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Let's grade deals from the 2025 NFL trade deadline. When a deal happens, we often hear the old adage that it will take years to know how well each team did. To that I say: Nonsense. General managers don't get the benefit of hindsight while they are making their decisions, so why should we when evaluating those decisions?
That's a long way of saying I'm a big fan of trade grades, which document our reaction at the moment a deal is made. When grading trades, I evaluate them for each team based on on-field impact, cap implications, draft compensation and effects within the context of a team's overall short-term and long-term outlook. I like to think about decisions on two axes:
How confident are we in knowing if this is a good or bad decision?
How big is the impact of this decision?
They'll both play a role in our grades, though a low-impact decision can still receive a strong or poor grade. Low-stakes, clear-cut wins or losses still matter. Let's dive in on 21 in-season deals that took place before the NFL trade deadline, which passed at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Jump to a deal:
Taylor | Penning | Tryon-Shoyinka | Williams/Smith
Shaheed | Gardner/Mitchell | Meyers | Wilson | Jones
Phillips | Alexander | Dugger | White | McCreary
Campbell/Newsome | Oweh/Gilman | Flacco
Jets get: CB Ja'Sir Taylor
Chargers get: 2028 conditional seventh-round pick
Jets' grade: B
Chargers' grade: B
The Jets and Chargers snuck in a trade right before the deadline that helped New York fill in some nickel depth after the Jets had previously dealt
Saints trade OT Penning to Chargers
Chargers get: OT Trevor Penning
Saints get: 2027 sixth-round pick
Chargers' grade: C+
Saints' grade: B+
The Chargers' offensive line situation looked great heading into training camp. Now, it's just bleak. Season-ending injuries struck
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Granted, finding an offensive lineman at the trade deadline is tricky, but if I were the Chargers I might have preferred one of the Commanders' potential options --
Browns trade edge rusher Tryon-Shoyinka to Bears
Bears get: Edge Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, 2026 seventh-round pick
Browns get: 2026 sixth-round pick
Bears' grade: B
Browns' grade: B
The Bears needed pass-rushing help even before Alex Wright. He'll get more of a chance to play with the Bears, rotating with 
Jets get: DT Mazi Smith, 2026 second-round pick, 2027 first-round pick
Cowboys' grade: F
Jets' grade: A
There's no other way to put it: This is a horrific trade for the Cowboys.
It is completely unfathomable for a team like Dallas to be trading away major draft resources for a soon-to-be-28-year-old defensive tackle on a salary-heavy contract in a season when it has a 7% chance to make the playoffs, per ESPN's 
Saints get: 2026 fourth-round pick, 2026 fifth-round pick
Seahawks' grade: A-
Saints' grade: B+
One of the NFL's hottest passing teams just got better.
The Seahawks currently rank third in EPA per dropback (0.25) and first in success rate on dropbacks (53%). And now they are adding Shaheed in a move that makes sense both on the field and in terms of where the Seahawks are as a franchise.
Shaheed, 27, is averaging 1.8 yards per route run this season. But I think that sells him short because that number is down a bit from his career average entering this year (2.0) and he's been playing a role that includes running fewer vertical routes (34%) compared to last year (44%). Shaheed also has consistently posted above-average open scores in Cooper Kupp returns, he and Shaheed will make for a nice pair of secondary threats behind one of the best receivers in the league in Smith-Njigba.
This is the time to strike for the Seahawks. 
Jets get: WR Adonai Mitchell, 2026 first-round pick, 2027 first-round pick
Colts' grade: D
Jets' grade: A
Wow. Only four months after inking Gardner to a lucrative extension, the Jets sent him to the Colts in a shocking move. And you know what? They were absolutely right to do so.
This was a home run for the Jets, considering the four-year, $120.4 million contract Gardner was on and the compensation they received -- two first-round picks and Mitchell, a second-round pick a year ago.
