NFL teams completed 22 in-season trades before the Tuesday deadline, the most on record.

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane theorized that younger GMs who grew up making trades in their fantasy leagues could help explain the increase.

The GMs making the most expensive additions this season have been around awhile: 82-year-old Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys and 56-year-old Chris Ballard of the Indianapolis Colts.

Jones, who purchased the Cowboys in 1989, has talked about his own mortality, referencing a cancer scare he overcame, in explaining why he feels urgency to win his first title since 1996.

Ballard, hired by the Colts in 2017, entered this season under pressure to win. With a 7-2 record, this could be his best chance to collect the franchise’s first playoff victory since quarterback Andrew Luck shocked the league by retiring before the 2019 season.

The video above examines the trend toward more trades while focusing on best practices for teams to beat historically long odds for adding impact players.

Three of the 22 swaps this season involved players who were drafted in the first three rounds. You can find those shaded gray in the table below, followed by eight trade-deadline takeaways.

Here are eight takeaways now that the trade deadline has passed:

Phillips takes lead with Eagles

The Eagles rank fifth in starts this season by players drafted in the first round, and they added two more in pass rusher Jaelan Phillips and cornerback Jaire Alexander. Phillips will add to that number and, unlike in Miami this season, will get significant chances to rush the passer with a lead.

The Eagles have led on 67 percent of their defensive snaps this season, fifth-highest in the league. The Dolphins’ defense ranks 23rd at 42 percent. Phillips has 17 sacks in 978 career snaps (660 of which were pass plays) while leading, compared to nine sacks in 1,258 snaps (761 pass plays) while not leading.

Woody Johnson’s patience will be tested

The Jets hired coach Aaron Glenn from Detroit, where Dan Campbell started 4-19-1 even though he had a viable quarterback in Jared Goff. Trading Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams for a haul featuring three first-round picks signals a Jets rebuild that could take even longer in the absence of a Goff-level starter. Gardner’s play has declined. Williams, while an excellent player, lacks the girth Glenn might prefer if he plans to build the Jets’ defense to the Lions’ specs.

Colts better be right on Gardner

Quite a few coaches and evaluators in the league think Gardner has not played like an elite corner for some time. Did Indy just trade two first-round picks for a flashy name without the flashy game? Jalen Ramsey was a better all-around player when the Rams acquired him for two firsts in 2019.

Gardner is going to help the Colts regardless, and with a veteran, matchup-specific coordinator in Lou Anarumo, I expect Indy to maximize what the team is getting. Will that make Gardner an elite performer?

Daniel Jones is getting an extension from the Colts

The trade for Gardner cost the Colts two first-round picks that otherwise could have helped secure a quarterback. Jones is the first relatively young veteran starter to play well for the Colts since Luck’s retirement. Indy isn’t going to gamble on a QB in the draft. Jones will be the guy unless he unravels, in which case all bets are off anyway.

Seattle’s run game could improve

The Seahawks are feasting through the air while defenses guard against the Shanahan-style ground game that new coordinator Klint Kubiak has implemented. The time is coming when defenses focus more on stopping Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the pass game.

That could be harder to do, however, after the Seahawks added speed receiver Rashid Shaheed from New Orleans for fourth- and fifth-round picks. Shaheed, who played for Kubiak in New Orleans last season, could force opponents to keep worrying about the deep ball.

The Cowboys had competition

Dallas invited criticism for the price it paid for Williams, especially a concession allowing the Jets to choose the higher of 2027 first-round picks originating in Dallas and Green Bay. It’s the type of concession teams make when there’s a bidding war, which was the case in this situation, per league sources. Yahoo’s Jordan Schultz identified one of the other interested teams as the Jaguars. There was at least one other.

Kyler Murray should be available in the offseason

Arizona’s decision to stick with Jacoby Brissett before placing Murray on injured reserve could mean Cardinals coaches are betting their jobs on the offense performing more consistently down the stretch with a more conventional quarterback. It looks like Murray has run his course after seven seasons, unless Brissett falters or suffers an injury.

Catching isn’t the Jaguars’ No. 1 problem

GM James Gladstone referred to newly acquired receiver Jakobi Meyers’ sure hands as a “superpower” that enhanced his value. While it’s true quarterback Trevor Lawrence has had a league-high 12 percent of his passes dropped, per Pro Football Focus, Lawrence also ranks 24th in adjusted completion rate, which takes drops into account. Sure-handed receivers aren’t going to solve that problem.

Nov 6, 2025

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Mike Sando joined The Athletic in 2019 as an NFL senior writer after 12 years with ESPN. He is a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, an officer for the Pro Football Writers of America and has covered every non-pandemic Super Bowl since the 1998 season. Follow Mike on Twitter @SandoNFL