NFL trade deadline winners and losers: Chiefs and Lions boost Super Bowl hopes while Cowboys sacrifice only their future

NFL teams held their final roster votes on Tuesday as the league’s trade deadline arrives midway through the 2024 regular season.

Eight players were traded before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline, bringing the final number of moves during the league’s trading period to 18. Receivers accounted for the most frequently traded positions (six) and the most high-profile trades (looking at you, Davante Adams), while edge rushers ranked second and attracted four late starters.

No team gave up a first- or second-round draft pick before the deadline this year, and the three trades involving third-round picks had caveats that complicated their value.

So who won and who lost? Will these trades change the odds for a Super Bowl favorite or a hot coach?

Let’s analyze:

winner

Chiefs could 3-peat

You may have heard that no NFL team has ever won the Super Bowl in three consecutive seasons. You may also have heard the news that the Kansas City Chiefs, the winners of the last two games, improved to 8-0 on Monday night. Head coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo continue to get the most out of their talented roster. And neither stood still during the trading period.

The Chiefs have traded a 2025 conditional fifth-round draft pick to the Tennessee Titans for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick to the New England Patriots for edge rusher Joshua Uche. Traded. Hopkins already starred in Monday’s overtime game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, catching eight of nine targets for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Don’t count out how his threat boosts tight end Travis Kelce, who had 100 yards receiving in a regular-season game for the first time in over a year. How many more aging weapons can the Chiefs bring back?

aaron rodgers

Rodgers had his way twice during the trade period. The New York Jets sent a conditional 2025 third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders to acquire Davante Adams. The Jets then traded receiver Mike Williams to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 fifth-round pick. From a pure talent standpoint, the Jets have upgraded from a role player three years removed from his last strong season to a perennial Pro Bowler who leads the league in receiving touchdowns two of the past four years. And from a petty standpoint, Rodgers criticized Williams, not just subtly, but publicly, for making a route error on the way to the receiver’s departure… while his longtime best friend, who spent eight years with the Green Bay Packers, He defended and accepted his teammate Adams.

Politics aside, Adams improved in each of the Jets’ three games, rushing for 91 yards and a touchdown in the Jets’ 21-13 win over the Houston Texans on Thursday night. The win saved the Jets’ season for now. And Adams complemented receiver Garrett Wilson nicely with a key fourth-down conversion in the third quarter and a game-clinching touchdown in the fourth. How far can the Jets maintain that momentum?

Future prospects for the Saints

The NFL world is strangely obsessed with discussing the New Orleans Saints’ salary cap. Sure, the Saints do as much salary cap gymnastics as any team, but their accounting still occupies a surprising amount of mental space in NFL discussions. That being said, the best way to offset dead money and big contracts is to draft well and start players on cost-controlled rookie contracts. The Saints made a profit Tuesday by trading four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore and a 2025 fifth-round pick for 2024 third-, fourth- and sixth-round picks.

Does draft capital guarantee performance? Absolutely not. But for a team that lost seven straight and fired head coach Dennis Allen this week, it makes sense to trade the talented player who paid the highest price this trade cycle. That capital and improved health next year could come in handy in the surprisingly competitive NFC South.

DC metro area

No matter the outcome of the presidential election, the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia metropolitan areas have reason to celebrate. For the first time since 1996, four years before quarterback Jaden Daniels was born, the Washington Commanders won seven of their first nine games. The franchise, which has long been mired in mud, looks to be in a good position to make the playoffs this year and beyond. Tuesday’s trade for Lattimore, the Saints’ 2017 first-round draft pick, speaks to a belief in what the team can accomplish and an honest assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. With the top-three offense well ahead of schedule, head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Witt added pieces to shore up a defense that had too many big plays.

Lattimore is more than just an aging veteran. When he was the closest defender this season, the quarterback’s pass completion rate was 12.3% lower than expected, according to Next Gen Stats (52.6% overall completion rate). Only Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears and Renaldo Green of the San Francisco 49ers have done better.

lions defensive back

From Brian Branch to Kirby Joseph, the Lions have a talented young corps of homegrown secondary players. But any NFL defensive coordinator will tell you how pass rush and coverage units work together. After the Lions lost star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a fractured tibia and fibula that required surgery, the defense missed a core anchor under pressure. Detroit remains a defensive threat even without acquiring Darius Smith, who was acquired from the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday in exchange for a 2025 fifth pick and a 2026 sixth pick along with a 2026 seventh-round pick. Yes, you should.

But the Lions shouldn’t leave anything to chance, they clearly have a chance at the Super Bowl, and Smith would greatly improve their edge. His 26 active pressures this season are 17 more than the next closest Lions edge rusher (though kudos to Joshua Paschall with nine). Smith will need to complement, rather than interrupt, the defensive front, as he joins a talented defensive line that is generating an unusually high pressure rate from Interior. Will this move help secure the Lions’ popular status in the NFC?

