Expert Analysis
11/6/24
17 min read
NFL's Biggest Winners, Losers From 2024 Trade Deadline
The biggest 2024 trade deadline deals have involved wide receivers, and most of these trades were completed two to three weeks ago. But there has been a flurry of activity over the past few days as playoff contenders add quality players at positions of need and floundering teams pad their future draft capital.
Here are my biggest winners and losers from the 2024 trade deadline:
BIGGEST WINNERS
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 
The Moves: Traded for DeAndre Hopkins and Josh Uche
The unbeaten Chiefs are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to be the first three-peat Super Bowl winner. They were hit with major injuries to starting wide receivers Marquise Brown (shoulder) and Rashee Rice (knee) that will sideline them at least through the regular season and likely for the year.
The Chiefs traded for five-time Pro Bowl receiver DeAndre Hopkins who demonstrated the impact he can have with eight catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns in the Monday night overtime win over Tampa Bay. Kansas City's passing attack has slipped from sixth-ranked in 2023 to No. 10 this season. Patrick Mahomes is a big beneficiary of adding Hopkins in a season where he ranks 18th in passer rating with a career-low 90.1 rating as the starter.
The cost to acquire the 32-year-old Hopkins was a modest fifth-round pick in 2025 that can become a fourth if the Chiefs make the Super Bowl and Hopkins has 60% playtime as a Chief this season. Tennessee is also picking up a portion of Hopkins' salary.
Kansas City added defensive end Josh Uche for a 2026 sixth-rounder to be a rotational player who brings needed pass rush ability (he had two sacks this season and 11.5 in 2022 for the Patriots). The Chiefs have only 17 sacks, which is the fifth-fewest in the league.
Both Hopkins and Uche are in the last year of their contracts, and the Chiefs can decide if they are worth trying to re-sign. Both players are winners in these deals as they leave losing teams for a Super Bowl contender. The bottom line is the team has shored up two areas of need at minimal cost as they gear up for another Super Bowl run.
BUFFALO BILLS
The Move: Traded for Amari Cooper
The 7-2 Bills are cruising to their fifth straight AFC East title with a four-game lead, but they have the higher goal of reaching their first Super Bowl since 1993. The Chiefs have been Buffalo's biggest impediment as they've knocked the Bills out of the AFC playoffs in three of the last four years.
Salary cap issues and a desire to reboot led the Bills to revamp their wide receiver corps this season. Both of their starters departed—Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. The 30-year-old Cooper is a five-time Pro Bowler who adds an established vet as another weapon for Josh Allen. He's joined third-year man Khalil Shakir and second-round rookie Keon Coleman to form a talented receiver group.
If the Bills extend Cooper as a potential 2025 free agent, then the trade will be at a reasonable cost (a 2025 third-round pick, a 2026 seventh-rounder to Cleveland for Cooper, and a 2025 sixth-rounder).
It's a great move for Cooper, who leaves a struggling Browns team with quarterback issues for a Super Bowl contender with MVP-candidate Allen throwing to him. In his first game with Buffalo, Cooper had four receptions for 66 yards and one touchdown in a Week 7 win against Tennessee before injuring his wrist the next week at Seattle and missing last Sunday's game with Miami.
New York Jets
The Move: Traded for Davante Adams
Davante Adams made five straight Pro Bowls and caught 57 TD passes as Aaron Rodgers' No. 1 receiver in Green Bay from 2017-2021. After two-plus seasons with the Raiders, the disgruntled Adams, who wanted out of Las Vegas, has been reunited with Rodgers for the desperate Jets as they hope to make a second half of the season run to an AFC wild card spot.
It's an uphill climb for the 3-6 Jets, and the first two weeks after the Adams trade were not good. They lost to the Steelers and Patriots, while Adams had limited production. Last week's victory over a good Houston team provides a glimmer of hope, and Adams had an excellent game with seven catches for 91 yards and one TD.
Rodgers never clicked with Mike Williams, who has been traded to the Steelers. Rodgers lobbied hard for GM Joe Douglas to acquire Adams, which he did at the relatively high cost of a 2025 third-rounder that could become a second if the Jets make the AFC title game or Adams is named first- or second-team All-Pro (both are long shots at this point).
