2026 NFL Trade Grades

I’ll be keeping track of the various NFL trades that occur throughout 2026 on this page (most recent first). For every trade, I will list the assets each team received, analyze the trade, and provide trade grades for each team. Unless a specific trade is really notable, I’ll only be grading trades involving players, not just draft picks. For free agent signings and extensions, see this page.

March 20, 2026

Eagles Trade S Sydney Brown, 2026 4th- (No. 122) and 6th-Round (No. 215) Picks to Falcons for 2026 4th- (No. 114) and 6th-Round (No. 197) Picks:
Surprise, surprise: Trader Howie is at it again. Brown started his career with a 99-yard pick 6 but has been pretty quiet since. His primary role has been on special teams, as other players have made him an afterthought. Reed Blankenship’s departure had me wondering if a bigger role was in store for him, but that won’t be the case now. Atlanta is acquiring him strictly for depth with Jessie Bates and Xavier Watts entrenched as starters. All they’re giving up is a few slots in the 4th and 6th rounds, which feels insignificant. Clearly, “insignificant” is how Philly felt about Brown if they’re trading him for this little with a shallow safety room. It makes me feel like Brown was a release candidate, so at least the Eagles got something for him. I think he can play a bit though, and the Falcons aren’t mortgaging much to test him out.
Grades: Eagles: B-; Falcons: B+

March 18, 2026

Panthers Trade QB Andy Dalton to Eagles for 2027 7th-Round Pick:
Carolina said they wanted to get younger at the backup QB spot, and they did that by signing Kenny Pickett. That was a downgrade, but they’re trading Dalton away nonetheless. Dalton isn’t as effective at age 38 as he was even a few years ago, but he remains a solid backup. Tanner McKee looked very shaky for Philly last season, so they probably wanted a stable veteran. I’m not sure why they felt the need to trade for one with guys like Jimmy Garoppolo still unsigned, but this is a very minor bit of draft capital, so it’s fine. The Panthers consider themselves a team that can win now that they won the putrid NFC South at 8-9, so keeping Dalton seemed to be the better idea. I also think he has been a great mentor for Bryce Young, and I’d want to keep that going. For such a minor trade, this one could have real consequences down the road. My edge goes to the Eagles here.
Grades: Panthers: C; Eagles: B

March 17, 2026

Dolphins Trade WR Jaylen Waddle, 2026 4th-Round Pick to Broncos for 2026 1st-, 3rd-, and 4th-Round Picks:
I’ve been pretty critical of the Dolphins’ moves this offseason, but I’m on board with this one. Waddle is a really good receiver, and his remaining contract ($68M over 3 years) is very reasonable. However, at 5’10”, he’s not a bona-fide X receiver, and he gets hurt fairly often. He hasn’t produced 1000 yards in a season since 2023, though Denver clearly believes his best football is to come in a more creative offense. The Broncos did indeed need a WR upgrade, as their weapons vanished in the playoffs. Only Courtland Sutton is reliable. Waddle gives them a speed element that they didn’t have before. My main problem for Denver is the cost. Even though the outgoing picks are all at the ends of their rounds, this is more of a haul than the Bears got for DJ Moore, who I consider the better WR. I think Denver could’ve gotten a similar receiver with the 30th pick that they’re trading while saving money and the mid-round selection swaps. Miami is a worse team today, but they got the better end of the deal for sure.
Grades: Dolphins: A; Broncos: C-

March 16, 2026

Jets Trade QB Justin Fields to Chiefs for 2027 6th-Round Pick:
Color me impressed. I didn’t think the Jets would be able to find a taker for Fields, let alone one willing to send a 6th-round pick. I suppose he’s worth a 6th-rounder to play RB, but that’s not the case here. Fields has proven that as well as he runs, he’s not an NFL QB. Chicago, Pittsburgh, and New York all tried that experiment and failed. Kansas City needed a backup, plus Patrick Mahomes may or may not be ready for week one. I’d rather the team sign Jimmy Garoppolo, Joe Flacco, or any other superior veteran for that purpose. Fields won’t help them win games, so this was a wasted pick. The Jets are eating $7M of Fields’ $10M guaranteed salary, so they REALLY fleeced KC this time. I thought they’d have to eat the whole thing and release Fields.
Grade: Jets: A+; Chiefs: F

