The deadline is over, and NFL rosters are more or less set for the rest of the season. We haven’t had any ground-breaking buzz that will shape the league, but there have been some pretty significant deals that will affect the race to the playoffs.
Making deals at the trade deadline is always an interesting push and pull. Teams must balance their belief in competing on the road with the potential to sacrifice a lot, if things don’t go their way. Check out the cautionary tale of the ad for Indianapolis Coles, who were regretting their deal for Sauce Gardner this time last year. Indy gave up two first-round picks in the belief that they had just one class left, and are now rebuilding without a top draft asset.
This year’s big buyers were the Jacksonville Jaguars, and they went big. The team landed S Jessie Bates from the Falcons for a second and added Davon Godcha to bolster their defensive line and make the biggest trade deadline deal from the Eagles for running back DT Jordan Davis. The vision is that this team will want to stop a few more drives in the game, confident that their stellar offense will win enough games.
Let’s take a look around the league to see who won the last day and who made some questionable moves.
Winner: Kirk Cousins and Vikings
The biggest gainer on the Vikings’ roster is Kirk Cousins, who has said he wants to return to Minnesota. The veteran QB accomplished exactly what was asked of him in Las Vegas, essentially being Fernando Mendoza’s former mentor and leading the way for the first part of the season.
Now the Raiders can turn the keys over to Mendoza to start getting some live-fire reps, while Cousins walks away with a chance to compete for a Super Bowl ring — instead of sadly holding the clipboard for the final months of the season.
Thanks for giving Minnesota their best shot. A third-round pick is more than Cousins should have spent, but they had no other choice. The entire league knew they were desperate, so he made sure to put the screws to them. The good news for Vikings fans is that the team hasn’t factored in the overall future of this run, meaning this was a nice halfway point between a home run trade and a mediocre one that doesn’t change anything.
This was a one-year promissory note for Murray in Minnesota, and he drank loudly. With zero chance of him getting another starting job in the NFL next season, a veteran journeyman like Jamei Winston has the best option of turning into a top-tier backup QB.
It’s unclear if that’s what Murray wants, though, and it wouldn’t be shocking if he were to leave the NFL altogether and try to rebuild his athletic career in baseball. MLB is a perfect fit for Murray, as the season ends before the annual release. call of duty.
Winner: Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders got a 3rd round pick for a QB they had no use for now. That’s a great trade, allowing them to make the change where they need it, while also adding draft assets along the way. Not to say much, really.
The 49ers made a good move to add Keenan Allen to their receiving corps at the deadline. A smart veteran who understands his role and does all the little things well. While he may not be the dominant receiver he once was with the Chargers, Allen is still a reliable target who moves the chains, picks up solid yards and makes the QB’s life easier. The fact that San Francisco only got a 6th round pick was certainly a smart trade.
This comes after another trade was made with the Colts a week ago to bring DeForest Buckner into the fold. This pair of veteran moves should help stabilize an ailing 49ers roster and give them some momentum heading into the playoffs. They really like both trades for the Niners and they didn’t break the bank.
Jonathan Taylor is staying with the Colts, so it’s a really tough break for a top player we thought would be dealt at the deadline. Indianapolis turned down several trade offers for their top running back, still waiting for a big move that never materialized.
On the one hand it makes sense to keep Taylor, but it feels impossibly unfair to him. This was a player who seemed to be in control, saying goodbye to Colts fans and thanking the city — now he’s returning to a hopelessly hopeless team dealing with so many pieces. This was an opportunity to land on a contender and make a deep playoff run, and now it’s stuck.
There have been reports that the Colts have turned down offers that include a 2nd round pick and more, which makes me wonder what this team thought they could get in return for a 27-year-old running back, even as talented as he is.
Winner (with caveats): Jacksonville Jaguars
Turning to Jacksonville, we can look at this team and say they are much better than last week. The Jags made a big move on defense, but they were expendable a lot To get there. As a fan, it’s fine to have a “pick it up” mentality – until a team fails to live up to its potential and there’s a better way to improve.
The pressure is on now. “They should make a Super Bowl” is a stretch, but they should make an AFC Championship. To load like this and get out early is an introduction where the team didn’t assess their chances properly. What’s more, Jacksonville is a team without a 1st round pick for the second year in a row, and 2025 will be used to pay for the Travis Hunter trade a year early. That will do It’s a question of whether you can come to meet them and win enough now.
There are plenty of good reasons to believe this could be the Jags’ year, but also reasons to be cautious. They’re 6-2 with a -0.81 strength of schedule, which means they’ve played weaker-than-average opponents collectively. The two losses came against the Broncos and Texans, both of whom are at the back of the elite in the conference. Everything feels like a giant coin flip.
