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The 2024 NFL trade deadline is on Tuesday, Nov. 5, following Week 9 of football action. The last day to make deals is a week later than it historically is, so it is possible more trades will occur than normal. The delayed deadline will create more clarity on who will be trade deadline buyers and who will be sellers.
Teams will have more time to evaluate if they are good enough to where adding some pieces through trade can help for a playoff/Super Bowl push or if their postseason odds are faint and they should trade away their best assets for future help. Trade deadline trades are occurring with more frequency than ever before. The 2022 deadline broke the record for deadline deals, and eight trades were made on the last day to do so last season.
The madness has already begun, too, as Davante Adams was traded to the New York Jets on Oct. 15. The move reunites the receiver with Aaron Rodgers, and it might incentivize other teams to start making moves before deadline day even approaches. That was proven true when Amari Cooper was traded to the Buffalo Bills just hours after the Adams deal.
The new deadline date is seemingly making pre-deadline trades more common. Regardless, it is already becoming clear that this will be an active trade deadline. Here are the teams who we think will either be buyers or sellers on or before Nov. 5.
Trade deadline buyers
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions have been one of the best teams in the NFL this year, but they are in the best division in football. The NFC North has a combined record of 17-5, as the last-placed Green Bay Packers are even a respectable 4-2. The Lions' offense has been incredible, as evidenced by their 47-point outburst against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6.
However, their defense took a big hit in that game. Star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson broke his leg in gruesome fashion, and the team will now be without him for the rest of the season. Hutchinson has a league-leading 7.5 sacks this season, which made him one of the hottest players in football. Replacing his production will be next to impossible internally or externally, but the Lions would be smart to trade for a piece that can help.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs will always be trade deadline buyers as long as Patrick Mahomes is quarterbacking the team because they will always be in championship contention with the best player in football under center. Their likelihood of making a trade at this year's trade deadline seems higher than ever before, even though the team has shown a willingness to make trades in the past.
Rashee Rice, Hollywood Brown, and Isiah Pacheco are all among the best offensive playmakers on the Chiefs' deadly offense, but they all have injuries that will hold them out for all or most of the season. With Mahomes and Travis Kelce, the team's offense will be okay, but they had a scary lineup before all of the injuries. Adding another offensive weapon would make sense, as it would help take a load off of the aging tight end.
Many questioned if the Chiefs would be fine without Tyreek Hill, and they've since won two straight Super Bowls, so adding more offensive talent isn't necessarily a necessity, as Mahomes will thrive with whoever is catching his passes. The Chiefs are clearly in their championship window, though, and considering they've made deadline deals in the past, you can expect them to be busy on Nov. 5.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have been the surprise team of the NFL so far. They are one of two undefeated teams left, but adding some more depth could be crucial because of how stacked the NFC North is. Many predicted the Vikings to struggle this season, as entering the year, Sam Darnold was viewed as one of the worst quarterbacks in football.
The signal-caller has had a breakout campaign on what is his fourth NFL team, though, and he is quickly proving that those who called him a draft bust were wrong. Reinforcements are coming, as T.J. Hockenson is set to return from injury. Additionally, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is no stranger to trade deadline deals. He made a shocking, inner-divisional trade for the aforementioned tight end in 2022 despite division rivalry trades being a rarity. If the Vikings were willing to make a huge trade then, then they will surely be willing to do so now, considering the team is even more talented than it was back then.
Buffalo Bills
Financial problems led to the Bills moving on from a number of their best players in the offseason. Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Tre'Davious White, Jordan Poyer, and Micah Hyde all found new homes in the offseason, so the Bills were expected to take a step back. That hasn't been the case, as Buffalo has a 4-2 record.
The team got off to a hot start and won each of their first three games. The trade deadline could be the time to replace some of the players lost in the offseason. Of course, the Bills likely won't bring in highly paid superstars, considering the financially motivated moves that they made before the season. Adding bargain-bin talent makes a lot of sense for the Bills, though, especially on the defensive end.
The Bills proved their buyer status weeks before the deadline. Their acquisition of Amari Cooper gives Josh Allen a weapon unlike anything he has had before. The former Cleveland Browns receiver is one of the best route runners in football, and his addition puts to rest the question of who the team's top receiver is.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals got off to an even more brutal start this season than they normally have during the Joe Burrow era. Cincinnati was 1-4 before their Week 6 victory got them back on track. The Bengals have always been late bloomers, but they might need to add some pieces to push for the playoffs again this year.
The offense is set, but the defense is allowing 25.3 points per game, which ranks 26th in the league. The rushing defense, in particular, has been bad. The Bengals have already allowed 876 yards on the ground, so expect them to pursue more help for their front seven.
