Back
A steady stream of blockbuster moves in advance of the 2026 NFL trade deadline redistributed some of the league's top talent at numerous positions. Even more impactful transactions could be on the way before Nov. 10, but in the meantime, the Chicago Bears are the biggest winners of the deadline thus far with their highly fruitful acquisition of Jeffery Simmons, while the Indianapolis Colts emerged as the most aggressive sellers in dealing Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner.
Trade watch continues for a myriad of stars on struggling teams, including Jonathan Taylor, Khalil Mack, George Pickens and others. At the same time, teams battling for position at the front of the postseason race must decide how much to invest in those standouts who are available on the trade market.
There is only one more week of games until the trade deadline, so this year's contenders and pretenders are about as clear as they will be before it is too late to buy and sell. It is safe to expect a flurry of moves in the coming days as those franchises gear up for the home stretch or look ahead to the future.
Below is every in-season trade ahead of the NFL's 2026 deadline.
In giving up two first-rounders to secure a perennial All-Pro defensive tackle, the Bears went all-in and opened their Super Bowl contention window. The transaction paid immediate dividends when Simmons logged a sack and led the team with six tackles in his Chicago debut: A commanding 34-17 road win over the Seahawks. Mortgaging so much of their future first-round capital showed that the Bears trust their roster, as currently constructed, to compete at the top of the league, and Simmons is the kind of game-changing talent worth the steep price. His production in the pass rush and in run defense could help Chicago maximize its high-octane unit on the other side of the ball led by Caleb Williams.
This move sends the Titans deeper into their rebuild. Questions lie ahead about whether to stick with Cam Ward at quarterback, and with the first-round picks they acquired from dealing Simmons, there will be curiosity as to whether they will use one to land a new signal-caller. Regardless of how they use the picks, moving on from one of the greatest players in franchise history shows how bleak the present is in Tennessee and that all eyes are on the future.
Bears: A- | Titans: C+
The seemingly nonstop onslaught of injuries hit the 49ers' defensive line, resulting in CJ West landing on injured reserve with a bone chip in his knee and Alfred Collins being ruled out for the year with a torn patellar tendon. That heightened the need for immediate help in the trenches, so the 49ers brought Buckner back after his six-plus years in Indianapolis. The 49ers selected Buckner in the first round of the 2016 draft, and the best years of his prime came during his time in San Francisco, so this is a welcome return for someone the franchise remembers fondly. Buckner remains one of the NFL's top pass-rushing interior defensive linemen and will aid in the 49ers' Super Bowl push.
Buckner's exit marked the second trade in one day for the slumping Colts, who are in the midst of tearing things down with multiple star players on the move and former general manager Chris Ballard out the door. There is an argument to be made that a Day 3 pick was an underwhelming return, but for a 32-year-old veteran on an expiring contract, the Colts were content to get at least something of value for a player who was likely to leave in free agency anyway. Buckner grew publicly frustrated with Indianapolis' struggles, which heightened the anticipation for his trade or an eventual departure at the end of his contract.
49ers: A | Colts: B+
Seahawks general manager Jon Schneider is keen to make big-time moves ahead of the trade deadline. This is the fourth consecutive year in which Seattle made a play for an impactful midseason addition to its roster. Nelson is as stellar of an offensive lineman as there is on the trade market this year as a six-time All-Pro and should elevate a struggling Seahawks run game over the long term, even if his arrival did not deliver an immediate boost in the loss to the Bears in his debut. This is also a savvy transaction for the front office given that it stands to receive at least one compensatory third-round pick in 2027; trading a third-rounder for Nelson was thus an easy price to pay.
The Colts got more in return for Nelson than they did for Buckner, which is to be expected considering his status as perhaps the top interior lineman in football. This is still a discount, though, and they remain without a first-round pick in either of the next two drafts. If they can use the third-rounder and next year's fifth-rounder to move up in the order, the trade deadline sale could prove more worthwhile.
