The 2026 trade deadline day didn't produce fireworks like last year, when the New York Jets dealt their best two defensive players in cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. The most consequential deadline day move was the Minnesota Vikings' reunion with Kirk Cousins, who was the team's quarterback from 2018 through 2023. The Vikings addressed a glaring need at quarterback by acquiring Cousins for a 2027 third-round pick.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, who have a 6-2 record, went all in to win Super Bowl LXI by making aggressive moves a day earlier. Safety Jessie Bates III was acquired from the Atlanta Falcons for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick. Defensive tackle Jordan Davis was obtained from the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick.
The Jaguars also traded a conditional 2028 sixth-round pick to the New Orleans Saints for defensive tackle Davon Godchaux. Here are three more trades that should have been made before the deadline that may have improved teams' chances of making the postseason or going on a deep playoff run. The financial ramifications of the moves are highlighted.
Salary cap space is based on NFLPA data. An acquiring team would have needed enough salary cap room to absorb the remainder of the player's current salary. Since the trades would have occurred after Week 9's games, the acquiring team would have been responsible for half of a player's 2026 base salary (9 of 18 total weeks) and any other applicable salary components in his contract.
Trades can't be executed again until the 2027 league year begins on next March 11. Giants get: Jonathan Taylor, 2028 sixth-round pickColts get: 2027 second-round pick, 2028 third-round pick Taylor Remaining 2026 Salary: $ 3.97 million Colts 2026 Salary Cap Savings: $4.60 million Giants 2026 Salary Cap Room: $6.18 millionColts 2027 Dead Money: $10 million ($11.02 million 2027 Salary Cap Savings) The Colts went into fire sale mode after firing general manager Chris Ballard six games into the season. Criticism about the return when dealing perennial All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner may have contributed to the Colts holding firm on a steep asking price for Taylor.
The Colts reportedly wanted a first-round pick or something comparable to the 2023 second, third, and fourth-round picks and the 2024 fifth-round pick the Carolina Panthers received from the San Francisco 49ers for All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey during the 2022 season to part with Taylor. That type of haul wasn't realistic. McCaffrey was 26 when he was dealt, while Taylor turns 28 in January.
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