By Mike Jones / The Athletic
A year after 15 deals took place before the NFL’s trade deadline, 19 players changed teams during the 2024 in-season trade window, which closed last Tuesday. Wide receivers were in high demand, as were pass rushers. In many cases, the rich seemed to get richer.
Here’s a look at the winners and losers of the trade window.
WINNER: Kansas City Chiefs
Injuries have ravaged the wide receiver unit of the reigning Super Bowl champions. So general manager Brett Veach went out and got Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid a new weapon in the form of DeAndre Hopkins, a five-time Pro Bowl and three-time all-Pro wideout. It appears as if Hopkins is making a seamless transition from Tennessee to Kansas City. He had eight catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns in Monday night’s overtime win over Tampa Bay. And if that weren’t enough, Veach also worked to fortify the Chiefs’ already stout defense by acquiring pass rusher Josh Uche from New England. Veach had to give up only a conditional fifth-rounder for Hopkins (the pick could become a fourth-rounder, but that’s worth it for a receiver of his caliber) and sixth for Uche. The only negative for Kansas City: It didn’t land help at defensive back, another area of real need.
WINNER: Detroit Lions
They lost their star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a tibia and fibula injury and their defense still remained disruptive in the three weeks since. It was no secret, though, that the Lions wanted pass rushers to help fill the massive void. Last Tuesday, they landed one of the top edges on the trade block in Za’Darius Smith, who recorded five sacks, seven quarterback hits and 23 tackles for Cleveland this season. Count Smith as a winner as well. He goes from the Browns, who could suffer double-digit losses this season, to the Lions — legit Super Bowl contenders.
LOSERS: Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings
The Lions remained formidable without a top-level replacement for Hutchinson and still earned victories over their NFC North challengers Minnesota and Green Bay to improve to 7-1. Now defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn receives additional help to go after Sam Darnold and Jordan Love while the Lions try to add to their division lead.
WINNERS: Pro Bowl wide receivers
Hopkins in Tennessee, Amari Cooper in Cleveland, Diontae Johnson in Carolina and Davante Adams in Las Vegas all found themselves trapped in disastrous, dead-end situations. But the football gods smiled upon them, and all four wound up getting traded to better situations, with Cooper going to Buffalo, Johnson going to Baltimore and Adams going to the New York Jets. (Even if the New York Jets aren’t going anywhere, Adams can at least catch passes from a friendly face in Aaron Rodgers.) Meanwhile, Pittsburgh acquired the veteran receiver Mike Williams from the Jets, making him a winner as well. He has never reached the Pro Bowl, but Williams certainly can help the Steelers, and he gets to escape New York, where he struggled to connect on the field with Rodgers.
WINNER: Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens scored on multiple fronts. First: The Panthers were so desperate, they were willing to part with Johnson for virtually nothing (a late-round pick swap). Johnson, who earned Pro Bowl honors in 2021 with Pittsburgh after recording 1,161 receiving yards, had averaged 873 receiving yards per season entering 2024 and should help improve a unit that features Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman. Second: The Ravens got help for their defense by acquiring Tre’Davious White from the Rams. White, 29, earned Pro Bowl honors in 2019 and 2020 but has since battled injuries. He has played in only four games this season but could bring depth to Baltimore’s secondary if he can stay healthy. If not, Baltimore gave up next to nothing (a seventh-round pick swap) to get him.
LOSER: New York Giants
Other teams had interest in pass rusher Azeez Ojulari, but none of the offers satisfied the Giants enough to pull the trigger on a deal. Ojulari has six sacks despite playing behind Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux; he could have helped someone else, and the Giants could have used the future picks to fortify their weak roster. Instead, Ojulari stays put and New York adds no resources.
WINNER: Pittsburgh Steelers
First they got much-needed help at receiver, landing the veteran Williams from the Jets. Then they got a durable pass rusher to line up opposite T.J. Watt by acquiring Preston Smith from Green Bay. The Steelers are working hard to maintain their edge over Baltimore in the AFC North standings.
WINNER: Washington Commanders
On one hand, the acquisition of Marshon Lattimore from the New Orleans Saints helps fill a real position of need. On the other, Washington gave up a third-, fourth- and sixth-round pick for a player who hasn’t played a full season since 2021. But if Lattimore can stay on the field and play at his four-time Pro-Bowl level, this move makes Washington better. If his playing time remains sporadic, giving up third- and fourth-round picks (potential core players) will sting a bit. But the Commanders had an extra third-rounder thanks to the Jahan Dotson-to-Philadelphia trade, so they essentially flipped a bust of a first-round pick for a potential No. 1 veteran cornerback. That’s not bad at all.
LOSER: New York Jets
Yes, they got Adams, which makes Rodgers happy. But was it really worth it? A dramatic turnaround appears highly unlikely for the 3-6 Jets, who would have done better to unload veterans beyond Williams and get more picks for the future, even if general manager Joe Douglas may not be around to use those picks next spring.
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