If the Cleveland Browns get their way, the NFL trade deadline could be undergoing a major change this year.
During an interview at the NFL Combine on Tuesday, Browns general manager Andrew Berry revealed that his team will be submitting a proposal to extend the trade deadline. As things currently stand, the trade deadline falls on the first Tuesday after Week 8.
The deadline was originally set so that it would fall near the midpoint of the season for most teams, but that only worked with a 16-game schedule. Now that the schedule has been expanded to 17 games, Berry thinks the NFL needs to move the deadline.
"We want to retroactively correct the fact that the trade deadline never moved when the season expanded to 17 games," Berry told the media. "If, at some point in the future, the regular season expands to 18 games, we wanted to be proactive in terms of the positioning for the trade deadline."
Berry wants to see the deadline extended by two weeks, which would push it until the first Tuesday after Week 10. In 2023, the deadline was on Oct. 31, but if the Browns proposal had been passed last year, then the deadline would have been on Nov. 14.
One big advantage of an extended deadline is that teams would have a better idea if they're going to be buyers or sellers. For instance, the Titans were 3-4 after Week 8, which is not a situation where you're going to have a fire sale, but after Week 10, they were 3-6, so they might have been more open to making a trade or two. Basically, the closer a team is to playoff elimination, the more likely they would be to making a deal, and teams would have a much better idea of where they are after Week 10.
Berry also pointed out that one of the things that makes the trade deadline more exciting in other sports is because it comes later in the season.
"If you look at us compared to the other major sports leagues," Berry said. "If you look at their seasons by calendar days or games played -- baseball and basketball, they have their trade deadline at 65% of their games played. Hockey is at 78%. Currently, we're at 45%. Our proposal would move it to about 55% of the games played."
If the Browns' proposal passes, it would definitely add some serious drama to the NFL season. Once the Browns officially turn in the proposal, it could be voted on as soon as the next league meeting, which is scheduled for March 24-27 in Orlando.
