When the New York Jets traded for wide receiver Davante Adams, they were 2-4, but team owner Woody Johnson was convinced the acquisition was the start of something big .
“We’re going to kick…you can add the words after that,” Johnson said after the exchange. “We’re going to do really well.”
The Jets are 1-6 since the trade.
Adams hasn’t helped the Jets much, but that’s been the case with most midseason trades this season. These moves generated a lot of discussion and hype, and almost none of the players traded had the impact their new teams hoped.
With just a few weeks left in the season, let’s assign grades to trades made after Week 1. Like NFL Draft grades, immediate trade grades can also be fun and informative. As long as you understand, they all have context. There is still time to implement these measures, but few of them look good at the moment. Here are the grades of the trades made before the deadline (with the grades of the teams that traded for the player, not the draft picks in return):
Incomplete: Commanders are still awaiting their return
Commanders receive CB Marshon 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 suffering a hamstring injury. And more than a month later, Lattimore still hasn’t played his first game with the Commanders due to injury. Lattimore has two years left on his contract and the Commanders are in good shape for a playoff spot, so there is plenty of time for the trade to pay off.
Fs: Ravens didn’t get Diontae Johnson deal
Ravens receive WR Diontae Johnson and 2025 sixth round pick, Panthers receive 2025 fifth round pick: This looked like a good deal for the Ravens. Apparently you get what you pay for. Johnson had one catch for six yards in four games. He refused to play in a game in Week 13 and was suspended for Week 14. So Johnson has as many team suspensions as receptions with the Ravens. This makes it a failure, even at the bargain basement price.
Chiefs receive LB Josh Uche, Patriots receive 2026 sixth-round pick: The Chiefs got almost nothing out of Uche. He played no 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 pick sixth round for two tackles and no sacks from Uche. .
Ds: What were the Jets thinking?
Jets receive WR Davante Adams, Raiders receive conditional third-round pick for 2025: Adams really hasn’t been bad. He has 40 catches for 453 yards and three touchdowns, and is coming off a nine-catch, 109-yard game. But the context of the team matters. Everyone mocked the Jets for making the trade when they were 2-4, in what clearly seemed like another attempt to appease Aaron Rodgers. Adams was pretty good, but he missed a lot of targets that were going to Garrett Wilson, a young star the Jets should feature. If Adams continues after this season — he has a $38.3 million cap hit next year, and if he doesn’t restructure, the Jets will all but be forced to let him go — then he’s a very expensive rental for a three-win team. And the Jets seemed to be the only party that didn’t realize it was an ill-advised decision.
Bengals receive RB Khalil Herbert, Bears receive 2025 seventh-round pick: In Herbert’s first carry with Cincinnati, there was a botched handoff and a fumble. Herbert picked him up, but that seemed to shake the Bengals’ confidence in him. Herbert has just 19 snaps in four games. He has three carries and one catch for a total of 25 yards. Cincinnati could have gotten this from virtually any practice squad in the league.
Cowboys receive WR Jonathan Mingo and 2025 seventh-round pick, Panthers receive 2025 fourth-round pick: No one could believe the Cowboys paid a fourth-round pick for Mingo, whose production was limited in Carolina. And even though this decision was made with the future in mind, Mingo didn’t have a wake-up call in Dallas. He made two catches for 10 yards in four games. Hopefully for Dallas, this isn’t a sign of things to come.
Steelers receive WR Mike Williams, Jets receive 2025 fifth-round pick: In his first game with Pittsburgh, Williams scored a game-winning 32-yard touchdown with 2:22 left against the Commanders. That alone could be worth it if this win results in an AFC North title. Other than that play, Williams did very little. He had three straight games without a catch after Washington (the TD was his only catch in that game), then three catches for 36 yards last week. This lack of production is why he fell out of favor with the Jets.
49ers receive DT Khalil Davis, Texans receive 2026 seventh-round pick: Davis played 37 snaps in three games with the 49ers and made three tackles. The 49ers appear to be dropping out of the playoff race. That doesn’t seem like a big return on investment for San Francisco.
