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Our regrades for eight deals from last year’s NFL trade deadline: What we got right … and wrong

How do the Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams blockbuster trades look one year later? What about the Jakobi Meyers, Rashid Shaheed and Jaelan Phillips deals?

Published: Friday, 6 November 2026 at 12:39 PM
Our regrades for eight deals from last year’s NFL trade deadline: What we got right … and wrong
Key Things to Know
  • ESPN regraded 2025 NFL deadline deals, arguing the Jets won big by trading Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams.
  • The Colts traded Adonai Mitchell and two first-round picks for Gardner before collapsing to an 8-9 finish.
  • Dallas dealt a second-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick for Williams but still missed the 2025 playoffs.
The Story in 60 Seconds

ESPN evaluated major 2025 NFL trade deadline moves one year later, arguing that the New York Jets emerged as the biggest winners by trading Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. The Indianapolis Colts gave up wide receiver Adonai Mitchell and two first-round picks for Gardner, but finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys surrendered a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 first-rounder for Williams, yet failed to reach the postseason.

The review also assessed other prominent 2025 deadline moves, noting that the Jacksonville Jaguars benefited from acquiring Jakobi Meyers for fourth- and sixth-round selections. Additionally, the Seattle Seahawks utilized return specialist Rashid Shaheed to help capture Super Bowl LX, while the Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles extracted strong short-term value from pass rushers Odafe Oweh and Jaelan Phillips.

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