Every NFL trade deadline deal, tracked and graded from Davante Adams to Tre'Davious White
The NFL's trade deadline used to be a ghost town. Between an early cutoff and reticent teams, few players were dealt while the regular season was still in progress.
That's changed in recent years. Over the last decade, stars like Christian McCaffery, Von Miller and Jalen Ramsey have been forced to relocate -- heck, Amari Cooper's had to do it twice. 2024 threatens to push that trend to new heights. A robust market of veteran wideouts has meant October has been especially spooky for pass catchers afraid to search for rental properties in a new location.
More than a half dozen-trades filled dead air on sports radio with more than a week before the league's November 4 deadline. We'll break every in-season trade down here, along with links to our full grades for the bigger deals. Newer trades are on top, sliding all the way down to the Davante Adams deal that kicked off 2024's frenzy.
17. The 49ers add a little extra defensive line depth
San Francisco 49ers acquire: DT Khalil Davis
Houston Texans acquire: 2026 seventh round pick
49ers grade: B
Texans grade: B
Davis is a rotational interior lineman who has played about a third of the Texans' defensive snaps this season. He's solid at holding his ground, can create short yardage stops and occasionally get to the quarterback. But he's not a three-down player and can be erased from certain plays, leading to the meager return for Houston.
16. The Ravens add a former All-Pro at almost no cost (because he's been awful in 2024)
Baltimore Ravens acquire: CB Tre'Davious White, 2026 seventh round pick
Los Angeles Rams acquire: 2025 seventh round pick
Ravens grade: shrug
Rams grade: whatever
The Rams hoped White would be fully recovered from the injuries that marred the end of his Buffalo Bills tenure. Instead, he was a shell of his former self. The two-time All-Pro allowed a 138.4 passer rating in coverage in four games with Los Angeles -- a number three times higher than the one he posted in his 2019 breakthrough.
Still, he was solid in limited reps in 2023 and Baltimore needs secondary help. The end cost will be a minor shift in seventh round draft position that could actually work in the Ravens' favor if Los Angeles has a strong 2026. There's not much to this deal, but it happened, so here we are.
15. The Steelers add veteran pass rushing help
Pittsburgh Steelers acquire: EDGE Preston Smith
Green Bay Packers acquire: 2025 seventh round pick
Steelers grade: B-
Packers grade: C
Smith had started all nine games for the Packers this fall, but his snap count had dwindled to 54 percent -- his lowest since 2014 when he was a rookie in Washington. His production had followed suit, as he was on pace for only four sacks and eight quarterback hits, the latter of which would be a career low.
That dented his value and led him to Pittsburgh, who doesn't quite need a pass rusher but saw value in a 10-year veteran who has missed a single game in his NFL career. The Steelers' 34.4 percent pressure rate is tied with the Commanders for 12th-best in the league, which is fine but probably less than you'd expect for a team with T.J. Watt in the lineup. bringing in Smith gives Mike Tomlin to swap in for Watt or Alex Highsmith when they need a breather even if his 6.4 percent pressure rate is his lowest in three years.
Ultimately it's a low cost move for a veteran who may benefit from a change of scenery but who will bring leadership even if he continues to have a quiet season. It's not splashy, but it works. This makes it an ideal Steelers move.
14. The Steelers hope Mike Williams isn't cooked yet
Pittsburgh Steelers acquire: WR Mike Williams
New York Jets acquire: 2025 fifth round pick
Steelers grade: C-
Jets grade: A
Pittsburgh needed to find George Pickens a running mate at wideout, especially with rookie Roman Wilson still battling injuries. But the Steelers missed out on the top tier of available veterans this fall -- DeAndre Hopkins, Davante Adams, etc -- and instead settled for a player with 12 catches in nine games this season.
Williams is 30 years old and coming off a knee injury that ended his 2023 after three games. He was solid in that small sample size, hauling in 19 catches for 246 yards and a robust 9.6 yards per target. His 1.92 yards per route run (YPRR) last season would have ranked 28th in the NFL last year, nestled between DK Metcalf and Stefon Diggs if he'd played enough snaps to qualify.