Houston Texans
The Texans' rebuild was quick and efficient. Houston needed to hit on their draft picks to get to where they are at now, but they've also shown a willingness to make big trades. This was evident when they acquired Stefon Diggs in the offseason. With the Chiefs riddled by injuries, now is the time to make a push for the Super Bowl. The Texans should try and continue to add talent at this year's trade deadline.
Washington Commanders
The Commanders made a surprising trade just before the start of the regular season, as they shipped Jahan Dotson off to the Philadelphia Eagles. That was a seller's move, but the Commanders should be buyers at the 2024 NFL trade deadline. Even without Dotson, Washington's offense has been next to unstoppable.
Jayden Daniels is having one of the best rookie seasons we've ever seen. The first-year quarterback is completing 75.3% of his passes, which is historically efficient. The Commanders have proven that they can get things done without an elite receiving corps, but they could use some help on defense. Washington doesn't have a great secondary, and they could use more defensive backs to help out for the back half of the season.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers hadn't done much losing with Brock Purdy as their quarterback. That was until this season. Right now, San Francisco is 3-3, but they still have a championship-caliber roster. After all, many predicted them to win the Super Bowl coming into the season, and it has mainly been injuries that have held them back so far.
The 49ers have looked better as players, including George Kittle and Deebo Samuel, have returned to health. They are still without Christian McCaffrey and Ricky Pearsall, though, and Dre Greenlaw and Javon Hargrave are out for the season. The 49ers still have a deep roster, but they need to replenish some of the depth they've lost because of injury. There are way too many talented football players on this team to waste a season.
Trade deadline sellers
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers were the worst team in the NFL last season, and that hasn't changed this year. They've improved slightly since benching former number one overall pick Bryce Young, but that decision has left the team in a pickle. It is awfully early to give up on the Alabama product completely, but re-naming the quarterback the starter might be out of the picture, too.
Regardless, there are holes all over this roster, and not just at quarterback. The Panthers will lose a lot of games regardless of who is throwing the football this season, so they have their eyes on the future. The team traded a lot to land Young in the 2023 NFL Draft, and they should look to recoup picks by trading any veteran assets that they have at this year's trade deadline.
Young himself could even be on the move, as a fresh start might not be the worst thing in the world, especially if the Panthers are able to get a sufficient trade package in return. At this point, though, Young's potential value to the Panthers might be greater than the trade value they can get in return for him.
Tennessee Titans
That Titans have also struggled with quarterback play. Will Levis has had a rough sophomore campaign that has included a number of boneheaded plays. Now, the Titans are 1-4 and have only scored 96 total points. Levis still has potential, but the lack of team success and the uninspiring season from the quarterback means that Tennessee might be in on the sweepstakes for a rookie quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft.
If that is the case, then they have some intriguing players on the trade block who could net decent returns. Considering Davante Adams and Amari Cooper have already been moved, receiver-needy teams might look to Tennessee to try and pull off a trade for someone from their receiver room. DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, and Treylon Burks are potential trade candidates.
New England Patriots
Drake Maye made his first start at quarterback for the Patriots in Week 6. The third overall pick looked the part, as he threw for three touchdowns. He also displayed some rookie struggles, as he threw two interceptions. Maye is somewhat raw as a player, and while his potential is sky-high, it might take him a while to work out the kinks and lead the Patriots to a lot of wins, especially with the underwhelming talent around him.
The Patriots aren't in the postseason hunt this year, so they should better their chances for the future by being trade deadline sellers. Surrounding Maye with more talent next year will be key, as he and the team will be more likely to make noise in the AFC East then. You usually don't want to strip down the talent around a young quarterback, and in turn, make life more difficult on them. There isn't much of an offensive line or receiving corps in New England anyway, though, so life can't get much harder on Maye.
The biggest name on the trade block when we started writing this article just so happened to be Davante Adams, and now that he has been moved, it is confirmed that the Raiders will be trade deadline sellers. Adams time in Las Vegas was far from perfect, and Gardner Minshew was recently replaced by Aidan O'Connell at the quarterback position. More change is yet to come. Maxx Crosby is likely too valuable to be moved, but there are other players on this roster with trade value.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns offense has been terrible this season. Deshaun Watson's struggles means that the team won't compete for the playoffs, despite having a defense loaded with talent. Having all of that defensive talent also means that Cleveland has plenty of intriguing players that they can trade away at the trade deadline. Reining Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett is too talented to trade away, but the Browns should listen to offers for anyone else.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars' disappointing season continued in Week 6, and now they could be in for a roster overhaul. The team has transformed the roster in recent years with a number of big-name free-agent additions and the first overall selection of Trevor Lawrence. It hasn't worked out as expected, though.
Jacksonville might hit the reset button at the NFL trade deadline. They have the talent on their roster to get enough back to make fans optimistic about the future if they were to be trade-deadline sellers.
