Last year saw 27 players traded in-season, which was the most in a single year in a quarter of a century. This is shaping up to be an active push to Nov. 10, but will it rival the mayhem of 2025? That remains to be determined.
It is the quality of the transactions that matters more than the volume. Last year can be both a blueprint for how to pull off beneficial midseason moves and for what to avoid, because the high number of trades included multiple examples of both good deals and bad. No deal withstood the test of time worse than the Sauce Gardner trade.
It has since been panned as one of the most one-sided transactions in recent NFL history and should be a reminder that just because a player carries All-Pro bona fides, he might not be worth mortgaging the future to acquire. The most beneficial trades are often the ones made on the margins, where teams secure mid- or late-round draft capital for players on expiring contracts. These tend to be mutually beneficial, as one team lands an instant-impact rental while the other secures future assets in exchange for someone who was destined to walk away for free.
Last year's trade deadline featured a plethora of such deals. After the 2025 deadline, we ranked every major trade. And now with the benefit of hindsight, let's re-grade the top 10.
The Gardner trade aged so poorly for Colts general manager Chris Ballard that it became a primary reason why the franchise fired him in the middle of the season. Nobody could have foreseen the stark regression the two-time All-Pro cornerback experienced upon his arrival in Indianapolis, but it is very real, and it looks awful in the context of what Ballard gave up to acquire him. Gardner has played the worst football of his career in his 17 games with the Colts, while the Jets constructed an exciting young offensive core with the assets they received in return -- plus they still have another first-round pick to add to it.
Since the Colts are trending downward this year and may emerge as sellers at the deadline as they barrel toward a potential rebuild, this is the exact situation in which they would prefer to own a 2027 first-rounder. Instead, with every loss they add to their tally, they watch the Jets lick their lips and prepare to cash in. The Dallas defense is still a disaster, even with Williams offering solid run-stopping ability in the middle of the line.
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