The trade is a win for the soon-to-turn 32-year-old Adams, who leaves a lousy quarterback group in Vegas for a four-time MVP with whom he had great success in Green Bay. But Rodgers is not the quarterback he was with the Packers, as he comes off his torn Achilles with less mobility at 40 years old.
Rodgers is a winner in this trade as he now has an excellent pair of WRs in Adams and Garrett Wilson. The rest of the season will determine if these future Hall of Famers, Rodgers and Adams, and their GM will remain with the Jets in 2025.
Baltimore Ravens
The Move: Traded for Diontae Johnson
Baltimore upgraded its receiver group and gave Lamar Jackson another weapon by heisting a quality player in Johnson from Carolina for a swap of 2025 fifth and sixth-round picks. The Ravens also convinced the Panthers to pick up part of Johnson's salary.
Johnson is a 2025 free agent, but he now joins Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman as wide receiver targets for Jackson. It's a shrewd pickup by one of the NFL's top GMs — Eric DeCosta — who made a terrific free agent signing in the offseason with Derrick Henry, the NFL's leading rusher.
Johnson was the Steelers' third-round pick in 2019 and had his best season in 2021 with 107 catches for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns. He's been productive this season with 30 catches, 357 yards, and three touchdowns despite the Panthers' up-and-down quarterback situation.
With so many teams seeking wide receiver help, it's surprising that the Ravens were able to get Johnson at such a minimal cost. It's another bad look for Carolina's front office, although their trade of unproductive receiver Jonathan Mingo and a 2025 seventh-round pick to Dallas for a 2025 fourth-rounder is a better return for the Panthers.
Detroit Lions
The Move: Traded for Za'Darius Smith
The Lions clearly have Super Bowl aspirations and a 7-1 start to pave the way. Their offense is star-studded, but the defense was their undoing in the 2023 postseason.
After star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson's season-ending broken leg, the Lions needed to upgrade their pass rush by trading for a proven player. When he was injured in Week 6, Hutchinson had half of the team's sacks. None of the team's other defensive ends had more than 1.5 sacks, and the team's total of 20 is tied for 18th.
The Lions traded a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-rounder for Smith and a 2026 seventh-round selection. Smith is under contract for 2025 at an affordable $5.4 million cap number if the Lions choose to retain him.
He was playing well for the Browns this season with five sacks, seven quarterback hits, six tackles for loss, and 23 tackles. The 32-year-old Smith is a three-time Pro Bowler from his double-digit sack seasons in 2019 and 2020 in Green Bay and 2022 in Minnesota. He is well acquainted with the NFC North and should be an important addition for the Lions if he can stay healthy, as he's battled injuries in the past.
Washington Commanders and New Orleans Saints
and New Orleans Saints 
The Move: Commanders trade for Marshon Lattimore
This is a trade that could turn into a win-win for both teams. The Commanders, surprisingly sitting atop the NFC East at 7-2, have made a bold trade with the Saints for four-time Pro Bowl corner Marshon Lattimore.
If New Orleans had not lost seven straight games and just fired Coach Dennis Allen, a quality 28-year-old corner in Lattimore most likely would not have been available. He wasn't having a great season by his standards, with no interceptions and only two passes defended. He's missed two games with a hamstring injury, but he did have 30 tackles, and teams tend to avoid throwing in the direction of a top corner.
It's a positive for a Saints team that will be in rebuilding mode to gain 2025 third, fourth, and sixth-round picks for a 28-year-old corner and a 2025 fifth-round pick, especially with Lattimore's recent injury history of missing 19 games in the last 2.5 seasons.
The Commanders' pass defense is respectable statistically, with a No. 5 ranking, but their run defense has been a bigger concern (29th), especially since Pro Bowl DT Jonathan Allen was lost for the season (torn pec).
The team obviously believes Lattimore will significantly upgrade their secondary as a physical corner. They also have an extra third-round pick in next year's draft to ease the loss of the third-rounder in this deal.
