Raiders acquire QB Geno Smith from Seahawks for 3rd-round pick
I wasn’t surprised to see that Geno Smith was traded to the Raiders. However, upon seeing the compensation, I said aloud, “A third-round pick? Why?”
Things would actually be different if the Raiders were a team on the cusp of a deep playoff run and only needed a game manager to help guide them. That’s not the case, however. The Raiders are a team with a faulty offensive line, no running game, a lacking No. 1 wide receiver, and some defensive holes. Smith will not fix all of these issues, and I don’t see the Raiders necessarily even reaching the playoffs with him unless they hit several home runs in free agency and the draft.
Meanwhile, this is a tremendous deal for the Seahawks. It was apparent that their ceiling was capped with Smith. Their best course of action was finding a young quarterback to replace him, and that’s what they’ll presumably do at No. 18 overall. Getting a third-round pick for Smith is a huge win.
Grade for Raiders – D
Grade for Seahawks – A+
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Texans acquire WR Christian Kirk from Jaguars for 7th-round pick
One of the ridiculous moments of the movie Draft Day was when the main character, Cleveland’s general manager, bullied a young Jaguars general manager into making a stupid trade. Little did we know that it would occur in real life. The movie just got the other team wrong. Jaguars general manager James Gladstone is new on the job in real life, so perhaps at 34, he doesn’t understand that it’s foolish to trade with a divisional rival, particularly the frontrunner.
Christian Kirk is a talented, albeit injury-prone receiver. When healthy, he’s proven to be a big producer. He’ll be an effective weapon for C.J. Stroud, filling a colossal need and doing so for almost no draft compensation. This is an amazing trade for Houston.
I know the Jaguars were going to cut Kirk. They’re getting at least something for him; but I don’t think a seventh-round pick is worth seeing a talented player upgrade a major rival.
Grade for Texans – A+
Grade for Jaguars – D
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Bears acquire G Joe Thuney from Chiefs for 4th-round pick
The Bears entered the offseaon with a huge need at guard. In a span of just 24 hours, they’ve managed to find two upgrades at the position, trading a sixth-round pick for Jonah Jackson and then a fourth-round selection for Joe Thuney.
This is a perplexing trade, but not for Chicago. Jackson is an uncertain option because of his dubious injury history, but Thuney is as great as they come at guard. Not only is he an All-Pro guard; he can also play tackle well in a pinch. He’s 32, but interior linemen have been known to perform well into their mid-30s. Massively upgrading Caleb Williams’ protection for a fourth-round pick is a slam dunk.
Meanwhile, this deal makes no sense for the Chiefs. How did they watch Patrick Mahomes run for his life in the Super Bowl and think, “Let’s trade our best offensive lineman?” Sure, the Chiefs aren’t in the best cap situation, but they could have traded/cut someone else or restructured some deals to prevent Mahomes’ already-shoddy protection from getting much worse.
Grade for Bears – A+
Grade for Chiefs – F
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Bears acquire G Jonah Jackson from Rams for 6th-round pick
Anyone looking at this for the first time might wonder why the Rams are hurting Matthew Stafford’s pass protection. Stafford is an immobile, older quarterback, after all. The answer is that Jonah Jackson wasn’t a part of Stafford’s pass protection last year. Jackson barely played in 2024.
This has been a problem for Jackson over the past few years. He had a nice start to his career, but he has struggled with injuries of late. The Bears are desperate for guard help, but they can’t count on Jackson remaining on the field. Still, surrendering a sixth-round deal for a blocker with upside makes sense.
The Rams, meanwhile, did well to get anything for Jackson, whom they couldn’t rely on to stay on the field. This seems like an even trade for both teams.
Grade for Bears – B
Grade for Rams – B
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Redskins acquire WR Deebo Samuel from 49ers for 5th-round pick
One of the reasons I loved the idea of betting the Redskins at 20/1 or better – see more on my NFL Betting Futures page – is that they had the third-most cap space in the NFL. I suggested that their price would be far worse after they acquired Tee Higgins and Myles Garrett. Higgins wasn’t the receiver they obtained, but rather Deebo Samuel.
Samuel had a disappointing 2024 campaign. He started off well, but got hurt in the middle of the season and was never the same after that. Samuel was available cheaply as a result, and the Redskins did a great job of buying low. Surrendering just a fifth-round draft choice was an excellent move.