Let's take this from the Colts' side first. They're getting a player in Gardner who, at his best, is an elite cornerback -- as was the case in his first two seasons in the league in 2022 and 2023. He was a first-team All-Pro in each of those seasons (in addition to being Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022) and recorded 0.7 yards per coverage snap across those two years, much better than the 1.1 average for an outside cornerback, per NFL Next Gen Stats. That number crept up to 0.9 in 2024 (along with 10 penalties) and then 1.2 this season. If Gardner plays to his full potential, he and Laremy Tunsil, Tyreek Hill and Jakobi Meyers
Raiders get: 2026 fourth-round pick, 2026 sixth-round pick
Jaguars' grade: C+
Raiders' grade: A-
The Jaguars opened the season believing they had an elite pair of young wide receivers in ESPN receiver scores are down a bit from 2021 to '23 and slightly from 2024. Dyami Brown (who suffered a concussion last week).
The Jaguars will probably recoup a compensatory pick for Meyers given their low levels of cap room in 2026, but it will be less lucrative and is less certain than, for example, the Eagles with Logan Wilson
Bengals get: 2026 seventh-round pick
Cowboys' grade: B-
Bengals' grade: B+
There is something a little amusing about the Cowboys, desperate for help on defense, turning to one of the only teams with a worse defense than their own and trading for a linebacker that team benched. Yet that's the situation. A day after Jerry Jones said he'd made a trade and less than 12 hours after the Cowboys were upset by the Cardinals on "Monday Night Football," Dallas acquired Wilson from the Bengals in exchange for a seventh-round pick.
Wilson, 29, started 65 games for the Bengals since being drafted in 2020 and signed an extension prior to the 2023 season. He recorded a 32.5% run stop win rate in 2025, almost perfectly average among qualifying linebackers (he was average in the category in 2024, too). He has also allowed 0.8 yards per coverage snap this season, per NFL Next Gen Stats, a shade better than average for a linebacker.
While it's certainly a red flag that Wilson was removed from his role as a starter in Week 8, and those numbers aren't anything exceptional, they hardly paint the picture of someone unplayable. And most critically in this case, Wilson does look like he could help the Cowboys. Wilson's run stop win rate is substantially better than Demetrius Knight Jr. and Dre'Mont Jones
Titans get: Conditional 2026 fifth-round pick
Ravens' grade: B-
Titans' grade: B+
When the Ravens traded Kyle Van Noy, rookie
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Jones has been playing as a full-time edge rusher, as he did last season. But earlier in his career, he moved around the line and aligned more often as a three-technique in some seasons. It's feasible Baltimore could use him inside some, especially without Madubuike.
Jones' $8.5 million deal included a $6 million signing bonus, so Baltimore is taking on at most the proration of the remaining $2.5 million. Jones, 28, is a pending free agent, so he could yield a compensatory pick for Baltimore if he signs a qualifying contract. The fifth-round draft pick compensation feels reasonable, though if the (currently unknown) conditions turn that pick into a fourth-rounder that might be a shade high.
I thought the Ravens might aim a little higher. A reunion with 
Dolphins get: 2026 third-round pick
Eagles' grade: A
Dolphins' grade: C+
Editor's note: These grades were changed due to updated financial information.
In the offseason, the Eagles looked like a team that could weather losing Jalyx Hunt hasn't taken the step the Eagles hoped, with an 8.9% pass rush win rate at edge that ranks 41st out of 49 qualifiers at the position. converted $5.1 million into a signing bonus, leaving the Eagles with just a $1.5 million bill to play.. While that means he might well be a stopgap solution for Philadelphia, it opens up the pretty strong possibility that Phillips could leave in free agency and net Philly a compensatory pick (perhaps a fourth-rounder, just like Sweat is projected to earn the Eagles, according to OverTheCap). The Eagles have $23.8 million in cap space next year (per OverTheCap), so while they could make some signings, they probably won't be huge players in free agency, thus making the comp pick quite likely.
Framed in those terms -- a 2026 third-round pick for half a season of Phillips and a likely 2027 fourth-round pick -- this seems well worth it. The Eagles are true Super Bowl contenders, so the leverage on patching up any weakness is high. Anything that moves the needle on probability of a Lombardi Trophy is valuable.
