The NFL trade deadline has come and gone! Teams had until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to make deals, so general managers and front office personnel across the league were on the phone wheeling and dealing. And there were some big ones, including some surprises.
The Washington Commanders traded away both their young defensive stars -- Chase Young and Montez Sweat. The Vikings added a quarterback after Kirk Cousins was lost for the remainder of the season due to injury. The Jaguars traded for an offensive lineman, while the Lions added to their offense with another wide receiver. And that's just to name a few of the moves.
Here's a quick rundown of some of the more notable deals that occurred:
It's always a fascinating time of the year on a number of different fronts. Not only were some star players dealt, but teams' moves gave us a sense of how they view themselves essentially at the midway point of the year. If they were buyers, that's a sign that they felt they were a piece or two away from making a championship run. If they sold, it could send the season further down the tubes. Here's a look at some of our biggest takeaways:
The Vikings not punting on the season and making a move to add a quarterback. Minnesota didn't give up much, trading just a 2024 sixth-round pick in the draft in exchange for Dobbs and a conditional seventh-round pick. Dobbs should start in Minnesota when he's ready to go, giving himself an opportunity to prove he can play with better talent around him.
The Vikings are 4-4 and currently the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. They're taking a shot with Dobbs, needing someone to play quarterback with veteran experience with Kirk Cousins lost for the year.
Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley were rumored to be on the trade block for weeks, but neither was dealt. The Titans never restructured Henry's deal in the days leading up to the deadline, so he wasn't getting dealt by a Tennessee team that wants to see what he can do with Will Levis at quarterback -- or help take the pressure off him.
Barkley never really wanted to leave the Giants, so it was unlikely he was getting dealt. There wasn't any running back movement at the deadline as no team wanted to pay draft capital for them. Different era at the position.
Washington did lose two very good pass rushers on the edge in Montez Sweat and Chase Young, but the Commanders gained two valuable Day 2 picks in return. They also now have no one on the edge to rush the passer in a season which the Commanders are 3-5 and one game out of the No. 7 seed in the NFC. Washington, as it prepared for weeks, was a seller and created assets. Losing good players like Sweat and Young will hurt, especially when it's hard to find good pass rushers in the league.
The Commanders have a first-round pick, two second-round picks, and two third-round picks in the 2024 draft. This is a new era in Washington, with a rebuild on the horizon.
Be sure to check out all our grades for every move in our NFL trade deadline grades tracker. To relive everything that went down as it happened, check out our live blog below.
The Denver Broncos were one of the more intriguing teams to monitor at the deadline with receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton looked at as a couple of potential trade targets. However, in the closing minutes leading up to the deadline, Bleacher Report notes that the club is hanging onto its pass catchers.
After fielding calls on some of their young contract-year players like Josh Uche, Kyle Dugger, and Mike Onwenu, Sports Illustrated reports that New England is standing pat at the deadline. The report also adds that the team never received any call on Mac Jones or Ezekiel Elliott.
CBS Sports Lead NFL Insider Jonathan Jones reports that the Bills are sending a third-round pick to the Packers in exchange for Douglas. Buffalo will also receive a fifth-rounder.
The Green Bay Packers have agreed to trade defensive back Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills, according to CBS Sports Lead NFL Insider Jonathan Jones.
Buffalo's defense has been ravished by injuries this season, including losing star corner Tre'Davious White for the year. Douglas now gives them depth in the secondary. In seven games played for Green Bay, the 29-year-old has six pass breakups and an interception.
After initially allowing him to explore the market and find a trade partner, the Bears are not expected to deal Jaylon Johnson prior to the deadline, per NFL Media. Barring something changing in the final 30 minutes, the cornerback will remain in Chicago.
The Lions have acquired Donovan Peoples-Jones from the Cleveland Browns. Detroit adds DPJ to a wide receiver core that has Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Josh Reynolds, and Kalif Raymond.
The Lions are sending Cleveland a 2025 sixth-round pick.
Easily the biggest trade news of the day so far. The 49ers acquire a former first-round pick and Pro Bowl pass rusher in Young, who was reportedly headed out of town for a while. The 49ers now have to talented pass rushers in Young and fellow former Buckeye Nick Bosa.
It'll reportedly cost the 49ers a third round pick, a somewhat steep price but not too bad given Young's talent and still budding potential.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have acquired Vikings interior offensive lineman Ezra Cleveland, according to NFL Media. It's an exchange of Day 3 draft picks in a move that helps beef up the offensive line for the Jags, who moved to 6-2 on the year on Sunday. This trade is a reunion of sorts for Cleveland, who links back up with offensive line coach Phil Rauscher, who was with him in Minnesota.
