Who’s Been Traded in the NFL?

The NFL trade deadline is upon us and there are plenty of rumors flying around. Who’s been traded in the NFL?

Introduction

In the National Football League (NFL), a trade is the exchange of one player or more players between two teams for draft picks, other players, cash, or a combination thereof. Often, trades involve exchanging players of similar skill levels and contracts in an effort to balance team composition or fill a void on one roster caused by another party. Trades involving veteran players are usually undertaken for salary cap purposes.

Players traded during the draft are usually young and/or unproven commodities, with some exceptions. A team that repeatedly trades away its draft picks is commonly referred to as a “trade-down” team. Conversely, a team that acquires draft picks in exchange for trading away players is commonly referred to as a “trade-up” team.

Trades in the NFL

The NFL offseason is in full swing and there have been some big trades so far. The most notable trade was the Arizona Cardinals trading for Deandre Hopkins. The Cardinals gave up David Johnson, a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick to get Hopkins. They also gave up a sixth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso.

Recent Trades

Here is a list of some of the more recent trades in the NFL:

Offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills from the Miami Dolphins to the Houston Texans for two first-round draft picks, a second-round pick and offensive tackle Julién Davenport.

The Indianapolis Colts traded wide receiver Ryan Grant to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2020 seventh-round draft pick.

The Oakland Raiders traded linebacker Emmanuel Lamur to the Kansas City Chiefs for an undisclosed 2020 draft pick.

The Dallas Cowboys traded wide receiver Tavon Austin and a 2019 sixth-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2019 fifth-round draft pick.

Biggest Trades

As the NFL’s regular season comes to an end, we take a look at some of the biggest trades in recent history.

In 2012, the Indianapolis Colts traded their first-round pick in the following year’s draft to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for running back Trent Richardson. The move came as a surprise to many, as Richardson had been a key member of the Colts’ offense.

However, it was clear that then-Colts head coach Chuck Pagano was not a fan of Richardson’s style of play, as he benched him in favor of other running backs on multiple occasions.

The Browns were also not impressed with Richardson and traded him to the Oakland Raiders just over a year later. He was then released by the Raiders and has not been on an NFL roster since.

In 2013, the Seattle Seahawks shocked the world by trading away star wide receiver Percy Harvin to the New York Jets. The Seahawks had acquired Harvin just months earlier in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings.

However, it quickly became apparent that Harvin was not a good fit in Seattle’s offense and he was dealt to the Jets for a song. Harvin would go on to have one productive season with the Jets before being released and retiring from football altogether.

Why do Trades Happen?

Trades happen in the NFL for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes it’s because a team is trying to get better by acquiring a player they think will be an upgrade at a certain position. Other times, it’s because a team is trying to rid itself of a player it no longer wants. Here, we’ll take a look at all the different reasons why trades happen in the NFL.

Financial Reasons

There are several reasons why trades happen in the NFL. The most common reason is for financial reasons. Teams will trade players who are due to receive a high salary in order to free up some cap space. This allows them to sign other players or extend the contracts of their own players. Sometimes, teams will also trade players who are not performing up to their expected level in order to improve their team.

Other times, trades happen because a team is trying to rebuild and they want to acquire draft picks. In these cases, teams will trade away their veteran players for picks in upcoming drafts. This allows them to get younger and rebuild their team through the draft. Trades can also happen because of off-field issues. If a player is getting into trouble frequently or is not a good fit for the team’s locker room, they may be traded away.

Performance Reasons

The most common reason for a player to be traded is because the team that originally drafted or signed him no longer believes he can perform at a high enough level to warrant his current salary. That can be due to age, declining skills, injuries or simply because the player no longer fits the team’s scheme. If a trade is made for performance reasons, it’s usually because the team believes it can get better production from another player at a cheaper price.

What do the Players Think?

It’s been a hectic NFL offseason with many marquee names getting traded. Some of the more notable names include Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, and Khalil Mack. With the NFL season right around the corner, let’s take a look at what some of the players think about the offseason trades.

The Good

For every NFL player that gets traded, there are a lot of people that have to weigh in on the deal. The media and the fans are quick to give their two cents, but what about the people that were actually involved in the trade? In this article, we will take a look at some of the recent trades in the NFL from the perspective of the players that were involved.

First up is wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, who was traded from the Atlanta Falcons to the New England Patriots. Sanu was clearly excited about the move, as he posted a picture of himself in a Patriots uniform on Instagram with the caption “Time to get to work.” It’s clear that Sanu is looking forward to playing for a contending team, and he should be a good fit in New England’s offense.

Next we have defensive end Everson Griffen, who was traded from the Minnesota Vikings to the Dallas Cowboys. Griffen said that he was “beyond blessed” to be joining such a historic franchise, and he is looking forward to playing with fellow defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. Griffen should add some much-needed depth to the Cowboys’ defense.

Finally, we have linebacker Kiko Alonso, who was traded from the New Orleans Saints to the Miami Dolphins. Alonso said that he was “ecstatic” about being reunited with his former head coach Adam Gase. Alonso also said that he loves being a Dolphin and is looking forward to helping his new team win games.

All three of these players seem happy about their recent trades, and they all believe that they landed in a good situation. Time will tell if their respective teams made wise decisions, but for now, it seems like everyone is happy with how things turned out.

The Bad

Trading players is always a tough decision for NFL teams. Some think it’s best to get something in return for a player instead of letting them go for nothing in free agency. Others believe that you should hold on to your good players and try to win with them.

There are some trade decisions that seem obvious in hindsight, but are difficult to understand at the time. For example, the Minnesota Vikings traded wide receiver Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks for first- and seventh-round draft picks in 2013. The Seahawks went on to win the Super Bowl that year, while the Vikings struggled without Harvin.

Other times, it’s not so clear who got the better end of the deal. The Arizona Cardinals traded quarterback Josh Rosen to the Miami Dolphins for second- and fifth-round draft picks in 2019. The Cardinals then used the first overall pick in the draft to take Kyler Murray, while Rosen struggled mightily in Miami. Only time will tell if this trade was a good move for either team.

Some trades just seem unfair. The Cleveland Browns have made a lot of bad trades over the years, but their decision to trade running back Trent Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts for a first-round draft pick in 2013 might be the worst of them all. Richardson was completely ineffective with the Colts and was out of the NFL just a few years later. Meanwhile, the Browns used that first-round pick on…none other than Josh Gordon!

Conclusion

All in all, these are the major names that have been traded in the NFL recently. While some of these trades may have been expected, others came as a shock to football fans everywhere. It’s always interesting to see which players end up getting traded and where they end up going. Whatever the case, we can expect to see more trades happen in the future as teams look to solidify their rosters for the upcoming season.