Coach Dan Quinn knows what he needs on defense, and he obviously believes Lattimore can be a key in containing the Eagles and their dynamic wide receivers, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, in the race for the NFC East crown. I'd call it a medium-risk, high-reward move to take a chance on Lattimore being a difference-maker in Washington.
If it works out, they'll have a high-level corner under contract for two more years at $18.25 million per year. If it doesn't pan out due to injury concerns or the level of play, the Commanders can move on with no dead cap hit.
Minnesota Vikings
The Moves: Traded for Cam Akers and Cam Robinson
The Vikings got off to a great start this season at 5-0 before two losses in five days to the Lions and Rams. A big blow in the Rams game was the season-ending ACL injury to star left tackle Christian Darrisaw, which created major concerns about quarterback Sam Darnold's blindside protection.
Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah quickly addressed the problem by trading a conditional 2026 fifth-round pick for Jacksonville left tackle Cam Robinson and a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick. Robinson is a former second-round pick of the Jaguars with 91 career starts for the team.
Robinson's 92nd start came against the Colts on Sunday night after only a couple of practices with the Vikings. He performed well in run blocking and pass protection in Minnesota's win, and Coach Kevin O'Connell rewarded him with a game ball. He's not of Darrisaw's elite caliber, but it was a coup to get a player as good and experienced as Robinson to step in at mid-season.
The Vikings also traded a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick to Houston for running back Cam Akers and a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick. He was a 2020 second-round pick of the Rams and played for Vikings Coach Kevin O'Connell when he was the Rams' offensive coordinator.
Akers was a backup running back with the Vikings last season until he tore his Achilles in Week 9. He replaced Ty Chandler as the backup to Aaron Jones in the Colts game and was impressive with six carries for 46 yards (7.7-yard average) and two receptions for seven yards.
As the Vikings make their playoff push, they have two new contributors at the minimal cost of later-round picks in a draft two years away.
BIGGEST LOSERS
Dallas Cowboys
What Happened: Did not get a running back or pass rusher. overpaid for a wide receiver.
The Cowboys basically stood on the sidelines in 2024 free agency, and their questionable player personnel decision-making has continued at the trade deadline.
Dallas is one of the league's biggest disappointments at 3-5. Its season is on the brink as it hosts Philadelphia this Sunday, followed by games against division leaders Houston and Washington.
The Cowboys have the league's 31st-ranked rushing attack after losing last year's leading rusher, Tony Pollard, in free agency. Yet, they did not make a trade for a quality back, like Travis Etienne of the Jaguars, who was likely available with Tank Bigsby now the starter.
Instead, they're dealing with disciplinary issues regarding Ezekiel Elliott, the No. 2 back behind Rico Dowdle, who has a 3.1-yard average this season.
The Cowboys need pass rush help with DeMarcus Lawrence on IR with a Lisfranc injury and All-Pro Micah Parsons out since Week 4 with a high ankle sprain. But the team made no move in that area and a head-scratcher at wide receiver when the Cowboys traded a 2025 fourth-round pick to Carolina for Jonathan Mingo (and a 2025 seventh-rounder).
It seems like a steep price to pay for Mingo, who has 12 catches for 121 yards and no touchdowns in nine games this season, instead of going after Mingo's teammate Diontae Johnson, who would have been a better complement to CeeDee Lamb.
New York Jets
What Happened: Overpaid for Davante Adams
The Kansas City Chiefs showed why some teams are consistent Super Bowl contenders not only by drafting superstars such as Patrick Mahomes but also in their trade savvy as demonstrated with the DeAndre Hopkins deal (for a conditional fifth-round pick).
Then there are struggling teams such as the Jets, who gave up a third-round pick for a comparable player in Adams. GM Joe Douglas made the trade in part to appease his quarterback, Rodgers. It also smacks of a desperation move by a GM who is trying to save his job and hoping Adams and Rodgers can lead a second-half surge to a playoff berth. Anything can happen in sports, but let's just say such a result is possible but highly improbable.