The Dolphins are currently $11.9 million over the cap next year (though they would save a lot if they part ways with Jaire Alexander, 2027 seventh-round pick
Ravens get: 2026 sixth-round pick
Eagles' grade: B-
Ravens' grade: B+
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman will not rest until he has turned over every rock looking for the best option at outside cornerback opposite Adoree' Jackson.
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Alexander played just one more game with the Ravens the rest of the year -- when he had 13 coverage snaps against the Texans and allowed one reception for 14 yards -- and was a healthy scratch five times. Prior to this season, Alexander had a career average of 1.0 yards per coverage snap (better than league average) with several exceptional seasons in there. He has been a second-team All-Pro twice, the last of which occurred in 2022. The Eagles are hoping he still has something in the tank from that version of himself. Given his age and recent history, it's a long shot.
But I can understand the sentiment: The Eagles are trying to maximize their chances of finding a solution -- whether it's Alexander or
Jets get: WR John Metchie III, 2027 sixth-round pick
Eagles' grade: B
Jets' grade: B
The Eagles needed a third cornerback and hope they've found an upgrade in Carter. Philadelphia is in good shape at the other two corner spots with second-year players Kelee Ringo, who took over for Jackson in Week 4, had more success, with 1.2 yards per coverage snap -- just a shade over average. The team took a flier in trading for OverTheCap.com. At that price, the Eagles might not keep Carter long term -- it likely depends on how the rest of this season shakes out. But as far as this season is concerned, the Eagles are betting that Carter gets back to his former level of play while DeJean upgrades the other outside spot. That seems reasonable.
Adam Schefter reports on the Eagles' trade with the Dolphins for Jaelan Phillips.
Moving on from Carter was logical for the Jets. Arian Smith and
Patriots trade S Dugger to Steelers
Steelers get: S Kyle Dugger, 2026 seventh-round pick
Patriots get: 2026 sixth-round pick
Steelers' grade: B
Patriots' grade: B
Steelers safety Tucker Kraft on a 59-yard gain. Had Pittsburgh not made a move, it probably would have been Clark or another ex-Patriot,
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Between that, Pittsburgh's need and Dugger's past high-level play, I think it's worth it for the Steelers to make this move -- especially since it didn't cost them much draft capital. This is a secondary that has had a rough past two games (losses to the Bengals and Packers), so getting safety help can't hurt.
The Patriots had phased out Dugger from the lineup, as he really played only when Keion White, 2026 seventh-round pick
Patriots get: 2026 sixth-round pick
49ers' grade: A-
Patriots' grade: C-
The 49ers need pass-rushing help. Since Week 4, the first week after Alfred Collins, Harold Landry III and 
Titans get: Conditional 2026 fifth-round pick
Rams' grade: B+
Titans' grade: B-
The Rams kicked off the penultimate week of the 2025 trading season by trading with the Titans for McCreary, who has mostly served as a slot corner. McCreary is known for his consistency: In each of the past four seasons, he has allowed between 1.0 and 1.2 yards per coverage snap, per NFL Next Gen Stats -- at or slightly worse than the league average for a slot corner (1.0) or outside corner (1.1).
The interesting aspect of this is that the Rams already had a nickel they were presumably happy with in Adam Schefter's news alerts to receive push notifications for the latest updates first. Opt in by tapping the alerts bell in the top right corner. For more information, click here.
As of this writing, I don't know exactly how the Rams will deploy McCreary. Will he play nickel, with Lake being bumped back to safety? Or could they put McCreary outside, replacing the snaps of either OverTheCap.com -- more than any other team) that they are likely to be spenders in free agency and therefore less likely to receive compensatory picks for lost free agents than most teams. Therefore, it's better for them to get whatever draft capital they can through trades for players who won't be around next season.
The draft pick compensation after the pick swap works out to roughly an early sixth-rounder, by our draft pick valuations. It strikes me as a shade lighter than I would have expected considering there are other teams likely to be in the cornerback market between now and next Tuesday. That's why it's worthwhile for the Rams to make a move like this -- secondary depth is good when you're trying to make a run! If I were Tennessee, I might have held out until next week to see if a better offer came in, but I wouldn't expect to get that much more.
