NFL Trade Deadline 2025: Grading Every Major Deal from Best to Worst

The 2025 NFL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and this year’s edition lived up to the hype with blockbuster deals, shocking last-minute moves, and a few head-scratching trades. Contenders like the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs made aggressive pushes to strengthen their playoff rosters, while struggling teams such as the Patriots and Titans opted to sell off key veterans for future draft capital.

From Quinnen Williams’ stunning trade to the Cowboys to surprising under-the-radar moves that could reshape playoff races, front offices around the league were busy making statements. But which teams truly improved — and which might regret their decisions by season’s end?

Here’s a complete breakdown and grade for every major trade made before the 2025 NFL Trade Deadline, evaluating the impact, fit, and long-term implications for each team involved.

Which teams had the best grades after the 2025 NFL trade deadline?

Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles: Ravens receive: 2026 sixth-round pick & Eagles receive: CB Jaire Alexander and a 2027 seventh-round pick

Baltimore Ravens – Grade: B-

This was a curious one for the Ravens at the 2025 NFL trade deadline, though… Considering what a disappointment Jaire Alexander has been, it was no wonder they trimmed a crowded corner room by shipping a bench-bound vet—and a 2027 seventh—to Philly for a 2026 sixth, preserving cap space for contributors actually seeing snaps.

To put it in context, Alexander logged only 61 snaps so far this year with essentially zero impact, so cashing out a short-term flyer before his deal escalates is cold but smart business. 

It’s not flashy, but it’s exactly how Baltimore keeps itself relevant every season. When you’re one of the most consistent franchises in football, these tidy little transactions are your secret weapon.

Philadelphia Eagles – Grade: B+

Granted, this one is contingent on being able to shake something loose in the aging corner, but still, the Eagles add a two-time Pro Bowler for a late pick, stacking veteran savvy behind Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean while keeping the locker room battle-tested for a playoff run. 

If Alexander regains form, they’ve added meaningful depth to the defense If not, the downside is negligible. It’s classic Howie Roseman—buy low, bet on pedigree, and let the locker room do the rest. 

Every contender needs a guy who’s been through the wars, and Alexander brings that edge without touching any meaningful assets—a worthy gamble.

Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles: Dolphins receive: 2026 third-round pick & Eagles receive: EDGE Jaelan Phillips

Miami Dolphins – Grade: B-

In a lost season, Miami flips Jaelan Phillips to Philly for a 2026 third-rounder, turning an oft-injured former first-rounder into clean capital for a roster reset at the 2025 NFL trade deadline. 

With 26 sacks in 55 games but just three in nine games this season after multiple rehabs, the Dolphins chose cap relief and a youth-focused edge rotation over waiting on another comeback. 

It’s a bittersweet move—Phillips had flashes that screamed star potential, but the injuries kept dragging him back to earth. Miami’s front office clearly decided potential isn’t enough especially with where their season is at—and the franchise staring down a serious rebuild—and likely, a new coaching regime.

Philadelphia Eagles – Grade: A-
Vic Fangio reunites with Phillips, betting that the coach who coaxed 6.5 sacks out of the edge rusher in eight games back in 2023 can revive a pass rush tied for only 16 sacks through eight games in 2025. 

For the price of a third-rounder, Philly adds disruptive upside to a defense that needed juice on the edge. 

Plus, Fangio knows this guy’s DNA better than anyone, and in Philly’s system, even a partial return to form could tilt playoff games… When the stakes are that high, it only takes one or two plays to tip the scales. The risk is small on this one, another strong move by Howie, adding a playmaker who can create off the edge.

Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens: Titans receive: Conditional 2026 fifth-round pick (can escalate to a fourth) & Ravens receive: DL Dre’Mont Jones

Tennessee Titans – Grade: C+

Whelp, no shocker here at the NFL trade deadline based on the disaster that has been the 2025 season.

Tennessee sends Dre’Mont Jones to Baltimore for a conditional 2026 fifth that can climb to a fourth, freeing cap to feed a youth movement on the defensive side of the ball.

Moving a solid but non-core rusher keeps the rebuild timeline clean and the books flexible… which is really all they can do at this point. It won’t make fans that happy, but for a franchise trying to hit reset without completely tanking, this is the slow-burning version of progress.

Baltimore Ravens – Grade: B+

It feels like just a couple of weeks ago, the Ravens’ season was on life support, but here we are, and Baltimore keeps loading the clip, landing Jones on a conditional flyer—an excellent piece alongside Roquan Smith and that steadily improving secondary. 