This efficiency has not carried over to his New York tenure. Williams' 0.83 (YPRR) this season ranks 97th out of 120 qualified wideouts. His average separation per target is a meager 2.0 yards from the nearest defender, matching a career low and worse than all but two qualified receivers this season, per NFL Pro. If he can regain the contested catch, high-point wizardry that made him a focal point of the Chargers offense then this is a steal. As is, he'll probably be a useful depth acquisition but not a star in Mike Tomlin's offense.
On the Jets side of things, a fifth round pick for a player with two catches the last four weeks is a pretty solid value. Even if he blows up in Pittsburgh, it's clear Williams and Aaron Rodgers didn't have the chemistry New York had hoped.
13. The Commanders get the secondary help that could make them a contender
Washington Commanders acquire: CB Marshon Lattimore, 2025 fifth round pick
New Orleans Saints acquire: 2025 third round pick, 2025 fourth round pick, the Saints original 2025 sixth round pick, originally dealt in the Hassan Ridgeway trade
What we wrote:
Click here for the full breakdown.
Commanders grade: A
Saints grade: B
12. The Cowboys, sigh, do... something?
Dallas Cowboys acquire: WR Jonathan Mingo, 2025 seventh round pick
Carolina Panthers acquire: 2025 fourth round pick
What we wrote:
Click here for the full breakdown.
Cowboys grade: F
Panthers grade: A
11. The Bengals bolster their running back room
Cincinnati Bengals acquire: RB Khalil Herbert
Chicago Bears acquire: 2025 seventh round pick
Bengals grade: A-
Bears grade: C-
Zach Moss's injury left Cincinnati in need of reinforcements in the backfield. Enter Herbert, a 26-year-old running back who has averaged 4.8 yards per carry in his career despite often playing behind a disheveled offensive line. He's a shifty back who'd fallen out of favor for the Bears after they signed D'Andre Swift but whose 10.2 carries per broken tackle ranked ninth among NFL running backs in 2023. His 0.29 rush yards over expected (RYOE) per carry that year was an above average mark that ranked him alongside David Montgomery and Derrick Henry last fall.
That makes him a dynamic addition for the Bengals at a bargain price. There's a reason the Bears have only given him eight carries this season, but there's a reasonable chance a change of scenery energizes the young veteran. Joe Burrow gets a little extra support, and while Chicago turns an unused player into a draft asset it's a meager return for a player who could add significant value to the Cincinnati run game.
10. Detroit finds a temporary Aidan Hutchinson replacement
Detroit Lions acquire: EDGE Za'Darius Smith, 2026 seventh round pick
Cleveland Browns acquire: 2025 fifth round pick, 2026 sixth round pick
What we wrote:
Click here for the full breakdown.
Ravens grade: A-
Panthers grade: C
6. Josh Uche to the Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs acquire: EDGE Josh Uche
New England Patriots acquire: 2026 sixth round pick
What we wrote:
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Seahawks grade: B
Titans grade: A-
4. DeAndre Hopkins to the Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs acquire: WR DeAndre Hopkins
Tennessee Titans acquire: Conditional 2025 fifth round pick (could become a fourth-rounder if Hopkins plays 60 percent of the team's regular season snaps and Kansas City reaches the Super Bowl)
What we wrote:
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Bills grade: A
Browns grade: A
1. Davante Adams to the Jets
New York Jets acquire: WR Davante Adams
Las Vegas Raiders acquire: Conditional 2025 third round pick (could become a second-rounder if Adams is an All-Pro or is active for the AFC championship game or Super Bowl)
What we wrote:
Now: CAN [the Jets] contend? That’s a really good question. I don’t see it, to be honest. But this offense now gets two really good wideouts in Adams and Garrett Wilson, and a happier Rodgers is a good thing given that the Jets are stuck with a past-his-prime QB.
With all that context and the fact that it may end up as a second-round pick, it’s a good, not GREAT trade.
Click here for the full breakdown.
Jets grade: B
Raiders grade: A-
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Every NFL trade deadline deal, tracked and graded from Davante Adams to Tre'Davious White