March 11, 2026—–NEW LEAGUE YEAR STARTS AT 4 PM EST

Cowboys Trade DT Solomon Thomas, 2026 7th-Round Pick (No. 225) to Titans for 2026 7th-Round Pick (No. 218):
Or maybe Dallas had 2 odd men out at the DC position. I specified the pick numbers here because I can’t recall a time where a player and a 7th-rounder fetches a slightly higher 7th-round pick in the same draft. Usually a 6th-rounder or another year’s pick is involved. Thomas is purely a backup DT who can generate decent QB pressure while being average against the run. Titans HC Robert Saleh got the best out of Thomas as a Jet, so moving down 7 picks in the 7th round is worth it. That said, a similar player could’ve been acquired for free. This is NEARLY free, so it’s still a good move. Dallas pawned off a low salary for the smallest asset gain I’ve ever seen, so as much as I like this for them, almost nothing happened here.
Grades: Cowboys: B+; Titans: B+

Cowboys Trade DT Osa Odighizuwa to 49ers for 2026 3rd-Round Pick:
I panned the massive extension the Cowboys gave Odighizuwa last year, and that deal only stuck with them for one season. With a new DC in Christian Parker comes a new scheme, and Odighizuwa is the odd man out. Thus, he’s being traded to the DT-hungry Niners. While he’s a good interior rusher, he’s abysmal against the run, so he’s not an every-down player for $20M per season. San Francisco needs a pass rush wherever they can get it, so I understand why they’d want Odighizuwa, and a 3rd-round pick isn’t terrible value. If I’m paying for an upper-echelon salary, I want someone playing more than 63% of the snaps. As contenders, SF can afford to chase niche players like this, but Dallas won the trade by offloading a bad contract and acquiring an asset to do it.
Grades: Cowboys: A+; 49ers: B-

March 10, 2026

Saints Trade P Kai Kroeger, 2028 7th-Round Pick to Texans for 2028 6th-Round Pick:
New Orleans upgraded to Ryan Wright at punter, but they didn’t cut their old one. That’s because they found a trade partner in Houston, who will be replacing Tommy Townsend. Personally, I’d much rather have Townsend. Kroeger wasn’t very good as a rookie, so I wouldn’t have signed him for the middle if I had Townsend on my roster. The Saints are getting the lowest compensation possible, but it’s still something for a soon-to-be-released punter. By definition, they earn a good grade here. I can’t penalize Houston a ton because of the low cost, but I definitely don’t like the decision-making process.
Grades: Saints: A; Texans: C

Raiders Trade QB Geno Smith, 2026 7th-Round Pick to Jets for 2026 6th-Round Pick:
These storylines sometimes just write themselves. Las Vegas held onto Smith in hopes of a trade despite intending to release him. And who came calling? The team that drafted him in one of the most drama-filled scenarios of all time. New York had the worst QB in football last year, and Smith led the league in INTs. However, NYJ has a great line, while the Raiders’ was historically bad. Smith returning to his Seattle self isn’t out of the question. He’s not the team’s answer (though that would be ironic 13 years later), but he’ll be serviceable for a coach in Aaron Glenn that needs to win games. LV is picking up most of the tab, with the Jets paying Smith around $2M (just above the veteran minimum), so the team saves a few hundred thousand dollars while acquiring a pick swap. The deal makes sense for both teams, though the Raiders did a good job extracting something out of nothing.
Grades: Raiders: A-; Jets B