As for the 49ers, this was a predictable transaction. They have a couple of talented, young receivers, and they needed to shed some cap space to re-sign several key players, including Brock Purdy. I thought they could get a fourth-round pick for Samuel, so Washington definitely won this trade.
Grade for Redskins – A+
Grade for 49ers – B-
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Ravens acquire CB Tre’Davious White from Rams for swap of 2026 and 2027 7th-round picks
How the mighty have fallen. Tre’Davious White was a first-round pick who was once considered a great cornerback. White’s not even 30 yet, but he’s now being traded for a swap of 2026 and 2027 seventh-round picks.
Injuries have sapped White’s talent completely. He’s played in only four games this year, and he’s been one of the worst cornerbacks in the NFL. Perhaps he can improve on a new team, but that doesn’t seem very likely. Still, I get the Ravens trying to upgrade a major position of need at a low price. This seems like an even trade for both teams.
Grade for Ravens – B
Grade for Rams – B
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Steelers acquire DE Preston Smith from Packers for 7th-round pick
The Steelers traded for Mike Williams, but they weren’t done. They wanted to bolster their defense, so they did so by acquiring Preston Smith for a seventh-round pick.
Getting Smith a couple of years ago would have been much better because Smith is no longer the dominant pass rusher he once was. He’s seen his snap count decrease in recent weeks, and he’s recorded just three sacks this year. Still, he’ll be able to help with the pass-rushing depth, which took a hit because of some injuries. I like this move for Pittsburgh.
As mentioned, Smith was playing less and less for the Packers, so I understand the trade. Still, if I were the Packers, I’d rather have the edge-rushing depth than a mere seventh-round pick.
Grade for Steelers – B+
Grade for Jets – C+
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Steelers acquire WR Mike Williams from Jets for 5th-round pick
This is like the dorky high school kid in the movies settling for his eighth choice to go to prom. The Steelers have been trying to trade for receivers since the summer, targeting the likes of Brandon Aiyuk and Christian Kirk. They finally found a new wideout, obtaining Mike Williams from the Jets.
Williams has been productive in the past, but he’s coming off a torn ACL, so he’s not going to have his explosion this year. He’s also clueless when it comes to route running, so he can’t use that to compensate for the lack of explosion.
I don’t like this trade for the Steelers. I get why they did it, but it reeks of desperation. The Jets won this deal, as getting something halfway decent for their No. 4 receiver has to be considered an easy victory.
Grade for Steelers – C
Grade for Jets – A
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Redskins acquire CB Marson Lattimore, 5th-round pick from Saints for 3rd-, 4th-, 6th-round picks
As much as the redskins loved Jayden Daniels heading into the season, they likely didn’t imagine being in position to be major buyers at the trade deadline. After all, they’re just one removed from selling Montez Sweat to the Bears. They’re 7-2, however, and they’re in position to make a deep run into the playoffs. They just needed to fix their problematic secondary, which they did with this trade.
Marshon Lattimore is injury-prone, but he’s one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL when healthy. He’s well worth this price tag. He’ll improve Washington’s defense enough to make them a major force come January. I love this trade for the Redskins.
I also like the Saints offloading Lattimore to obtain quality draft capital. Are they finally beginning to realize that they have to blow the whole thing up rather than constantly kicking the can down the road? Their fans can only hope so.
Grade for Redskins – A
Grade for Saints – A
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Cowboys acquire WR Jonathan Mingo from Panthers for 4th-round pick
When I saw that Jonathan Mingo was traded, I initially thought that the Panthers got a seventh-round pick for him. A seventh-round pick was certainly involved, but that selection was traded along with Mingo to the Cowboys, who gave up a fourth-round choice for the young receiver.
I don’t understand. Mingo is a recent second-round pick, but he’s been a huge failure thus far in the NFL. He can’t separate, and he drops too many passes. He basically does nothing but cardio on the field. It would make sense for a team to deal a seventh- or maybe even a late sixth-round pick for him as a flier, but a fourth? Why would the Cowboys do this? Mingo is obviously still young, so there is some upside, but there was no one else tripping over themselves to acquire Mingo. It’s not impossible that Mingo could end up being productive for the Cowboys because he can still be developed, but it was irresponsible to trade a significant resource like a fourth-round pick for him.
It’s not often that we get to say that the Panthers fleeced their trading partner, but that’s exactly what happened. The Panthers get an A+ for robbing the Cowboys.
Grade for Cowboys – D
Grade for Panthers – A+
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