When the New York Jets traded for receiver Davante Adams, they were 2-4 but team owner Woody Johnson was confident the acquisition was the start of big things.
“We’ll kick … you can add words after that,” Johnson said after the trade. “We’re going to do really well.”
The Jets are 1-6 since the trade.
Adams didn’t help the Jets all that much, but that’s true of most midseason trades this season. These moves generated a lot of discussion and hype, and almost none of the traded players had the expected impact for their new teams.
With a few weeks left in the season, let’s assign a grade to the trades that were made after 1 week Like NFL draft grades, instant grades for trades can be fun and informative As long as you understand them all have context. There is still time to implement the measures, but some of them are looking good at the moment. Here are the grades for trades made before the deadline (including grades for teams that traded for players, not draft picks in exchange):
Incomplete: Commanders still await their return
Commanders receive CB Marson Lattimore And 2025 fifth round pick, Saints receive 2025 third round pick, 2025 fourth round pick, 2025 sixth round pick: The Commanders traded for Lattimore despite the cornerback dealing with a hamstring injury. And more than a month later, Lattimore still hasn’t played his first game with the Commanders due to injury. Lattimore still has two years left on his contract and the Commanders are in good shape for a playoff spot, so there’s plenty of time for the trade to pay off.
Fs: Ravens didn’t get a deal with Diontae Johnson
Ravens get WR Deontay Johnson and 2025 sixth round pick, Panthers receive 2025 fifth round pick: It looked like a steal for the Ravens. Obviously you get what you pay for. Johnson has one catch for 6 yards in four games. He refused to enter a Week 13 game and was suspended for Week 14. So there are many team suspensions, like Johnson’s reception with the Ravens. That makes it a bust, even bargain basement price.
Chiefs get LB Joshua UchePatriots acquire 2026 sixth-round pick: Chiefs got almost nothing from Uche. He never played more than 11 snaps in a game for Kansas City, played one snap against the Raiders in Week 13 and was a healthy scratch in Week 14. The Chiefs sent a sixth-round draft pick for two tackles and no sacks there is
DS: What were the Jets thinking?
Jets get WR Davante AdamsRaiders get 2025 conditional third-round pick: Adams wasn’t bad. He has 40 catches for 453 yards and three touchdowns and is coming off a nine-catch game for 109-yards. But the context of the party is important. Everyone laughed at the Jets’ trade at 2-4, in what appeared to be another attempt to appease Aaron Rodgers. Adams has been pretty good but he’s sucked up a lot of targets that were going to Garrett Wilson, a young star the Jets should showcase. If Adams moves on after this season — he has a $38.3 million salary-cap hit next year, and if he doesn’t restructure, the Jets will virtually be forced to let him go — then that’s an expensive rental indeed for three wins. Teams and the Jets seemed to be the only teams that didn’t realize this was a misguided move.
Bengalis get Arabic Khalil HerbertBears receive 2025 seventh round pick: On Herbert’s first carry with Cincinnati, there was an awkward handoff and a fumble. Herbert restored it, but this seemed to shake the confidence of the Bengalis in him. Herbert has just 19 snaps in four games. He has three carries and one catch for 25 total yards. Cincinnati could have returned to the league from virtually any practice squad.
Cowboys get WR Jonathan Mingo and 2025 seventh-round pick, Panthers receive 2025 fourth-round pick: No one can believe the Cowboys took a fourth-round draft pick for Mingo, who had limited production in Carolina. And while the move was made with the future in mind, there was no Mingo awakening in Dallas. He has two catches for 10 yards in four games. Hopefully for Dallas, this isn’t a sign of things to come.
Steelers get WR Mike WilliamsJets receive 2025 fifth-round pick: In his first game with Pittsburgh, Williams caught a game-winning 32-yard touchdown with 2:22 left against the Commanders. That alone could make the trade worth it if that win results in an AFC North title. Williams did little other than that play. He had three consecutive games without a catch after the Washington game (the TD was his only catch in that game) and then three catches for 36 yards last week. That lack of production led to his departure to the Jets.
49ers get DT Khalil DavisTexans get 2026 seventh-round pick: Davis played 37 snaps and had three tackles in three games with the 49ers. The 49ers seem to be slipping out of the playoff race. That doesn’t seem like a great return on investment for San Francisco.