Tyson Campbell, 2026 seventh-round pick (via Eagles)
Jaguars get: CB Greg Newsome II, 2026 sixth-round pick (via Jets)
Browns' grade: B
Jaguars' grade: B-
We've got ourselves a challenge trade of sorts.
The Browns and Jaguars -- two teams on opposite ends of the contention spectrum -- decided to flip-flop fifth-year cornerbacks. However, because of their very different contract situations, this isn't exactly a like-for-like swap.
But let's start with the players themselves.
Campbell was off to a rocky start this season, allowing 1.6 yards per coverage snap (well above the 1.1 average for an outside corner). That he also allowed 1.6 yards per zone coverage snap was even worse, because corners tend to have lower yards allowed per snap in zone -- and the Jaguars play a lot of it. That 1.6 is a career worst for Campbell, who posted a solid 1.0 last season and had gotten as low as 0.6 in 2022. Like many corners, Campbell's career has been up and down.
Meanwhile, Newsome entered the season as a trade candidate (I pitched a Newsome trade for almost nothing in July) given his guaranteed money and a down 2024 campaign in which he allowed 1.5 yards per coverage snap. That number has remained level in 2025, though his zone coverage numbers have been better than his man numbers during each of the past two seasons.
Both Newsome and Campbell have been flagged twice for penalties this season.
Though Newsome had played outside corner in Cleveland, he provides slot flexibility. But Jourdan Lewis is playing well at nickel right now for Jacksonville, so I presume Newsome will remain outside.
Now to the huge part of this deal: the difference in these two players' contracts.
Newsome is in the final year of his, playing on a fifth-year option worth $13.4 million this season.
On the other hand, Campbell signed an extension during the 2024 offseason -- notably, with the Jaguars' previous front office regime -- that runs through 2028. Campbell's deal includes $13.1 million in fully guaranteed 2026 money and non-guaranteed $16 million and $16.5 million in cash in 2027 and 2028, respectively, per OverTheCap.com, with a rolling guarantee on some of that 2027 money. Campbell was due a $12.4 million option bonus in 2025; as of this writing, I am not certain whether the Jaguars already paid that out, but I will currently grade this deal as if they had.
Assuming that's the case, the Browns are shedding money in the short term by exchanging Newsome's remaining guaranteed salary for a proration of Campbell's $2 million salary plus per-game roster bonuses. But then they will be on the hook for Campbell's $13.1 million next year and will trigger an $8.9 million guarantee of his 2027 money, per Roster Management System, if they keep him. I find this detail critical.
By my count -- I'll confess to some late-night, back-of-the-napkin contract arithmetic -- I think the Browns would pay around $5.5 million more for Campbell than Newsome if they cut Campbell after this year. That number grows to around $15 million if they keep Campbell for 2026 but cut him after that year or around $22.5 million if they keep him through 2027 (with a pure team option on 2028).
If that's right, then they're essentially betting that Campbell's short-term play this year won't carry forward. It could cost the Browns a few million if they're wrong. It could save them quite a few more million if they're right. I don't love committing more guaranteed money mid-rebuild with a tight medium-term cap situation, but I see where they can find value.
This only makes sense for the Jaguars if they believe Newsome is an immediate upgrade. But is he? I don't think that was the consensus opinion heading into the season, and I'm not sure the numbers suggest a change of heart. Still, cornerback evaluation is fraught with errors, so it's possible. And while they lose the long-term upside of Campbell's deal, this will give them more financial flexibility in the 2026 offseason.
Odafe Oweh, 2027 seventh-round pick (originally from Rams)
Ravens get: S Alohi Gilman, 2026 fifth-round pick
Chargers' grade: B
Ravens' grade: B
We've got ourselves an intra-Harbaugh, player-for-player swap. And it's an interesting cross-positional defensive deal.
