For the most part, we're lucky to get just one or two quarterback trades during a normal offseason, but that definitely wasn't the case this year. When it comes to QB trades, the NFL went absolutely off the rails over the past week. Starting on March 10, we saw a total of five QB trades go down in a span of just six days.
It's not easy to trade a quarterback who's expected to fill a backup role, but that's what happened with all five trades over the past week. With that in mind, we decided to take a look at the five teams that traded away a quarterback and rank them based on who got the best compensation in return.
1. Falcons trade away Desmond Ridder
Trade details
- Falcons get: Rondale Moore
- Cardinals get: Desmond Ridder
- Full trade story here
Breakdown: This was an absolute steal of a deal for Atlanta. With Ridder on his way out, the Falcons were in a position where they would have likely taken anything they could get in a potential trade. Usually, that ends up being a Day 3 pick in the NFL Draft, but in this case, the Falcons actually hit a home run. Not only did they trade away a player who likely wouldn't have played a single down for them in 2024, but they got back a huge weapon in return. Moore will now be joining a loaded Falcons offense that already includes Drake London and Darnell Mooney at receiver. Kirk Cousins was probably thrilled to see this trade go down.
2. Commanders trade away Sam Howell
Trade details
- Commanders get: 2024 third-round pick (78th overall pick) and fifth-rounder (152)
- Seahawks get: Sam Howell, 2024 fourth-round pick (102) and 2024 sixth-rounder (179)
- Full trade story here
Breakdown: Every team that currently has a top-three pick in the draft dumped their 2023 starting QB in a trade over the past week and the Commanders definitely got the most in return. Washington was able to move up 24 spots in the draft by flipping a fourth-round pick into a third-round pick. They also got a nice 27-spot bump on Day 3 of the draft by sending the 179th pick to Seattle in exchange for the 152nd pick.
One other upside to Washington's deal is that they got an impressive haul for a quarterback they selected in the fifth-round. That puts them ahead of the three teams below them, who all traded a former first-round pick without getting a ton in return.
3. Steelers trade away Kenny Pickett
Trade details
- Steelers get: 2024 third-round pick (98th overall) and two 2025 seventh-round picks
- Eagles get: Kenny Pickett and 2024 fourth-round pick (120th overall)
- Full trade story here
Breakdown: After the Steelers signed Russell Wilson, it was pretty clear that Kenny Pickett was likely done in Pittsburgh, so the fact that the Steelers were able to get anything in a trade for him is arguably impressive. Not only did they manage to move UP 22 spots in the draft by trading their 120th overall pick for Philly's 98th overall pick, but they also got two seventh-round picks tacked on. Those two picks could become solid trade ammo in 2025 if the Steelers need to trade up for any reason.
To rehash this deal: The Steelers got three draft picks, they got rid of a starting quarterback they didn't want anymore and they got cheaper at QB. That's about as good as it gets considering the situation.
4. Patriots trade away Mac Jones
Trade details
- Patriots get: 2024 sixth-round pick (193rd overall)
- Jaguars get: Mac Jones
- Full trade story here
Breakdown: Jones is the only QB who got traded over the past week that once led his team to the playoffs, but that didn't really help the Patriots when it comes to trade compensation. With Jones coming off a 2023 season where he was benched multiple times, it was pretty clear that he wasn't going to last much longer in New England.
The Patriots took what they could get for Jones and what they could get turned out to be the 193rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. That's not a great return, but it's still arguably better than the team that ranked at the bottom of our list.
5. Bears trade away Justin Fields
Trade details
- Bears get: Conditional 2025 sixth-round pick
- Steelers get: Justin Fields
- Full trade story here
Breakdown: For the Bears, this is an embarrassing deal. They used a first-round pick on Fields just three years ago and they got almost nothing in return for their former starting quarterback. To make matters worse, they had to give up a lot to even draft Fields with the 11th overall pick back in 2021.
The Bears went into the draft with the 20th overall pick, but they ended up moving up nine spots by dealing the 20th overall pick and a 20221 fifth-rounder (164 overall) to the Giants. On top of that, they also sent a 2022 first- and a 2022 fourth-round pick to New York. The first-round pick ended up being seventh overall.
When you consider the high cost of getting Fields and the fact that they basically set him up for failure during his first two years, this trade is just a bad look for the Bears. That being said, everyone in Chicago will forget about the Fields trade if the Bears take a QB with the first overall pick and that QB pans out, but the Bears have never had a QB pan out during the Super Bowl era.
The sixth-rounder from the Steelers could turn into a fourth-rounder if Fields play 51% of the snaps in 2024 for Pittsburgh, but that seems highly unlikely.