More depth for a defense chasing a ring without mortgaging the future. Jones isn’t a headline grabber, but in January, he could be just what they need to get over the hump.

New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts: Jets receive: 2026 and 2027 first-round picks, WR Adonai Mitchell & Colts receive: CB Sauce Gardner

New York Jets – Grade: C

Sorry Jets fans—I know this one hurts, but on the bright side, packaging Sauce Gardner for 2026 and 2027 firsts plus rookie wideout Adonai Mitchell is ripping the band-aid off, but it funds a full-scale reboot. 

Brutal… yes, but the Jets clear future cap, secure premium picks for the next couple of drafts… 

I get it—selling off your All-Pro hurts, but franchises stuck in quicksand need to pick a direction, and the Jets did. It’s bold, uncomfortable, and exactly what the Jets needed to do. Rebuilds don’t start with small talk—they start with big exits.

Indianapolis Colts – Grade: A+

The rich just got richer. Sauce Gardner locking down one side while Kenny Moore II slides back into the slot? That’s just unfair.

And with Charvarius Ward waiting on IR, this is about to be one of the stingiest secondaries in football. It’s not just about this season either—this is a move that sets up a defensive core for years to come.

For a 7–2 team already gunning for the AFC’s top seed, Gardner is the ultimate luxury addition. A true lockdown corner, a tone-setter, and a statement from a franchise saying, we’re not waiting—it is time to win now.

This is shaping up to be a special for Indy.

New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys: Jets receive: 2027 first-round pick, 2026 second-round pick, DT Mazi Smith & Cowboys receive: DT Quinnen Williams

New York Jets – Grade: C-

Moving Quinnen Williams for a 2027 first, a 2026 second, and defensive tackle Mazi Smith screams “complete teardown.” 

New York frees huge cap space and buys two premium swings at rebuilding the trenches—or at any of the other massive holes on their roster… 

Yes, you lose your interior wrecking ball, so the defense dips, but the asset haul keeps the reset aligned with the Sauce deal. 

When you’ve been spinning in mediocrity this long, ripping it down to the studs is the only way to breathe again. It’s painful—but pain means progress. At least that is what Jets fans will have to tell themselves.

Dallas Cowboys – Grade: A

When Dallas shipped Micah Parsons to Green Bay in August, it drew a lot of ire… You just shouldn’t give up a player of his caliber, at his age… pretty much ever.

And as we’ve seen through the first chunk of the year, importing Kenny Clark wasn’t the cure-all Jerry Jones thought it would be—not that anyone else really even agreed at the time… But I digress.

But now with Quinnen Williams in the mix after the NFL trade deadline, things get interesting again for the Cowboys.

Massive price tag, massive payoff. Jerry finally backed up the “win-now” talk. 

The move is desperation and ambition in equal measure, but if it works, it rewrites the narrative of the season—especially how sharp the offense has looked thus far in 2025… The Cowboys could have a real shot.

New York Jets and Los Angeles Chargers: Jets receive: CB Ja’Sir Taylor & Chargers receive: Conditional 2028 seventh-round pick

New York Jets – Grade: C-

Not every NFL trade is a headline. Snagging Ja’Sir Taylor for a conditional 2028 seventh-round pick gives New York a cost-controlled corner to add depth at corner following their blockbuster deal. 

No… He won’t replace Sauce… Not even close. But he keeps the secondary functioning while draft capital is poured into the offense. This is the duct tape move of the rebuild—cheap, reliable, necessary.

Los Angeles Chargers – Grade: B

This one made sense for L.A. — flipping Taylor for a future chip was a low-profile move to keep the draft picks stocked up and allows them to free up some snaps for guys that are more aligned with the current system and scheme.

Quietly, the Chargers made a couple of “no drama” — forward-thinking decisions this in NFL Trade Deadline, and that’s growth for an organization historically addicted to shooting itself in the foot.

Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars: Raiders receive: 2026 fourth- and sixth-round picks & Jaguars receive: WR Jakobi Meyers

Las Vegas Raiders – Grade: C-

By Shipping Jakobi Meyers for 2026 fourth- and sixth-round picks, Vegas swaps a steady route artisan for cap relief and draft picks, admitting that year 1 of the Pete Carroll experience is nothing more than the bottom out of a rebuild. 