Seahawks: A | Colts: C+
Harrison reunited with his college quarterback, C.J. Stroud, upon his arrival in Houston. Will that help him rekindle what has become a disappointing career? His first two games with the Texans were mostly underwhelming, but he did haul in a touchdown reception in Week 7 and could secure a more sizable target share as the team seeks for a go-to No. 2 option behind star pass-catcher Nico Collins. This is trending toward a lost season for the Texans, but they will have another year of control over Harrison and the option to pick up a fifth year in 2028. If they can mold him into the star he was supposed to become out of Ohio State, their passing game will be in excellent shape over the long haul.
Trading Harrison was an admission that he was a bust of a former first-round pick, but to get a second-rounder in the process and to upgrade with a Day 3 pick swap was about as good of a deal as the Cardinals could have landed. Harrison ran his course in the desert and was clearly a poor fit in Mike LaFleur's system, so maximizing his value in the trade was a big win for a team that is not going to contend for anything meaningful in 2026 anyway.
Texans: C- | Cardinals: B+
The interior offensive line in Baltimore was a glaring issue last year and into the start of 2026. The Jurgens trade addressed that head-on. Not only did the Ravens find their long-term replacement for Tyler Linderbaum, who left in free agency, but the addition also allowed them to move Olaivavega Ioane from center back to right guard. The full benefits of this move may not show up until Lamar Jackson returns to action, whether that be later in 2026 or next season.
On the Eagles' side, Jurgens' exit effectively marked the end of an era for a once-legendary offensive line that also saw longtime tackle Lane Johnson and legendary position coach Jeff Stoutland enter retirement. It is a turning of the page and one that netted a couple of draft picks for a franchise that now looks destined to rebuild following a six-game losing streak. Philadelphia had been playing Jurgens out of position, anyway.
Ravens: B+ | Eagles: B-
If Porter cannot fix the Cowboys' defense, then that unit might be broken beyond repair in 2026. Dallas made a splash to address its greatest weakness and has thus far seen the exact kind of individual impact it envisioned from the star cornerback, as he allowed a diminutive 39.6 passer rating and just three completions on 11 targets across his first four games with the team. Still, the unit around him is in shambles. And with Porter set to reach unrestricted free agency this offseason, this could be a one-year rental that fails to produce a postseason appearance.
The Steelers made it clear that they were not going to shell out market-resetting money to keep Porter around on a long-term contract extension. By declining to meet his demands as he sat out the start of the season, they only had one viable option, which was to trade him. A first-round pick would have been the preferable return package, but Pittsburgh received the next-best thing with both a second-rounder and 2027 draft capital. That sixth-round pick in next year's draft already vested, as it was conditional upon Porter being active for just two games with the Cowboys.
Cowboys: C | Steelers: B-
The torn knee ligaments Jaxson Dart sustained in Week 2 made the Giants desperate for quarterback help, because the rest of the roster remained talented enough to compete for the NFC East crown. The McCarthy acquisition at first came across as puzzling given his own struggles to stay healthy, his underwhelming play when available and the fact that New York already has a franchise quarterback and thus has little to gain from McCarthy potentially developing into a viable starter. But it has aged better than expected. McCarthy threw for 243 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter in Week 6, earned the starting job over Jameis Winston and promptly delivered a road win over the Texans to place the Giants in command of the division.
Getting anything in return for McCarthy after a disastrous start to his career was a win for the Vikings. He slipped all the way down to the third line of Minnesota's depth chart behind a couple of low-ceiling veterans in Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz and was clearly no longer part of the franchise's plans.
Giants: C | Vikings: B+
Back
Top
| Privacy Statement Terms of Service Contact |
Refresh
|
All the best breaking news stories from Apex Scores Lite. Optimised for feature phones and low end Android devices, Apex Scores Lite helps users with legacy devices and poor network connectivity access the latest football news and live scores. Particularly relevant for breaking football news in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.