Let's start with the Chargers. Since (and perhaps even before) losing Tony Jefferson and Tavius Robinson were already playing a higher percentage of snaps than Oweh, and Tush push revenge? Pack vs. Eagles
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Gilman gives the Ravens a third safety (they also added Marcus Williams or Joe Flacco, 2026 sixth-round pick
Browns get: 2026 fifth-round pick
Browns' grade: B+
Bengals' grade: C
Kirk Cousins. If you're asking someone to steward the team to a .500ish record until Burrow can return, Cousins can probably do that better than any quarterback who realistically could be available. I would have been willing to pay more for him, too, considering the leverage and importance here. But would the Falcons be willing to trade Cousins? For how much? And are they willing to trade him now -- this far ahead of the deadline? The last question is important, because the Bengals had urgency.
But even if Cousins wasn't available, there were other options -- namely, one of the Giants' backup quarterbacks. The Giants don't need Dillon Gabriel and/or Cam Robinson, 2027 seventh-round pick
Texans get: 2027 sixth-round pick
Browns' grade: A-
Texans' grade: C
The Browns needed help at tackle and found an unlikely partner in the Texans -- another team with offensive line woes. Houston signed Robinson to a one-year, $12 million deal this offseason to shore up their left tackle position after trading away Blake Fisher is the team's clear No. 3 tackle.
It's easier to see why the Browns made this move. The team just lost left tackle KT Leveston at each tackle spot. The duo rank 61st and 57th, respectively, in pass block win rate out of 66 qualifying tackles this season.
In Robinson, the Browns surely hope they have at least a slight upgrade at left tackle. And they didn't have to give up much in either draft pick or salary compensation to get him. While Cleveland is clearly not a contender this season, they can benefit from at least decent pass protection once they turn to one or both of their rookie quarterbacks. That makes a move like this worth it.
Jarvis Brownlee Jr., 2026 seventh-round pick
Titans get: 2026 sixth-round pick
Jets' grade: A-
Titans' grade: C
With free agent signing Sauce Gardner (1.2%).
Brownlee has been a success story considering his draft position. With his experience and nearly three cheap years remaining on his rookie contract, I'm surprised the Jets got him for so little. At worst, he's a good depth option (my colleague Rich Cimini Darrell Baker Jr. as the starting outside cornerback opposite Sneed. Baker has made 15 starts in his career and his nearest defender numbers are solid: a 1.1 yards per coverage snap and a much lower career penalty rate (0.05%). But even if Tennessee felt good about Baker, Brownlee's youth and remaining cheap contract meant they let a lot walk out the door for almost nothing in exchange.
Tank Bigsby
Jaguars get: 2026 fifth-round pick, 2026 sixth-round pick
Eagles' grade: C-
Jaguars' grade: A
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman wins more trades than anyone, but he doesn't win 'em all.
In Bigsby, the Eagles acquire a very solid runner. The 2023 third-round pick accumulated an impressive 124 rush yards over expectation last season, per NFL Next Gen Stats, after a disappointing rookie campaign.
But that's all he is, which is his downside. Bigsby offers almost nothing in the receiving game; he has only eight career receptions. He has pass blocked on only 33 snaps in his pro career. And he evidently didn't win the starting job in Jacksonville this season despite not facing particularly stiff competition in Will Shipley, who figures to be more of a receiving complement and backup -- very different from Bigsby. But my first reaction was, wow, that's a lot for a backup at a nonpremium position who doesn't catch passes, especially considering how much Philadelphia has already invested at running back with Barkley. Even with Bigsby under control for another rookie contract year in 2026, this is a bit much for my liking.
Bigsby could also partner with Shipley on kick returns after having returned 11 kicks in his career. It's a more important role now than before given the precipitous drop in touchbacks, but it doesn't change that the Eagles gave up a lot for Bigsby.
This is a nice result for Jacksonville, though. It seemed likely that one of Etienne or Bigsby would be dealt after the addition of Tuten in this year's draft. That it happened now is an upset. But in exchange for their second- or third-string running back, the Jaguars are receiving a fifth- and sixth-round pick. That's great value, and it hardly leaves Jacksonville short-handed considering Bigsby didn't start.