round pick
Cooper was a Pro Bowler in his first two seasons as a Raider, but a lackluster offense left him playing uninspired football before the 2018 deadline. A trade to the Cowboys perked him back up, as he averaged career bests of 5.9 catches and 80.6 receiving yards per game in his first half-season in Dallas. He had a pair of 1,100-yard campaigns in Texas before being dealt to the Cleveland Browns in a salary-shedding move before the 2022 season.
2019: A questionable deal gets the Giants a foundational defender
New York Giants receive: DE Leonard Williams, $4 million
New York Jets receive: third round pick, fifth round pick
This deal was maligned when it happened, as general manager Dave Gettleman shipped out two picks for the right to pay Williams a hefty raise despite the Jets’ apparent lack of interest in re-signing him after the season. Contract concerns aside, this was a solid acquisition for the Giants. Williams had 11.5 sacks in 2020 and has been a vital member of the team’s defensive front in the three years since.
2019: The Lions' dysfunction is the Seahawks' gain
Seattle Seahawks receive: S Quandre Diggs, seventh round pick
Detroit Lions receive: fifth round pick
Diggs hated playing for then-head coach Matt Patricia (he wasn’t alone) and was shipped off to sunnier pastures by escaping a broken Lions team. He’s made three straight Pro Bowls since 2020.
2019: The Rams build a Super Bowl defense, part I
Los Angeles Rams receive: CB Jalen Ramsey
Jacksonville Jaguars receive: two first round picks, fourth round pick
Ramsey wanted out of a frustrating situation in Florida. The Rams were looking for the final piece of a Super Bowl puzzle. Each side got what they wanted, as Ramsey was a first-team All-Pro in LA’s title-winning 2021 season. The Jaguars turned their two first round picks into K’Lavon Chaisson and Travis Etienne.
2020: The Vikings sell at a quiet, pandemic-affected deadline
Baltimore Ravens receive: EDGE Yannick Ngakoue
Minnesota Vikings receive: third round pick, fifth round pick
The veteran pass rusher was arguably the biggest name to move at a quiet 2020 deadline — it’s either him, Carlos Dunlap or Kwon Alexander. Ngakoue’s case is certainly the most interesting, however. Minnesota had traded a second round pick to acquire him that offseason. After six games and a 1-5 record, the Vikings cut bait and got a third round selection in return.
2021: The Rams build a Super Bowl defense, part II
Los Angeles Rams receive: EDGE Von Miller
Denver Broncos receive: second round pick, third round pick
Miller was a powerful counterpunch to Aaron Donald’s expertise inside, racking up nine sacks in the final eight games of LA’s 2021 season — including two in a Super Bowl 56 victory. While he’d leave in free agency soon after, the mission was accomplished for the Rams and general manager Les Snead.
2022: Trevor Lawrence gets a boost (eventually)
Jacksonville Jaguars receive: WR Calvin Ridley
Atlanta Falcons receive: conditional second or third round pick, fifth round pick
The first major shot in the biggest flurry of in-season trade activity the modern NFL has ever seen was Ridley’s move to the AFC. The then-suspended wideout fetched a modest return that could climb as high as a second round pick should the Jaguars opt to extend his contract once it expires in 2024. He’s been explosive some weeks and anonymous others, but it’s clear he brings value to Lawrence’s offense.
2022: The Dolphins try to bolster their pass rush
Miami Dolphins receive: EDGE Bradley Chubb, fifth round pick
Denver Broncos receive: RB Chase Edmonds, first round pick, fourth round pick
The Broncos re-filled a depleted stock of draft picks by dealing away Chubb, who struggled with injuries in Denver but had 20.5 sacks in his first 34 games as a Bronco. He was named a 2022 Pro Bowler and has 6.5 sacks in 15 games as a Dolphin — along with four forced fumbles.
2022: The Bears execute one of the worst trades in franchise history
Chicago Bears receive: WR Chase Claypool
Pittsburgh Steelers receive: second round pick
Claypool had 18 catches in 10 games as a Bear and was traded in 2023 (along with a seventh-rounder) for a sixth round pick. The Steelers wound up selecting CB Joey Porter Jr. 32nd overall. Ooof.
2022: The Vikings and Lions make a deal and everyone's happy
Minnesota Vikings receive: TE TJ Hockenson, two fourth round picks
Detroit Lions receive: second round pick, third round pick
Hockenson has been a rising tide for the Minnesota passing offense, stepping into a larger role for Kirk Cousins and showcasing All-Pro upside. The Lions used the picks gleaned from this deal to help create the latitude needed to select Sam LaPorta in the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s since emerged as one of the game’s most exciting young tight ends. A win/win deal here.
2022: The Ravens snag the next link in a chain of greatness
Baltimore Ravens receive: LB Roquan Smith
Chicago Bears receive: LB AJ Klein, second round pick, fifth round pick
The price was high for an off-ball linebacker who’d soon command $20 million annually, but Smith has proven a worthy gamble. The versatile tackling and coverage machine has been a foundation for the Ravens’ defense. He provides the base from which teammates can branch out and devastate opponents without having to worry about the middle of the field.
2022: The 49ers offense goes into hyperdrive
San Francisco 49ers receive: RB Christian McCaffrey
Carolina Panthers receive: second round pick, third round pick, fourth round pick, fifth round pick
The Niners paid up for a running back in a market that’s otherwise suggested players at that position aren’t worth it. McCaffrey’s been an outlier. His receiving chops make him a devastating weapon and his ability to find the end zone has proven second to none.