CS: Amari Cooper can still impact the Bills
Bills get WR Amari Cooper And the 2025 sixth-round pick, the Browns receive the 2025 third-round pick and the 2026 seventh-round pick: Cooper missed two games with a wrist injury, which shouldn’t count against him. But he has yet to make a big impact. He has a decent 16-231-1 line in five games. He had six catches for 95 yards Sunday, indicating a growing role. Up to this point Cooper has been fine for Bill.
Seahawks take DE Roy Robertson-HarrisThe Jaguars received a 2026 sixth-round pick: Robertson-Harris didn’t start a game and had 11 tackles and no sacks in seven games. If Seattle wins the NFC West, it probably won’t regret sending a draft pick for a low-usage rotation lineman who didn’t add much, but it’s hard to say it was a smart move.
Vikings get Arabic Cam Akers and 2026 conditional seventh round pick, Texans receive 2026 conditional sixth round pick: Akers replaced Ty Chandler as the Vikings’ RB2, but he didn’t produce much. He has 187 rushing yards on 41 carries and added 33 receiving yards on six catches in eight games. He’s been a perfectly reasonable backup, and it’s not like the Vikings are overpaying.
Cardinals get OLB Baron BrowningBroncos get 2025 sixth-round pick: Browning was supposed to help the Cardinals pass rush. He has yet to have a sack despite playing 44% of the team’s defensive snaps in his four games. Browning had seven tackles, which didn’t move the needle much either.
Steelers get OLB Preston SmithPackers receive 2025 seventh-round pick: Smith requested a trade and the Packers granted it. There was probably a reason the Packers wanted to move on. Smith has one sack in four games. He’s played about a third of the Steelers’ defensive snaps since joining the team and provides depth, but the 32-year-old hasn’t made a big difference.
Bs: DeAndre Hopkins has been an upgrade for the Chiefs
Chiefs get WR DeAndre HopkinsTitans receive 2025 conditional fifth-round pick: In seven games with the Chiefs, Hopkins has a 30-357-4 line, a little better than 51 yards a game. All four of his touchdowns were less than 10 yards. It has value in the red zone, but not the big difference the Hopkins Chiefs were hoping for. Still, he wasn’t too bad with games of 90 and 86 yards, and he’s better than Kansas City was after Rashee Rice was injured. Plus, he has time to be a big player in the postseason.
The Vikings get it Cam Robinson and conditional seventh-round pick, Jaguars receive 2026 conditional fifth-round pick: The Vikings were in trouble after losing Christian Dariso to injury and made a smart trade to get Robinson. He has started all six games and allowed just one sack, according to Pro Football Focus. He hasn’t been great, allowing 16 pressures, and his 61.3 PFF grade would rank him 60th among tackles this season, but he’s saved the left tackle position from being a huge problem in Darriso’s absence. For the price Minnesota paid, it’s been a fine move.
Ravens take CB Trey Davis White and 2027 seventh round pick, Rams receive 2026 seventh round pick: White didn’t start a game for the Ravens but played a key role in the cornerback rotation and was solid. According to PFF, he allowed four catches for 26 yards on 56 coverage snaps. Baltimore will take it for a small price.
Ex: Lions, Seahawks got what they needed
Seahawks get LB Ernest JonesTitans get LB Jerome Baker and 2025 fourth-round pick: This has been the case with players from each side since the start of the season. We’ll grade the Seahawks’ side, and it’s a smash hit. The Seahawks are excited about Jones, who has 63 tackles and an interception in six games. Baker has dealt with injuries and made 17 tackles in three games. Both parties should be happy with this move. The rebuilding Titans get a valuable pick and the Seahawks get a player who has helped them go 4-0 since the bye.
Singh gets DE Za’darius Smith And the 2026 seventh-round pick, the Browns get the 2025 fifth-round pick and the 2026 sixth-round pick: Mid-season player acquisitions via trade have rarely worked. Have this one. Smith came on to replace the injured Aidan Hutchinson and he hit the ground running. Smith has three sacks and seven quarterback hits in four games. The Lions will be thrilled if he can maintain that level of production through the playoffs.