March 9, 2026

Colts Trade WR Michael Pittman Jr, 2026 7th-Round Pick to Steelers for 2026 6th-Round Pick:
The draft picks involved in this trade were tough to determine, but I THINK it’s a typical “6th for player+7th” trade. Regardless of the exact nature of the “late-round pick swap”, this was a salary dump. Indianapolis burnt all their WR money on Alec Pierce, so Pittman and his cap hit had to go. Pittsburgh, in need of a possession receiver to complement DK Metcalf, was a natural trading partner. I think this is pretty terrible for the Colts. The fact that they put themselves in this position by overpaying Pierce and giving too much money to Pittman in the first place is bad. Trading a useful WR to a conference rival for next to nothing is worse. Pittsburgh extended Pittman to lower his salary and cap number (I’ll grade that when the guarantees come in). With that adjustment done, the Steelers are coming away with a great value. Given that the Colts just wanted salary relief, the trade accomplished their aims. That doesn’t make it a good trade for them though. Pittsburgh is happy at least.
Grades: Colts: D+; Steelers: A

Packers Trade DE Rashan Gary to Cowboys for 2027 4th-Round Pick:
Green Bay didn’t send Micah Parsons back, but they did ship a different edge rusher to Dallas. Gary was a former first-round pick that did not impress during his first two years. Since then though, he has been a solid QB hunter, and he earned 7.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons. Gary has two backloaded years remaining on his Packers extension, so the team likely wanted salary relief for a player they weren’t planning to re-sign a second time. Dallas couldn’t sack anyone last year, so while I didn’t dislike the Parsons trade, the void he left needed to be filled. Gary helps, though I must note that he played much better WITH Parsons than as the #1 guy, and he has never topped 70% of his team’s snap count. The Cowboys swung higher and tried to land Maxx Crosby, but this isn’t a terrible consolation prize, and it comes at a much lower cost. Green Bay’s end of this deal is pretty good in a vacuum, but it doesn’t help their Super Bowl pursuit. I’ll be curious to see if there’s another move in the pipeline.
Grades: Packers: B; Cowboys: B-

Dolphins Trade S Minkah Fitzpatrick to Jets for 2026 7th-Round Pick:
The teardown continues. After stupidly releasing QB Tua Tagovailoa, Miami sent their best defensive player to a division rival. This is partially a salary dump, but it also appears to be a tanking effort, which is wild to undergo before a season even starts. All of this was done for a mere 7th-round pick, which is nothing for a premier safety on a reasonable contract. The Jets, who had 0 INTs last year in a historically poor defensive performance and traded CB Sauce Gardner, now have a ball hawk who has picked off at least 1 pass in every year of his career except one. He came cheap and directly shifted talent to them from an AFC East foe. This is about as lopsided a trade as you can get. Miami fans can’t be thrilled with their new regime thus far.
Grades: Dolphins: JAMARCUS RUSSELL; Jets: A+

March 8, 2026

Bills Trade CB Taron Johnson, 2027 7th-Round Pick to Raiders for 2026 6th-Round Pick:
Johnson was reportedly released on Friday, but I guess Buffalo never submitted the paperwork while holding out for a trade. They got their wish, as the Raiders have sent a low-level pick swap for him. Buffalo is reshaping their defense in new DC Jim Leonhard’s image, and certain players are no longer deemed to fit. Johnson, a good cover man with a willingness to tackle, is a bit undersized, but that won’t stop him from being a clear upgrade in Vegas. The Raiders have one of the league’s worst defenses, and it got worse after the Maxx Crosby trade. I don’t at all mind moving down 1 round on day 3 (across 2 drafts) to take a shot on a productive 29-year-old corner. For the Bills, receiving any asset is good when you’re planning to cut a player, especially once that cut has already been announced. It’s a minor upgrade in draft capital, but every little bit helps. I consider this a fair trade.
Grades: Bills: B+; Raiders: B+

March 7, 2026

Colts Trade LB Zaire Franklin to Packers for DT Colby Wooden:
I’d call this trade a salary dump by the Colts, but they didn’t actually have to make a trade to do it. Franklin has 2 years and about $15M remaining on his deal, but none of it is guaranteed, so the team could’ve cut him penalty-free. However, Franklin is also a 2024 Pro Bowler and a tackling machine, so you can see why another team would want him. Green Bay, facing the prospect of losing LB Quay Walker to free agency, hedged their bets with a player who’s a bit more limited but also more proven, and he comes at half the projected cost. In exchange, they’ve sent Wooden, a run-stopping DT on the final year of his 4th-round rookie deal, back to Indy. I should note that Franklin wasn’t a great fit for Colts DC Lou Anarumo’s scheme, so he may play better for new Packers DC Jonathan Gannon. Getting a useful contributor back instead of nothing is a plus though, so both teams did alright.
Grades: Colts: B; Packers: B+