Amari Cooper again

Imagine being traded from the Raiders to the Dallas Cowboys in 2018. Now, imagine being traded this year from the Cleveland Browns and quarterback Deshaun Watson (at the time) to the Buffalo Bills and quarterback Josh Allen. Cooper, 30, is ready to leave Cleveland and he showed it. He joins an AFC team that is much more ready to compete, along with a much more talented and productive quarterback.

Cooper missed the Bills’ win over the Dolphins last week with a wrist injury, but showed he can make an immediate impact in the first game against Buffalo. Cooper caught four of five targets for 66 yards and a touchdown in a 34-10 win over the Tennessee Titans. If he can return healthy, he will be expected to continue leading a young position group that lost Stefon Diggs in the offseason.

loser

Dallas Cowboys next coach

Perhaps 2023 second-round pick Jonathan Mingo will follow the other Carolina Panthers defectors and find success in Dallas. Perhaps teaming up with Dak Prescott next to CeeDee Lamb gave Mingo the confidence he needed to get his career back on track. Still, it would be difficult to justify compensation for the Cowboys’ 2025 fourth-round pick in exchange for Mingo and a 2025 seventh-round pick. That’s because the Cowboys are not on track to replace head coach Mike McCarthy, so they shouldn’t be acquiring personnel for a coach or scheme they don’t yet understand.

Dallas’ puzzling trade reflects a team that liked Mingo’s measurables in the draft, appreciating that his speed can stretch the field while his physicality translates well to blocking teammates. I am doing it. However, it is an uphill climb for players who have suffered drops this season and lost playing time. By the time he begins his third professional season, he will likely be playing for his fifth head coach. Will the coach value the fourth-round pick the Cowboys front office gave up?

NFC North team not named by Lions

There’s no question that the NFC North is the most talented division in the league this season. Only the NFC North and AFC West have three teams with a winning percentage above .500 through nine weeks, and the NFC North has three teams with a winning clip above .666. So while the Lions are the favorites to win the division and are currently the leaders, the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers should also be strong candidates for the wild card spot.

The problem: With Za’Darius Smith returning to a division he knows well, his hopes of catching up with the Lions and pulling off a win to secure a wild-card spot look a little slimmer. Smith earned two Pro Bowl berths in his three seasons with the Packers, and another Pro Bowl berth in the only season he played in Minnesota, before noting his lack of productivity as well as a shoulder injury. I look forward to your arrival. Watch out for Sam Darnold, Jordan Love, and Caleb Williams.

CJ Stroud

Perhaps the Houston Texans believe that players with short-term injuries will help stabilize the offense, or maybe they believe the offensive line will be more settled in the second half of the season than it was in the first half. Perhaps the Texans believe their shoddy protection is more due to scheme than personnel issues, or perhaps they believe the available offensive linemen aren’t an upgrade from their current roster. .

Either way, the trade deadline didn’t help quarterback CJ Stroud, who has faced a torrent of pressure in his second season. The Texans rank in the bottom five in both pass block win percentage and rush block win percentage, so their only hope right now is coming from inside.

Steelers offensive line

With all due respect to Mike Williams, who is probably better than Rodgers thought was on the Jets, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been airing their hopes for the receiver for months, but have fallen far short of expectations. According to multiple reports, Pittsburgh offered the San Francisco 49ers a contract for Brandon Aiyuk, but the team agreed but the player was not included, so the deal was not finalized in training camp. The Steelers inquired about New York Giants receiver Darius Slayton this week, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Williams is older and less productive than both players. He might help the offense, but he won’t change it like the other two. The Steelers already have George Pickens as their top wideout and the run game is back. Their solid defense should help them make the playoffs. But quarterback Russell Wilson & Co. won’t receive the infusion of talent in 2024 that previously seemed possible.

Job security for Doug Pederson

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a 20-23 record during head coach Doug Pederson’s three-year tenure. That’s far below the team’s expectations for teaming up with a Super Bowl-winning head coach and generational talent quarterback Trevor Lawrence. This season’s 2-7 record is the worst of Pederson’s tenure. And while the Jaguars didn’t have a wild-fire sale, acquiring starting left tackle Cam Robinson in a trade shows how much of the team’s ownership stake is in Pederson’s ability to fix Lawrence. It shows whether there are any.

In last weekend’s 28-23 loss to the Eagles, Lawrence not only posted his lowest passer rating of the year, but his 40.9 mark was more than 24 points below his previous low. At this point, it appears Pederson’s firing is not a matter of when or if he will be fired this year. Selling the recently paid franchise quarterback’s blindside protection was one of the final nails.

The majesty of the Tennessee Titans

If an NFL player wants to find a second wind, a ninth life, he should join the Titans. And they should leave. First wide receiver AJ Brown flourished with the Philadelphia Eagles, then running back Derrick Henry had a monster start to 2024 with the Baltimore Ravens. On Monday night, the latest former Titans player had a night where Hopkins scored two touchdowns in his second game against the Chiefs.

For those wondering how the Titans were able to walk a player with so much hand strength and body control despite his diminished speed, Hopkins said in his touchdown celebration, guaranteed to remind you where you came from. Behold, the cell from “Remember the Titans.”