The NFL trade deadline is never quite as active or frenetic as the MLB or NBA deadlines, but there were still plenty of impactful moves made this year. It began well before the 4 pm ET deadline on Tuesday, and plenty of trades went right up to the buzzer. Here are the biggest deals that went down.
All the biggest 2025 NFL trade deadline moves
The Philadelphia Eagles made one of the bigger moves of the deadline the day before by making a move for Miami Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips. They’ve needed more production off the edge, so the defending champs sent a 2026 third-round pick to Miami. Dallas Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones announced yesterday that he had made a trade for someone, but he didn’t say anything else. The next day, it was reported that the Cowboys had added Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson for a 2026 seventh-round pick. The Baltimore Ravens, one of the most active teams at the deadline, traded a fifth-round pick (that could become a fourth-rounder) for Tennessee Titans edge Dre’Mont Jones. Things picked up with the Jakobi Meyers trade after he officially requested one. The Jacksonville Jaguars sent a fourth and sixth-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for Meyers. But the biggest and most shocking trade involved the Indianapolis Colts nabbing Sauce Gardner from the lowly New York Jets. The two-time All-Pro cost Indy two first-round picks and wideout AD Mitchell. This came months after a four-year extension. Almost immediately after that, the Seattle Seahawks traded for wide receiver Rashid Shaheed. They gave up a fourth and fifth-round draft pick for Shaheed. The Jets did not quit there, though. They sent All-Pro IDL Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys. They sent a 2027 first-round pick, Mazi Smith, and a 2026 second-round pick. That pretty much put an end to the huge moves, but it is a huge shock that two former All-Pro defenders got moved, and that they came from the same team. The Jets said that Garrett Wilson was untouchable, but otherwise, they fielded calls and/or traded practically everyone else of note. The New York Jets, though, did really well. They recognize that they are a few years away from contention. Cornerbacks can fall off a cliff sometimes, so moving on from Gardner and getting a haul, not to mention getting out from under a substantial contract, is big. Williams is much older, so his window is smaller. The Jets won’t meet that window, so they cleaned up with him, too. In total, six trades went down on deadline day. That is the third-most on the actual day since 1990. There were an astonishing 10 trades in 2022 and eight last year, but otherwise, this was one of the most active deadlines in a very long time. There was a lot of other near action, too. The Dolphins took calls on Bradley Chubb and Jaylen Waddle. The Jets had offers on the table for Breece Hall. Several others were close to being moved, and if they had, it might’ve been the biggest deadline ever.
Other Trades
The Baltimore Ravens sent Jaire Alexander and a seventh-round pick to the Eagles for a sixth-round pick. The Pittsburgh Steelers added safety Kyle Duggar from the New England Patriots. The Cleveland Browns sent DE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and a seventh-round pick to the Chicago Bears for a sixth-round pick. The Eagles sent John Metchie III to the Jets. The Patriots also sent Keion White to the San Francisco 49ers. The New Orleans Saints sent offensive lineman Trevor Penning to the Los Angeles Chargers.