Las Vegas Raiders
What Happened: Didn't win anything with Adams
It's certainly not a bad return for the Raiders to obtain a third-round pick for Adams in the latter stage of his career. But in the final analysis, it was a bad move for Las Vegas to send the Packers first and second-round picks for Adams and give him a five-year, $141 million contract when he was about to turn 30.
Adams had an excellent 2022 season (100 catches, 1,516 yards, a league-leading 14 TD receptions) as he played with his college teammate Derek Carr. His numbers fell off a bit in 2023 after Carr's departure to New Orleans, and things went off the rails this season as he dealt with a hamstring injury that limited him to three games in Las Vegas (with 18 catches for 209 yards and one TD) and expressed his displeasure with the team's direction by seeking a trade.
It ended prematurely and badly, with Adams frustrated by the Raiders' shaky quarterback play, playing for a losing team, and the Raiders not getting a good enough return on their investment.
Jacksonville Jaguars
What Happened: Can't trade injured Christian Kirk
The Jaguars signed Kirk to a four-year, $72 million contract in 2022. At the time, I considered it an overpay for a player who didn't have a thousand-yard season in his first four years in Arizona.
Kirk had an excellent first season in Jacksonville with 84 catches, 1,108 yards, and eight touchdowns. His numbers fell off last season as he missed five games with an abdominal injury. Kirk's production wasn't great this season, recording 27 catches for 379 yards and one touchdown before breaking his collarbone in Week 8 against the Packers.
The Jaguars had several suitors as they prepared to trade Kirk and his $16.5 million 2025 salary. They could have gotten a decent return for the 27-year-old, and I know it's hard for a team to sit a player down when they enter the Green Bay game at 2-5.
In hindsight, the Jaguars regret not putting him in mothballs for a couple of games while the trade talks were going on. Now, they'll enter the 2025 league year with a $27.3 million cap hit on Kirk, or they can release him and take a $13.5 million dead money hit.
His trade value has dipped with two straight years of significant injuries.
Carolina Panthers
What Happened: Poor trade compensation for Diontae Johnson
Johnson was considered the best receiver on the market once Adams, Hopkins, and Cooper were snatched up. So it's difficult to believe the Panthers couldn't get more than a swap of 2025 fifth and sixth-round picks for a player they thought enough of to trade starting CB Donte Jackson and a sixth-round pick to acquire from the Steelers seven months ago.
The Ravens also convinced the Panthers to pick up part of Johnson's salary. It's hard for the Panthers to climb out of their position as an NFC bottom-feeder and expect Bryce Young or Andy Dalton to have sustained success as Carolina's quarterback when poor decisions like the Johnson trade are made.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
What Happened: Settled for Mike Williams
With so many fine wide receivers on the trade block the last several weeks, it should be disappointing to Mike Tomlin that the best the Steelers could come up with was injury-prone Mike Williams (19 games missed in 2022 and 2023 at the Chargers before they released him).
Jacksonville's Kirk reportedly was Pittsburgh's prime target before he broke his collarbone two weeks ago.
The team traded a 2025 fifth-round pick for the 30-year-old Williams, so it's not a big cost, and perhaps he can help the Steelers by providing another veteran target for Russell Wilson as they try to hang on to first place in the rugged AFC North.
I think the Giants' Darius Slayton (32 catches, 469 yards, one TD this season, and three years younger than Williams) would have been a better choice for durability-wise but the price tag may have been too high.
The Jets paid Williams $15 million on a one-year deal, but he was relegated to a backup role in New York. It may be a pipe dream, but the Steelers are hoping he can return to the level he was at as a former first-rounder and 1,000-yard receiver in 2019 and 2021.
I will give Pittsburgh a trade deadline win for picking up edge rusher Preston Smith from the Packers for a 2025 seventh-round pick. I'm surprised Green Bay would trade him for such a light return when they're in playoff contention. The 31-year-old Smith probably was going to be too pricey for the Packers next year, and he'll likely have to take a pay cut off his $13.4 million 2025 salary to stay in Pittsburgh.
Smith has only 2.5 sacks this season, but perhaps he can be more effective in a rotational role with T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith at this stage of his career. He does bring 68.5 career sacks to the Steelers.