March 6, 2026

Raiders Trade DE Maxx Crosby to Ravens for 2026 and 2027 1st-Round Picks:
It finally happened. Crosby really didn’t want to go, but events over the past year left him with no choice. The Raiders’ tank job at the end of the 2025 season really hurt his opinion of the franchise, and I can’t blame him. Rather than rebuild anew, he’s on his way to Baltimore, who acquires the best available pass rusher. This is almost the package LV got for Khalil Mack years ago, as Baltimore had to outbid Dallas (who offered a 1st and a 2nd) to complete the deal. The Ravens are exactly the correct type of team to obtain Crosby (though that 2027 pick may sting). At 28 years old and mostly durable, Crosby has several good seasons left in him. We’re about to welcome a nice edge rusher class, but nobody projects to be a Crosby. Baltimore wants to retool and contend immediately, so a veteran DE with proven greatness is worth the cost. It must be noted though that Trey Hendrickson was available for no draft compensation whatsoever. For Las Vegas, this makes sense too. Crosby is the fans’ favorite player, but by the time this team is contending again, he’ll be aged out. Their timelines simply don’t match up anymore. Getting the most they could for a guy who was becoming increasingly unhappy was the right move, even if it won’t be popular with the fanbase.
Grades: Raiders: A; Ravens: B+
Update: The Ravens have “backed out” of the trade due to medical concerns.

Patriots Trade C Garrett Bradbury to Bears for 2027 5th-Round Pick:
Drew Dalman’s retirement immediately opened a void at the heart of the Bears’ offensive line. As a result, they have acquired Bradbury, who handles athletic defensive linemen really well but struggles a bit against power players. They’ll take on the last year of his deal (worth $3.7M). This was a nice pivot (no pun intended) for the Bears. New England came to the realization that Minnesota (his original team) did a few years ago: Bradbury is a solid center but not a top-tier one. They’ll now try and see if former Georgia center Jared Wilson can shift over from guard, likely expecting an upgrade with him playing his natural position. This isn’t much of a return for Bradbury though, and on his current deal, he was cheap enough to retain is a backup if the team wanted to. Since they clearly wished to move on, an asset is better than nothing.
Grades: Patriots: C+; Bears: B+

March 5, 2026

Bears Trade WR DJ Moore, 2026 5th-Round Pick to Bills for 2026 2nd-Round Pick:
Sometimes I don’t know why teams do what they do. Moore has been a QB-proof WR for both Carolina and Chicago over his career, and he has been instrumental for QB Caleb Williams’ development. His role diminished a bit last year, but that was more about having so many mouths to feed. After 2 unimpressive years, I’m not sure if Rome Odunze is ready to be a WR1, and Luther Burden is a slot man. Moore is a premium outside receiver who helped Chicago win the NFC North. Maybe this draft capital is decent for a 29-year-old receiver on an above-average salary, but the Bears just got a lot worse. For Buffalo, this is EXACTLY what they needed. Aside from slot WR Khalil Shakir, Josh Allen hasn’t possessed a truly reliable receiver since Stefon Diggs left. That changes now, though they still need more. At approximately a high 3rd-round pick in value, they’re getting a really good receiver on a reasonable contract (about $24.5M/year) with team control through 2029. Nobody in the 2026 draft class was going to be as good as Moore in round 1, let alone in round 3. I’d consider this a moderate heist on Buffalo’s part.
Grades: Bears: D; Bills: A+

