From Sauce to Quinnen: The Trades That Shook Up the NFL
Star players moved. Draft picks flew. The 2025 deadline won’t be forgotten soon.
Hey everyone, TC here,
The 2025 NFL trade deadline came and went with a massive set of fireworks.
Historically, the NFL trade deadline has been quiet, with just a few moves that amount to little fanfare. Over the past few years, with the injection of younger, more open-minded general managers at the helm, the league has seen a substantial increase not only in the number of trades but also in their severity.
In today’s Cap & Trade Newsletter, I will cover the past week’s worth of NFL player trades, the compensation exchanged, and quick thoughts.
October 27, 2025
The Los Angeles Rams acquire defensive back Roger McCreary from the Tennessee Titans on a day-three pick swap.
Los Angeles received: 2026 6th Round Conditional (Los Angeles owned) & Roger McCreary.
Tennessee received: 2026 5th Round Conditional (Tennessee owned).
McCreary, a former 2nd round draft pick, has not quite lived up to his potential in the league. The move to the Los Angeles Rams should provide McCreary a solid environment to find his way before becoming an unrestricted free agent in March of 2026.
October 29, 2025
The San Francisco 49ers acquire edge rusher Keion White from the New England Patriots on a day-three pick swap.
San Francisco received: 2026 7th Round Conditional (New England) & Keion White.
New England received: 2026 6th Round Conditional (Minnesota).
Keion White, a former 2nd round draft pick, saw his playing time drop dramatically (to 28%) under head coach Mike Vrabel. All the signs pointed to White needing a new landing spot. San Francisco brings in White, who is on a rookie contract, through the 2026 season.
October 30, 2025
The Pittsburgh Steelers acquire defensive back Kyle Dugger from the New England Patriots on a day-three pick swap.
Pittsburgh received: 2026 7th Round Conditional (New Orleans) & Kyle Dugger.
New England received: 2026 6th Round (Pittsburgh).
Dugger is in the second year of his four-year $58 million contract. Things turned sour quickly over the summer between Dugger and the New England organization. The team would encounter difficulty moving Dugger due to the nature of the contract that included a fully guaranteed $9.75 million salary for the 2025 season. To facilitate the trade, New England completed a $4.77 million salary-to-signing bonus conversion. New England paid $9.76 million, leaving Pittsburgh with a minimum salary outlay of $650,000 for the final 9 weeks of the season. Dugger also agreed to void out the 2026 and 2027 contract years, making him an unrestricted free agent in March 2026.
The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets completed a player for player trade that included a day-three pick swap.
Philadelphia received: 2027 7th Round Conditional (Minnesota) & defensive back Michael Carter II.
New York received: 2027 6th Round Conditional (Philadelphia) & wide receiver John Metchie.
The trade equates to both sides acquiring player depth for roster purposes. This is the second time John Metchie has been traded in 2025.
November 3, 2025
The Philadelphia Eagles acquire defensive back Jaire Alexander and a future day 3 pick from the Baltimore Ravens for a day three pick.
Philadelphia received: 2027 7th Round (Baltimore) & defensive back Jaire Alexander.
Baltimore received: 2026 6th Round (Philadelphia).
Philadelphia continued to backfill its secondary depth with the acquisition of the former first-round pick Jaire Alexander. This marks the second time Alexander has been traded in 2025.
November 4, 2025 - Trade Deadline
What will be known as one of the most explosive trade deadline days in NFL history was filled with nine trades.
The Baltimore Ravens acquire defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones from the Tennessee Titans for a conditional early day 3 pick.
Baltimore received: Defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones.
Tennessee received: 2026 5th Conditional (New York Jets).
The trade condition was leaked by Albert Breer, who noted that the draft compensation would increase to a 4th-round pick if Jones recorded two sacks and the Baltimore Ravens made the playoffs. Baltimore’s struggling defense brings in much-needed veteran talent along the front line. Jones already has 4.5 sacks on the season. Tennessee sheds some cash while acquiring draft capital to continue its rebuild.
The Dallas Cowboys acquire linebacker Logan Wilson from the Cincinnati Bengals.
Dallas received: Linebacker Logan Wilson.
Cincinnati received: 2026 7th Round (New York Giants).
