A steady stream of blockbuster moves in advance of the 2026 NFL trade deadline redistributed some of the league's top talent at numerous positions. Even more impactful transactions could be on the way before Nov. 10, but in the meantime, the Chicago Bears are the biggest winners of the deadline thus far with their highly fruitful acquisition of Jeffery Simmons, while the Indianapolis Colts emerged as the most aggressive sellers in dealing Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner. Trade watch continues for a myriad of stars on struggling teams, including Jonathan Taylor, Khalil Mack, George Pickens and others.
At the same time, teams battling for position at the front of the postseason race must decide how much to invest in those standouts who are available on the trade market. There is only one more week of games until the trade deadline, so this year's contenders and pretenders are about as clear as they will be before it is too late to buy and sell. It is safe to expect a flurry of moves in the coming days as those franchises gear up for the home stretch or look ahead to the future.
Below is every in-season trade ahead of the NFL's 2026 deadline. In giving up two first-rounders to secure a perennial All-Pro defensive tackle, the Bears went all-in and opened their Super Bowl contention window. The transaction paid immediate dividends when Simmons logged a sack and led the team with six tackles in his Chicago debut: A commanding 34-17 road win over the Seahawks.
Mortgaging so much of their future first-round capital showed that the Bears trust their roster, as currently constructed, to compete at the top of the league, and Simmons is the kind of game-changing talent worth the steep price. His production in the pass rush and in run defense could help Chicago maximize its high-octane unit on the other side of the ball led by Caleb Williams. This move sends the Titans deeper into their rebuild.
Questions lie ahead about whether to stick with Cam Ward at quarterback, and with the first-round picks they acquired from dealing Simmons, there will be curiosity as to whether they will use one to land a new signal-caller. Regardless of how they use the picks, moving on from one of the greatest players in franchise history shows how bleak the present is in Tennessee and that all eyes are on the future. The seemingly nonstop onslaught of injuries hit the 49ers' defensive line, resulting in CJ West landing on injured reserve with a bone chip in his knee and Alfred Collins being ruled out for the year with a torn patellar tendon.
That heightened the need for immediate help in the trenches, so the 49ers brought Buckner back after his six-plus years in Indianapolis. The 49ers selected Buckner in the first round of the 2016 draft, and the best years of his prime came during his time in San Francisco, so this is a welcome return for someone the franchise remembers fondly. Buckner remains one of the NFL's top pass-rushing interior defensive linemen and will aid in the 49ers' Super Bowl push.
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