The 2025 NFL trade deadline was headlined by two blockbuster New York Jets trades, along with wide receiver trades and much more.
To start, the biggest deal around the deadline was Jets cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner getting traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2026 first-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. This was a huge trade considering that Gardner, now 25 years old, is seen as a top cornerback in the NFL with two first-team All-Pro honors, in 2022, his rookie year, and in 2023. Gardner struggled to find the same success that he did in his first two years in the NFL, but is still a strong cornerback who can lock down the best wide receiver on opposing teams. The Colts, led by superstar running back Jonathan Taylor, are trying to make a push for the Super Bowl this season. The Indiana natives got a defensive player who will help their title hopes right now and in the coming years.
The Jets were in a tough situation. Sitting at just 1-7 after narrowly getting their first win against the Bengals, they realized that they did not have much hope of making the playoffs. They decided to trade Gardner, whom they drafted just a few years ago with the fourth overall pick. They did not trade him away without getting a strong return: two first-round picks and a young, struggling wide receiver in Mitchell. This haul for Gardner was too good to pass up, as they were setting themselves up for the future and starting to rebuild their roster. This rebuild is also evident by their trading of defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
I would give the Colts a grade of C for this trade. Although they did get Gardner, he has not had as much success as he did in the first couple of years of his career, and they gave up a lot of assets in the trade. I would give the Jets an A. They got two first-round picks, and Mitchell, despite his struggles, was a second-round pick last year and still has potential.
In addition to the Gardner deal, the Jets traded away star defensive player Williams, trading him to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. Williams was drafted third overall by the Jets in the 2019 NFL Draft, and is 27-years-old. The Jets traded Williams to a Cowboys team that has statistically had one of the worst defenses in the NFL this year, allowing 30.8 points per game, the second highest in the league. Williams is another top player at his position, having been selected to the Pro Bowl for three years straight. He will add a much-needed strong defensive presence for the Cowboys, considering how horrible their defense has been. Williams is great at both stopping the run and rushing the quarterback, which the Cowboys have missed since trading away star defensive end Micah Parsons to the Packers in the offseason. Williams is already approaching 28-years-old, though, and the Cowboys do not have the best chance to make the playoffs this year. Even if they do, it is unlikely that they will make it past the Wildcard round.
The Jets capitalized on another defensive star’s high value by trading Williams. As mentioned previously, the Jets don’t look like they will be a contending team any time soon. This was another smart move, as they got more high draft picks, building for their future even more. The Jets look to be set up in the coming years with many picks available, but it is up to them to see if they can capitalize. Furthermore, they are taking another chance on a young, disappointing high draft pick in Smith, who was a late first-round pick in 2023.
I would give the Cowboys a D for this trade. They did not have a good defense, but even with Williams, they still will not. They do not have a good secondary and will likely not make the playoffs this year. Williams is getting older, and they gave up a lot for him. I would give the Jets an A+. They made another strong move at the deadline, moving on from two great players, but in doing so, gave themselves a haul of picks for their necessary rebuild.
Along with the two huge deals, there were a bunch of other smaller ones which I will review briefly.
The New Orleans Saints traded offensive tackle Trevor Penning to the Los Angeles Chargers for a 2027 sixth-round pick. I would give the Chargers a B in this deal, as they needed an offensive lineman after their two best linemen in Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater went down with season-ending injuries. Penning is not anything special, though, which is why this is not graded higher. I would also give the Saints a B. Nothing special, but they got a pick in return for someone who did not provide much for them.
The Saints also traded wide receiver Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2026 fourth-round pick, and a 2026 fifth-round pick. I would give the Saints a B+ in this deal. Shaheed is 27 and was an important deep threat for the Saints, but they are 1-8 and not good. Shaheed is in the last year of his contract and would not have resigned anyways, so it was smart for them to get something back for someone who would not have been on their team next season. I would give the Seahawks an A- in this deal. They already have a strong passing attack led by quarterback Sam Darnold, and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and adding Shaheed just increases the danger of the deep ball. Shaheed is known as a speedy receiver adept at long touchdowns, and with Darnold, who has been amazing this year throwing deep, ranking first in the NFL in “big time throws” with 21 according to Pro Football Focus, Shaheed’s skill set would be maximized. The reason this is not a higher grade is because there is a chance of his leaving after this year, even though he fits well with the Seahawks.
The Las Vegas Raiders traded wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2026 fourth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick. I would give the Raiders a B+ for this trade. Once again, a receiver who was probably not going to stay with his team in free agency this year gets traded. This time it is Meyers, who has been a Raider since 2023. The Raiders got a decent return with two picks. Meyers had been in trade talks for a long time, and he was finally let go by the team. I would give the Jaguars a C+ for this trade. Trading for Meyers seems to be a temporary replacement for their two injured receivers, Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. They gave up a little bit more than they probably needed to, with similar level healthy WRs already on their roster.
The Cincinnati Bengals traded linebacker Logan Wilson to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2026 seventh-round pick. I would give the Cowboys a B+ for this trade. They gave up a pick in the last round of the draft for a linebacker who recently got benched by the worst defense in the league. He has served as a decent linebacker for the Bengals in the past, though. I would give the Bengals a B for this trade. They did not want to play him, so they traded him. Nothing special, but not bad at all.
The trade deadline this year was filled with trades for teams trying to make the playoffs and make a push for the Super Bowl. A team that is rebuilding, the Jets made the best moves of the day. It will be interesting to see how the trades that the Jets made with the Cowboys and the Colts impact both this season and in the future, along with other trades made this deadline.
