The deadline is done, and NFL rosters are more or less set for the remainder of the season. We didn’t get an earth-shattering buzzer-beater that will reshape the league, but some pretty significant deals took place which will impact the race to the playoffs.

Making deals at the trade deadline is always a fascinating push-and-pull. Teams need to balance confidence in their ability to compete right now with potentially sacrificing too much down the road, should things not pan out. Look at the Indianapolis Colts ad the cautionary tale, who are stuck regretting their deal for Sauce Gardner this time last year. Indy gave up two first-round picks with the belief they were just a piece away, and now they’re stuck rebuilding without a top draft asset.

This year’s biggest buyers were the Jacksonville Jaguars, and they went big. The team landed S Jessie Bates from the Falcons for a second, added Davon Godchaux to bolster their defensive line, and in the biggest trade of the deadline they made a deal for run-stopping DT Jordan Davis from the Eagles. The vision is that this team just wants to stop a few more drives per game, confident that their stellar offense can win enough games.

Let’s swing around the league to look at who won the deadline, and who made some questionable moves.

The biggest winner on the Vikings’ side of the ledger was Kirk Cousins, who had been vocal about wanting to return to Minnesota. The veteran QB achieved exactly what was asked of him in Las Vegas, basically being a veteran mentor to Fernando Mendoza and stewarding the first part of the season.

Now the Raiders can turn the keys over to Mendoza to begin getting him some live-fire reps, while Cousins will move on with a chance to actually compete for a Super Bowl ring — rather than awkwardly holding a clipboard for the final months of the season.

Kudos to Minnesota for giving it their best shot. A third-round pick for Cousins is more than they probably should have spent, but there was absolutely no other option for them. The entire league knew they were desperate and made sure to put the screws to them. The good news for Vikings fans is that the team didn’t mortage the entire future of this run, meaning this was a good half-step between a potential home run trade, and a mediocre one that wouldn’t have changed anything.

This was a one-year prove-it deal for Murray in Minnesota, and he sucked out loud. There is zero chance he will land another starting job in the NFL next season, with his best option to turn into a veteran journeyman like Jameis Winston as a high-level backup QB.

It’s unclear if that’s even something Murray wants, and it wouldn’t be shocking if he left the NFL altogether and tried to reinvent his athletic career in baseball. MLB is a perfect fit for Murray, because the season ends before the yearly release of Call of Duty.

The Raiders got a 3rd-round pick for a QB they didn’t really have a use for anymore. That’s just great business, which allowed them to make the change at the position they needed, while also adding draft assets down the road. Not much more to say, really.

The 49ers made a great move to add Keenan Allen to their receiver room, on deadline day. A smart veteran who understands his role and does all the little things well. While he’s not the elite receiver he once was with the Chargers, Allen is still a reliable target who can move the chains, pick up hard yards, and make a QB’s life easier. The fact San Francisco got him for only a 6th round pick was really smart business.

This comes after the move a week ago in another trade with the Colts to bring DeForest Buckner back into the fold. This pair of veteran moves will help stabilize an ailing 49ers roster and give them some push as they approach the playoffs. Really love both trades for the Niners, and they didn’t break the bank.

It’s a really tough break for the top player we thought would be dealt by the deadline, as Jonathan Taylor remains with the Colts. Indianapolis rejected numerous trade offers for their top running back, still waiting for a massive haul that never materialized.

On the one hand it makes sense holding onto Taylor, but it also feels impossibly unfair to him. This was a player who was seemingly informed he would be dealt, he said his goodbyes to Colts fans and thanked the city — now he’s coming back to an absolutely hopeless team that has dealt so many pieces. This was a chance to land on a contender and make a deep playoff run, and now he’s stuck.

There have been reports that the Colts rejected offers that included a 2nd round pick and more, which only makes me wonder what the heck this team thought they would get for a 27-year-old running back, even one as talented as he is.

Circling back to Jacksonville, we can look at this team and say they are much better than they were last week. The Jags made big moves to improve on defense but also spent a lot to get there. It’s all well and good to have an “eff those picks” mindset as a fan — until a team fails to meet its potential and doesn’t have a great way to improve.

The pressure is on now. Saying “they have to make the Super Bowl” is myopic, but they pretty much have to make the AFC Championship. Loading up like this and getting knocked out early is an admission the team didn’t accurately evaluate its chances. Moreover, Jacksonville is a team that will be without a 1st-round pick for the second year in a row, with 2025 being used to pay for their Travis Hunter trade the year prior. That will come to catch up with them, it’s just a question if they’re able to win enough right now to justify it.

There are plenty of really good reasons to believe this could be the year for the Jags, but also reasons to be wary. They’re 6-2 against a -0.81 strength of schedule, meaning they collectively played weaker-than-average opponents. The two losses came against the Broncos and Texans, both of whom are on the back-end of the elite in the conference. It all feels like a massive coin flip.