According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, the Patriots have not received any trade calls for Mac Jones. The Patriots don't have any other options at quarterback and don't appear to be sellers anyway. Jones will stay in New England.
There has been some thought around the fanbase about the possibility of the Patriots trading Mac Jones at the deadline. However, The Athletic reports that New England has not received any trade calls on the former first-round quarterback.
Washington appears to be one of the more active teams at the deadline this year from a seller's perspective. Per Sports Illustrated, the Commanders have taken calls on backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett. While they've listened, the price has been prohibitive for other teams as they've asked for a Day 2 pick in return. The Athletic adds that the Vikings checked in on Brissett before dealing for Josh Dobbs with the Cardinals.
According to CBS Sports NFL Insider Josina Anderson, the Vikings made a pick swap as compensation for the Dobbs trade. So, Minnesota gets Dobbs and a seventh-round pick while the Cardinals receive a sixth-rounder.
There are also some conditions to the trade that could turn the seventh-rounder that went to Minnesota into a sixth, per ESPN.
This is the second time that Dobbs has been traded in the past three months. He was acquired by Arizona in a trade with the Browns back in August and now heads to Minnesota. The Vikings are the seventh team that Dobbs has played for in the NFL since entering the league as a fourth-round draft pick of the Steelers in 2017.
The Vikings are trading for Cardinals quarterback Joshua Dobbs, according to NFL Media. This deal comes off the heels of Minnesota losing starter Kirk Cousins for the season due to a torn Achilles. Dobbs arrives with plenty of starting experience and could be an option for the organization under center outside of Jaren Hall. Dobbs was recently benched by the Cardinals following a loss to the Ravens in Week 8.
Tee Higgins has received trade interest as we rocket toward the deadline, according to ESPN. However, similar to this offseason, the Bengals are not expected to move the wideout.
On top of fielding calls on both Josh Uche and Zeke Elliott, the Patriots have also checked in on the asking price for Commanders pass rusher Chase Young, per The Athletic. At 2-6, this wouldn't be a rental addition for New England and instead adding another pass rusher for the future. Of course, that would have to come with an extension.
If you thought that Washington trading away Montez Sweat meant that Chase Young would remain on the roster, you might want to think again. The Commanders are now taking calls on Young, according to CBS Sports NFL Insider Josina Anderson.
The former No. 2 overall pick has five sacks and nine quarterback hits in seven games played this season.
The New England Patriots would be open to trading pass rusher Josh Uche, according to ESPN. They've had some talks surrounding the 25-year-old -- who is in the final year of his contract -- and teams that missed out on Montez Sweat could pivot in this direction. Uche was a second-round pick back in 2020 and has flashed promise of being a top-tier pass rusher (11.5 sacks in 2022). Worth noting, he's missed the last two games due to injury.
In the aftermath of Monday night's loss and the wide receiver slamming his helmet on the sideline in frustration, Davante Adams' availability at the deadline has been talked about on Tuesday morning. However, it doesn't seem like the Raiders are going to move the star pass catcher. When asked about Adams, ESPN's Adam Schefter relayed that he spoke to a person close to the situation who said there's "not a chance in hell" they move him.
Running back-needy teams have called the Patriots about the possibility of acquiring Ezekiel Elliott, per Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report. Elliott is in the final year of his contract and with New England sitting at 2-6, it'd make sense for someone like him to be on the block. The veteran has ran well out of the Patriots backfield this season and has piled up 26- yards and two touchdowns so far.
The Bears will have $110 million in cap space to spend, so that money has to go somewhere. Trade a second-round pick (projected at No. 35) for a proven pass rusher heading into his prime years. The Bears can pay him top edge rusher money and build the pass rush going forward. Sweat deserves top dollar. We'll see how he does without Allen, Payne, and Young.
The Bears are parting ways for a second-round pick again, although Sweat is a much better player than Chase Claypool. For a team that needs pass-rushing help, this is a nice return on investment. Why is a "seller" buying is the main question here?
Hunter not going anywhere? Pretty surprising considering the Vikings cannot tag him this offseason and they just lost Kirk Cousins and so seem unlikely to make the playoffs.
Chicago made a big, surprising move on Tuesday, sending a second-round pick to Washington in exchange for edge rusher Montez Sweat. Sweat is playing this season on the fifth-year option and was apparently not in line for a new contract with the Commanders, and the Bears are presumably willing to pay up to keep him around. He has 6.5 sacks so far this season and has recorded between 5 and 9 takedowns in every year of his career to date.