Cs: Amari Cooper could still impact bills
The Bills receive 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 be blamed on him. But he hasn’t made a big impact yet. He has a good line of 16-231-1 in five games. He had six catches for 95 yards last week, which suggests an increasing role, but so far Cooper has performed well for the Bills.
Seahawks receive DE Roy Robertson-Harris, Jaguars receive 2026 sixth-round pick: Robertson-Harris has not started a game and has 11 tackles and no sacks in seven games. If Seattle wins the NFC West, they might not regret sending a pick for a low-usage rotation lineman who didn’t add too much, but it’s hard to say that was a decision judicious.
Vikings receive RB Cam Akers and conditional 2026 seventh round pick, Texans receive conditional 2026 sixth round pick: Akers supplanted 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 running back, and it’s not like the Vikings paid a lot.
Cardinals receive OLB Baron Browning, Broncos receive 2025 sixth-round pick: Browning was supposed to help the Cardinals rush, but he still hasn’t had a sack despite playing 44 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in his four games. Browning had seven tackles, which also didn’t make much difference.
Steelers receive OLB Preston Smith, Packers receive 2025 seventh-round pick: Smith requested a trade and the Packers granted it, but there was probably a reason they wanted to move on. Smith has one sack in four games. Smith has played about a third of the Steelers’ defensive snaps since joining the team and provides some depth, but the 32-year-old hasn’t made much of a difference.
Bs: DeAndre Hopkins was an upgrade for the Chiefs
Chiefs receive WR DeAndre Hopkins, Titans receive conditional 2025 fifth-round pick: In seven games with the Chiefs, Hopkins has a line of 30-357-4, which is a little better than 51 yards per game. His four touchdowns are less than 10 yards. That has value in the red zone, but Hopkins hasn’t made the big difference the Chiefs were hoping for. Still, he hasn’t been bad either, with games of 90 and 86 yards, and he’s better than anything Kansas City had after Rashee Rice’s injury. Plus, he has time to become an important player in the playoffs.
The Vikings receive OT Cam Robinson and a conditional seventh-round pick, the Jaguars receive a conditional fifth-round pick in 2026: The Vikings were struggling after losing Christian Darrisaw to injury and made a smart trade to get Robinson. He started all six games and allowed only one sack, according to Pro Football Focus. He hasn’t been great, allowing 16 pressures and his PFF grade of 61.3 would rank him 60th among tackles this season, but he’s kept the left tackle position from being a huge problem in Darrisaw’s absence . For the price Minnesota paid, it’s a good decision.
Ravens receive CB Tre’Davious White and 2027 seventh round pick, Rams receive 2026 seventh round pick: White didn’t start a game for the Ravens, but was a big part of the cornerback rotation and was solid. According to PFF, he allowed four catches for 26 yards on 56 coverage snaps. Baltimore will accept this for the tiny price they paid.
Like: Lions, Seahawks got what they needed
Seahawks receive LB Ernest Jones, Titans receive LB Jerome Baker and 2025 fourth-round pick: It was the only deal since the start of the season involving players from each team. We’ll evaluate the Seahawks team, and it’s a resounding success. The Seahawks are full of praise for Jones, who has 63 tackles and one interception in six games. Baker has dealt with injuries and has 17 tackles in three games. Both parties should be happy with this decision. The rebuilding Titans get a valuable pick and the Seahawks have a player who helped them go 4-0 since the bye.
Lions receive DE Za’Darius Smith and 2026 seventh-round pick, Browns receive 2025 fifth-round pick and 2026 sixth-round pick: Very few mid-season player acquisitions via trade have worked. This one did it. Smith came in to help replace the injured Aidan Hutchinson and took over. Smith has three sacks and seven quarterback hits in four games. The Lions will be thrilled if he can maintain this level of production throughout the playoffs.
