Alright, everyone, pencils down! The 2024 NFL trade deadline has come and gone. Because NFL teams are bit more proactive about addressing their needs these days, many of the big fish available already found themselves in new locations weeks before Tuesday. It's kinda odd to think about in retrospect because it takes away much of the actual deadline drama. Still, that didn't stop a few more deals like the Detroit Lions getting themselves a much-needed pass-rusher from trickling in before the final bell.

And, well, as usual Jerry Jones couldn't help himself. Sigh.

As we finally get ready for the stretch run of the 2024 NFL season, let's unpack the biggest and winners of this year's trade deadline.

Winner: The Detroit Lions' Super Bowl hopes

After superstar pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson went down for the season, the Lions had a gaping hole on their otherwise Super Bowl-caliber roster. Detroit legitimately had everything except for a difference-maker off the defensive edge, a place that some of the other NFC powers (and the AFC's heavyweights) could probably exploit in the postseason.

Enter ex-Cleveland Brown and former All-Pro Za'Darius Smith.

At the age of 32, Smith's best days are almost certainly behind him. But even at a lower level of play, the veteran still has five sacks, six tackles-for-loss, and seven quarterback hits this season while primarily featuring in a situational role for the Browns. The now-complete Lions won't count on Smith to do everything, but he suffices as that missing puzzle piece for the overwhelming favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

And Smith's on the Lions roster for just two late-round draft selections. Oh, yeah, general manager Brad Holmes was cooking with this deal.

Loser: Jerry Jones, for trying to maximize the Dallas Cowboys' disappointing pile of trash

Unfortunately, Dak Prescott is on injured reserve. The Cowboys' offensive line can't reliably block anyone, the defense is inept, and the players have likely tuned out lame-duck coach Mike McCarthy en route to a middling 3-5 record. Now would have been the time for the Cowboys to pack it in for the season and regroup for next year. If Dallas was going to do anything at this trade deadline, it should've been selling (though to be fair, it didn't really have much to sell).

Instead (DEEP BREATH), owner Jerry Jones traded a fourth-round draft pick (these players are supposed to be starters) for Jonathan Mingo, a receiver with 12 catches for 121 yards in 19 career starts. Dearest readers, the Chiefs got potential Hall of Famer DeAndre Hopkins for less! From a team management standpoint and the context of the Cowboys' season actively going down in flames, this might be the worst trade Jones has ever made. Period. End of story.

I'm not shocked Jones did it, given his well-established precedent of foolishness, but I am, nonetheless, quite flabbergasted. I'm so sorry to all of the Cowboys, Los Angeles Lakers, and New York Yankees fans out there. Stay strong.

Winner: The Washington Commanders' NFC East division title ambitions

If the 7-2 Commanders had one weakness, it was a weak defense that's been pushed around by any relevant offense it has faced all season.

Jayden Daniels is a wonder as an actual MVP candidate. Kliff Kingsbury has put himself back into pending head-coaching conversations as the offensive maestro behind Daniels' success. And there's a real energetic, good vibe around these Commanders. But by golly, they just don't get stops as much as you'd hope from a genuine contender. Let me make this clear. Getting Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback Marshon Lattimore into the fold for the princely sum of a few mid-round draft picks is a huge step in the right direction.

Lattimore won't solve all of the Commanders' problems. I don't think he's nearly enough to help them hang with the Lions. Washington's defense needs a lot more investment. However, he probably is enough to push Washington to just its fourth division championship this century. That's not nothing.

Loser: The New York Jets, for doubling down on the spiraling Aaron Rodgers era

The Jets are 3-6 with no sign of any real hope. This is pretty funny after they scapegoated Robert Saleh, the guy who definitely wasn't the problem in New York. So, what do they do? They go get Rodgers' BFF Davante Adams, who has just 14 catches for 175 yards and one touchdown in three games since joining Gang Green. They went all in for that, folks. One day, NFL people will realize Rodgers' ego makes him a rusty anchor on any team he plays for.

It's ironic that the Jets probably did have this epiphany and just kept digging their hole even further. When in doubt, pretend everything is OK with a vapid smile on your face.

Winner: The Kansas City Chiefs, for giving themselves an air of inevitability

The Chiefs, already undefeated and on cruise control in hopes of completing the first three-peat in modern NFL history, traded a fifth-round pick for DeAndre Hopkins that, at this point, looks like it will become a fourth-rounder when they probably reach Super Bowl 59. Hopkins caught eight passes for 86 yards (on nine targets) for two touchdowns in just his second game with the team.

How does the league keep letting the Chiefs get away with this? It boggles the mind.

Loser: The Buffalo Bills, for neglecting their defense

As it stands, I do think the Bills have enough to compete for an AFC title and Super Bowl. Amidst all their apparent turmoil, Josh Allen remains a Terminator, Amari Cooper was a great pre-trade deadline acquisition and hoo boy, Sean McDermott can coach. But if there's a place where Buffalo could've improved, it was its middling run defense. The Bills are just 15th against the run and have been gashed by rivals like the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens without much resistance.

Maybe veteran leader Matt Milano will be enough to push this part of the Bills over the top when he apparently returns later this season. And it's not as if the Bills are in serious danger of losing their supremacy over the AFC East. They have a lot of breathing room. Still, not sending over any mid-round picks for available off-ball linebackers feels like a mistake. The time to compete for Super Bowls is now as other powers in the AFC have loaded up. We'll see if they regret it.

Loser: The Las Vegas Raiders, for not going all in on a fire sale after their clear irrelevance

I respect the Raiders for recognizing that keeping an aging Davante Adams would've been to no one's benefit in Las Vegas. From that respect ... why didn't they just trade everyone who had value? The Raiders' roster is so talent-bereft across the board that I find it hard to believe 27-year-old pass-rusher Maxx Crosby will even play for a winner before he turns 30. By then, he'll probably have lost a lot of his juice. (Any person over 30 understands what I mean.) And the rebuilding Raiders would've gotten a HAUL for him, too.

Plus, why is receiver Jakobi Meyers still on the team? What about linebacker Robert Spillane? Oh, Mark Davis, you fool. Never change.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: NFL trade deadline 2024 winners and losers: Jerry Jones doomed Cowboys with his worst trade ever