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The NFL trade deadline has undergone drastic changes over the last decade. Ten years ago, there were only two trades made on the last day to make deals in the NFL, and there was only one move made the following year during the 2015 NFL trade deadline. Nowadays, seemingly every team is rushing to make deals before time expires during the trade deadline, as evidenced when a record amount of trades were made as recently as the 2022 NFL trade deadline.
The 2024 NFL trade deadline is just around the corner, but it is a little bit later than normal. Trades must be finalized by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 5. This is the Tuesday following Week 9 of games, which is different than normal. Historically, deadline day was the Tuesday after Week 8. The pushed-back deadline incentivizes even more trades as teams have a better feeling if they should be buyers or sellers.
It has also seemingly increased the amount of trades leading up to the actual deadline. This season, big names such as Davante Adams, Amari Cooper, and DeAndre Hopkins have already been traded leading up to the deadline. Fans are now wondering if deadline day itself won't be as hectic as normal because of the change, even if trades overall on the season are up.
Trends of NFL trade deadline deals are ever-changing, and each team has a different philosophy when it comes to moving players. Because of that, we decided to look at just how many trades each team has made during deadline day over the last 10 years. Moves over the days/weeks leading up to the trade deadline day don't count here. Instead, we are only curious about the number of trades each team has made on the actual last day to do business.
Zero trade deadline trades (5)
Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans
While trade deadline trades happen with more frequency than ever before, there are still some teams that don't like to make last-second trades. In fact, there are five teams who haven't made a single trade deadline deal over the last 10 years. This doesn't mean that these teams are unwilling to make mid-season moves, though; they just tend to do their business in the days or weeks leading up to the trade deadline.
This can be viewed as smart business because you will get the players you are trading to get some extra time. Not only does this allow players more time to learn the playbook and get acclimated, but it also allows more time for these players who were brought in to help out on the field to actually help out on the field. Teams making trade deadline deals are often looking for the missing pieces for a push to the playoffs, so it makes sense to bring in talent players as early as possible so things don't come down to the wire.
One trade deadline trade (5)
Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts
Of the five teams that have made exactly one trade deadline deal over the last decade, two of them hadn't made a last-second move until last year. Times are changing, though, and the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns both made their first move over the qualifying time period at last year's deadline.
The Cardinals surprisingly made Josh Dobbs their Week 1 starting quarterback last year, but they eventually benched him and then moved him to the Minnesota Vikings. Dobbs found immediate success in Minnesota and became a fan-favorite in the process, but eventually his luck ran out. The Browns trade was also a selling move, as they dealt Donovan Peoples-Jones to the Detroit Lions who needed more depth at the receiver position.
The Indianapolis Colts trade deadline deal occurred the year before. Seemingly, everyone was active at the 2022 NFL trade deadline, and the Colts executed a fascinating trade with the Buffalo Bills where the two swapped running backs. Indianapolis moved on from Nyheim Hines, but they won the trade by receiving Zach Moss.
The New Orleans Saints 2020 trade deadline move was also a standard one-for-one trade of players at the same position. They gave up Kiko Alonso for Kwon Alexander. The Carolina Panthers trade deadline trade occurred back in 2017. They moved on from Kelvin Benjamin, who they had previously drafted in the first round.
Two trade deadline trades (3)
New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens
Most teams are either committed to trade deadline deals or hesitant to make them, so only three teams lie somewhere in the middle as teams occasionally making deals. The New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks are somewhat new to getting in on the action. New York and Seattle both made only their second deadline deal over the last decade last season.
The Baltimore Ravens are pretty sporadic when they make deadline deals. They traded A.J. Klein and picks for Roquan Smith in 2022, which was clearly a win. Smith is not only one of the best inside linebackers in football, but he is one of the best NFL players overall. Their other trade deadline deal was in 2018 for utility man Ty Montgomery.
Three trade deadline trades (8)
Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers
A lot of teams have just recently gotten into the action with trade deadline trades. That was evident with the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, both of which have made all three of their trade deadline trades (within the last 10 years) over the last two seasons.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have actually bucked this trend, though. Tampa Bay hasn't made a trade deadline deal since 2016, when they made one. Before that, they made two trades back in 2014 on deadline day. Deadline deals were a rarity back then, so the Buccaneers offered fans a lot of entertainment when they traded Mark Barron and Jonathan Casillas in separate moves.
Four trade deadline trades (8)
Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets
Three to four trade deadline trades over the last decade are common, as eight teams have made this number of trades. The Atlanta Falcons, in particular, are a team that has really hopped on the trade train recently. All four of their trade deadline trades over this period occurred over the last two seasons, including three 2022 trade deadline moves.
They remain the only team over the last decade with as many as three separate trade deadline trades during a single season. The Falcons acted as both buyers and sellers at that deadline, as they moved on from Calvin Ridley and Dean Marlowe, but they did bring in Rashad Fenton.
The Los Angeles Rams are a team that has been known for big trades under general manager Les Snead. They were heavy into the trade scene during the late 2010s when Snead became notorious for trading off draft picks for veterans. In fact, the Rams didn't have a first-round pick from 2016 until 2024.
The Kansas City Chiefs are another team of note with four trade deadline trades over the last 10 years. While they didn't make a move on deadline day last year, they did make one in each of the previous three seasons, and their successes at the deadline have served as examples of how trades can help improve a team. The tweaks the Chiefs have made to their roster in recent years have helped them become back-to-back Super Bowl champions.
Five trade deadline trades (0)
There are teams that have made more than five trade deadline trades over the last decade, but no teams have made exactly five trades during that time. That would equate to a trade deadline move every other year, which seems reasonable, but no teams have done that.
A bunch of receiver trades have already been made this year, so it is widely assumed the trade deadline will be filled with defensive moves. If the deadline is as busy as expected, there will be plenty of teams that will surely qualify for having five trade deadline trades.
Six trade deadline trades (2)
Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins
The Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins had very aggressive front offices over the last decade. Around a decade ago, Peyton Manning was still quarterbacking the Broncos, and John Elway was always trying to bring in the talent to help him win a Super Bowl. Manning's tenure started with him pioneering a dominant offense, but it ended with the No Fly Zone defense leading the way.
More recently, the Broncos have struggled to win games. They haven't made the playoffs since they won Super Bowl 50, and they've often been trade deadline sellers. Randy Gregory, Bradley Chubb, and Von Miller are some of the stars that they've gotten rid of in order to replenish draft picks in recent seasons.
The Dolphins trade deadline deals have been somewhat connected to the Broncos. They were the team that traded for Chubb, and they even traded for former Broncos legend Aqib Talib at the 2019 deadline, although they acquired him from the Rams.
Seven trade deadline trades (1)
San Francisco 49ers
No team is more active at the trade deadline than the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers make a move on deadline day almost every year. Most recently, they got in on the action last year and added a former elite prospect for their defense. That player was defensive end Chase Young, who was college teammates with 49ers star Nick Bosa.
Young ended up being a rental, but he helped get the 49ers into the Super Bowl last season. The 49ers have made a trade deadline deal every year since 2020, and considering they are contenders who started off slower than expected this year, you can expect them to be busy again on Nov. 5.
The 49ers have dealt with injury problems all season long, so adding more depth and reinforcements makes sense. We recommended Sebastian Joseph-Day as the player San Francisco should target as a Javon Hargrave replacement. The defensive tackle is one of the best at his position in the NFL, and the Titans will surely be selling at the deadline, so the 49ers should take advantage and do what they always do; make a trade deadline deal.