The Raiders might not be tearing it down, but they’re certainly rearranging the furniture before the offseason—and with good reason. This season has been a complete disaster, and while Jakobi is a nice player, there was no point in having him stick around for a rebuild.

Jacksonville Jaguars – Grade: A-

Jacksonville needed a third-down chain-mover to make plays along Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter, especially now that the latter is banged up and on the IR. 

Meyers slides right in, wins contested throws, and keeps Trevor Lawrence’s offense balanced—and helps tee the Jaguars up for what they hope to be their first playoff run in a few years.

New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks: Saints receive: 2026 fourth- and fifth-round picks & Seahawks receive: WR Rashid Shaheed

New Orleans Saints – Grade: B-

This one has to hurt for Saints fans because Rashid Shaheed was so fun to watch and became a favorite amongst the folks in the Big Easy… but now he heads to Seattle for 2026 fourth-and fifth-rounders, as New Orleans finally acknowledges its cap crunch. 

They stack affordable picks while leaning on Chris Olave and the tight ends to cover the explosive-play void—though that doesn’t really matter in a lost season… much to the chagrin of whoever ends up playing quarterback for them the remainder of the year!

Seattle Seahawks – Grade: A

Seattle reunites Shaheed with coordinator Klint Kubiak, drops another burner next to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp. With Sam Darnold’s arm, we could see a completely supercharged offense, and Shaheed put up numbers we haven’t seen yet! 

With this move, Seattle has made a statement. They are here to compete in 2025!

New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers: Saints receive: 2027 sixth-round pick & Chargers receive: OT Trevor Penning

New Orleans Saints – Grade: C

New Orleans cuts bait on Trevor Penning for a 2027 sixth-round pick as they continue to take chunks out of their cap sheet where they can. 

In the meantime, they’ll patch the left side with veterans until they eventually draft his replacement after the NFL trade deadline. 

Admitting a mistake beats doubling down. It’s a tough pill, but the Saints finally learned that they can’t keep pretending like the cap doesn’t matter and expect to get good players in the mix. 

Los Angeles Chargers – Grade: B+

Los Angeles grabs a former first-round mauler for pennies on the dollar and puts him in Harbaugh’s system… who knows what happens, but this one has exciting upside. 

Even if Penning becomes a jumbo sixth lineman or a right-tackle project behind Rashawn Slater, the potential outweighs the sixth-round ticket. The Chargers are quietly betting on themselves to get the best out of him—and it’s refreshing to see them trust development.

Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears: Browns receive: 2026 sixth-round pick, conditional 2026 seventh-round pick & Bears receive: EDGE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka

Cleveland Browns – Grade: B

So, it wasn’t the blockbuster deal everyone thought might be coming in the NFL trade deadline… But Cleveland did trade a defensive end this deadline!

The Browns turned a rotational edge into a 2026 sixth-round pick plus a conditional 2026 seventh, allowing them to stack some more draft assets to build toward the future.

Let’s just hope that they don’t stack them together and take three more quarterbacks in next year’s draft to add to the chaos!

Chicago Bears – Grade: B+

Chicago has been on the upswing this year and just needed a little juice opposite Montez Sweat, and Tryon-Shoyinka’s length and athleticism combo is worth the mid-round gamble. 

Bears fans had to be excited to see the team active at the deadline with an eye on the playoffs for once… Plus, the cost was minimal. It’s a subtle sign the Bears believe they’re closer than people think—moves like this mean you see a window and you’re ready to make a run at it.

Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys: Bengals receive: 2026 seventh-round pick & Cowboys receive: LB Logan Wilson

Cincinnati Bengals – Grade: C+

This is one of those “we’ll see” trades. The Bengals get younger, cheaper, and probably, their defense gets even worse!.

Wilson’s leadership and football IQ will be missed, but the move frees up room to focus resources around Joe Burrow’s protection and get younger on the defensive side of the ball… And with how pitiful that unit has been as a whole so far this year, making that trade-off just makes sense.

 Painful in the short term, but you can see the logic.

Dallas Cowboys – Grade: B+

Dallas doubles down on its defensive overhaul. 

They add a veteran linebacker who fits perfectly behind their new-look defensive front. Wilson’s instincts, his experience, his ability to lead—all instant upgrades. 

This was a contender move—recognize a weakness and throw resources at it… and they didn’t just key in on the star acquisition… this was a great complementary play that could pay off down the stretch of this season.