March 4, 2026

Chiefs Trade CB Trent McDuffie to Rams for 2026 1st-, 5th-, and 6th-Round Picks, 2027 3rd-Round Pick:
For clarity, the first-rounder is #29, not the #13 pick that they got from the Falcons. This is pretty much what the Chiefs do. When a good CB reaches free agency, they let him walk or trade him. It happened with Charvarius Ward and L’Jarius Sneed, and now it’s happening with McDuffie. As a young, healthy, shutdown corner, the latter is drawing the best return. Given KC’s cap troubles and their knack for turning late-round picks into quality secondary players, I get why they would make this move. This is a very good return, though losing McDuffie hurts their 2026 chances significantly. For LA, are we back to the “f*** them picks” era? Not quite, as they still have a better first-rounder in their possession, but this is similar to what they did when trading for Jalen Ramsey several years ago. Ramsey was better, but McDuffie is younger, and the need is more acute this time around. A better secondary could’ve led the Rams to a Super Bowl. Aside from special teams, which is much easier to fix, their pass defense was their only true weakness. I still think they need more, but McDuffie is a huge get. QB Matthew Stafford puts LA in extreme “win now” mode, and this move reflects that status. It came at a very high cost (and likely an economical one since McDuffie will need to be extended), but he’s a great fit that fills a big hole. Seattle may scoff, but the Rams could be Super Bowl favorites now.
Grades: Chiefs: B; Rams: A-

March 2, 2026

Lions Trade RB David Montgomery to Texans for OL Juice Scruggs, 2026 4th-Round Pick, 2027 7th-Round Pick:
We’ve got some busy Texans! In their latest trade, they’ve bolstered their RB room, acquiring Montgomery from Detroit. Joe Mixon was supposed to be the bell cow last year, but a mysterious foot injury wiped out his season and has his playing career in question. That left rookie Woody Marks, a receiving back, and a decrepit Nick Chubb to carry the load. Montgomery is much better as a bruiser back, and he’s eager for more touches. Detroit couldn’t keep him any longer. Jahmyr Gibbs is now the feature back, so Montgomery is too expensive to retain as a mere insurance policy. Due to the $15M still on his contract, this is a pretty nice haul (even if Scruggs is irrelevant). Both teams made out well here, but Houston slightly overspent with draft capital.
Grades: Lions: A- ; Texans: B+

Texans Trade RT/G Tytus Howard to Browns for 2026 5th-Round Pick:
For the second year in a row, the Texans have traded a starting tackle in March. This one is part tackle, part guard, but still, it’s a lineman gone from an already putrid unit. Houston can’t protect QB CJ Stroud, and Howard was probably their best lineman at doing so. He’s not a good run blocker, but he pass protects reasonably well, particularly when moved inside to guard. Given what he provides and his impending contract extension (the Browns gave him a new deal as part of the trade, and that will be graded separately), a 5th-round pick is reasonable value. However, it makes an already bad line worse. For Cleveland, their line was just as awful, so Howard is an instant upgrade. The team needs a tackle unless Joel Bitonio departs, and using Howard at guard would improve my opinion of this move. He’s probably better than what they could’ve gotten with that 5th-rounder, albeit much more costly. Further manpower along the line is still necessary, as this trade doesn’t change the situation a whole lot.
Grades: Texans: C-; Browns: B

February 26, 2026

Titans Trade DT T’Vondre Sweat to Jets for DE Jermaine Johnson:
This year’s first trade comes even earlier than last year’s! And it’s a rare player-for-player trade. Making this deal even more unique, it involves two players who weren’t cut candidates at the end of the preseason; both teams genuinely liked their linemen but had differing needs. Sweat was a favorite of mine as an elite run-stuffing nose tackle, while Johnson is the exact opposite: a pure edge rusher with length and speed. New York traded Quinnen Williams away and thus needed a new DT. Sweat isn’t the same style in the passing game, but he’s a definite upgrade over what they have now. Tennessee never replaced Harold Landry when he departed in free agency, and with the excellent Jeffery Simmons inside, an edge rusher was a more pressing need. Johnson fills that hole, but he’s still finding his way back from an ACL injury that limited him last year, and he has only 1 more year left on his contract. I think the Jets won this despite giving up the player at a more premium position. That’s because NYJ is almost certain to select an edge rusher with the #2 draft pick, creating a glut at the position. Tennessee got a bit more upside, but their risk is greater as well. It’s close, and both teams are better overall, which is what you like to see.
Grades: Titans: B+; Jets: A-