Logan Wilson has seen his starting position disappear as he works under a new defensive scheme. Cincinnati will shed $2.7 million in cash for the 2025 season, and the 2026 and 2027 contract years by sending Wilson to Dallas.
The Philadelphia Eagles acquire edge rusher Jaelan Phillips from the Miami Dolphins for a day two draft pick.
Philadelphia received: edge rusher Jaelen Phillips.
Miami received: 2026 3rd Round (Philadelphia).
To facilitate the trade, Miami took on an additional $5.12 million in salary for the 2025 season, leaving the Eagles with a low $1.5 million salary responsibility. Miami was willing to take on the additional salary to increase the draft compensation to a 3rd round pick. The Eagles get an exceptional pass rusher despite Phillips’s injury history.
The Jacksonville Jaguars acquire veteran wide receiver Jakoki Meyers from the Las Vegas Raiders for two day-three picks.
Jacksonville received: Jakoki Meyers.
Las Vegas received: 2026 4th Round Conditional (Jacksonville) & 2026 6th Round (New York Jets).
Jacksonville recently lost its first-round draft pick, Travis Hunter, to injury and was looking to backfill the receiver room. Jakobi Meyers had previously requested a trade out of Las Vegas. This created a natural match for the two sides to complete the trade. Meyers is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March 2026.
The Seattle Seahawks acquire speedy wide receiver Rashid Shaheed from the New Orleans Saints for two early day-three picks.
Seattle received: Wide receiver Rashid Shaheed.
New Orleans received: 2026 4th Round (Seattle) & 2026 5th Round (Seattle).
Seattle had their eyes on Jaylin Waddle out of Miami, but did not come to an agreement and then shifted their sights to Shaheed. New Orleans is working their way out of salary cap purgatory. With just one win on the season, they opted to move Shaheed.
The Indianapolis Colts acquire star defensive back Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner from the New York Jets.
Indianapolis received: Defensive backAhmad “Sauce” Gardner.
New York received: 2026 1st Round (New York), 2027 1st Round (New York), and Wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.
The biggest trade deadline deals in the history of the NFL. Chris Ballard, GM of the Indianapolis Colts, riding the high wave of his 7-2 Colts, fortified the secondary with the acquisition of Gardner. The compensation is very high and could be considered an overpayment. Once you factor in that the contract is already in place with the Jets and that the Colts have already paid Gardner’s signing bonus, this gives the Colts a favorable contract. Additionally, the contract includes two options that will provide Ballard with maximum flexibility in salary cap management in future years.
The Chicago Bears acquire edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka from the Cleveland Browns for a late day-three pick swap.
Chicago received: 2026 7th Round (Philadelphia) & edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
Cleveland received: 2026 6th Round (Chicago).
The Dallas Cowboys complete a second trade on a blockbuster move to acquire former All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets.
Dallas received: Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
New York received: Defensive tackle Mazi Smith, 2026 2nd Round, and 2027 1st Round (Conditional).
Dallas continues their defensive makeover after trading away Micah Parsons earlier in the trading period. The Jets continue their asset sale to acquire additional draft-pick firepower to fuel their 2026 rebuild. The 2027 1st round conditional pick will be either the Cowboys’ or Green Bay Packers’ draft pick, whichever has more value. The trade will shift contract leverage in Quinnen Williams’ favor. I would expect Williams to seek out a new contract in 2026.
The Los Angeles Chargers acquire offensive tackle Trevor Penning from the New Orleans Saints.
Los Angeles received: Offensive Tackle Trevor Penning.
New Orleans received: 2027 6th Round (Los Angeles).
Los Angeles has endured an endless cycle of injuries on its offensive line. Bringing in Penning will alleviate some of the depth issues to give Justin Herbert the protection needed. Penning, a former 1st round pick, is in the final year of his rookie contract and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March 2026.
League Trade History
In the 2025 league year, the 32 NFL teams completed 97 trades from March 13th to November 4th. This includes draft pick trades and player trades.
Past League Trade History:
2025 - 97 trades
2024 - 86 trades
2023 - 91 trades
2022 - 94 trades
2021 - 92 trades
Here’s to an awesome NFL trade deadline and to more just like this in the future.
Thanks for reading,
-TC