When the New York Jets traded for receiver Davante Adams, they were 2-4 but team owner Woody Johnson was confident that acquisition was the start of something big.
“We’re gonna kick … you can add the words after that,” Johnson said after the trade. “We’re going to do really well.”
The Jets are 1-6 since the trade.
Adams hasn’t helped the Jets that much, but that’s true of most midseason trades this season. The moves generated a lot of talk and hype, and almost none of the traded players have had the impact their new teams were hoping for.
With a few weeks left in the season, let’s assign grades to the trades that were made after Week 1. Like NFL Draft grades, the immediate grades for trades can be fun and informative too. As long as you understand they all have context. There’s still time for the moves to work out, but few of them are looking good right now. Here are the grades for the trades made before the deadline (with the grades for the teams that traded for the player, not the draft picks in 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 dealing with a hamstring injury. And more than a month later, Lattimore still hasn’t played his first game with the Commanders due to the 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.
Ravens receive WR Diontae Johnson and 2025 sixth-round pick, Panthers receive 2025 fifth-round pick: This looked like a steal for the Ravens. Apparently you get what you pay for. Johnson has one catch for six yards in four games. He refused to enter a Week 13 game and got suspended for Week 14. So Johnson has as many team suspensions as receptions with the Ravens. That makes this a bust, even at the bargain basement price.
Chiefs receive LB Josh Uche, Patriots receive 2026 sixth-round pick: The Chiefs have gotten almost nothing out of Uche. He hasn’t played more than 11 snaps in any 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 pick for two tackles and no sacks from Uche.
Jets receive WR Davante Adams, Raiders receive 2025 conditional third-round pick: 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 team context matters. Everyone laughed at the Jets for making the trade when they were 2-4, in what clearly seemed like another attempt to appease Aaron Rodgers. Adams has been pretty good but he has sucked up a lot of the targets that were going to Garrett Wilson, a young star the Jets should be featuring. If Adams moves on after this season — he has a $38.3 million cap hit next year, and if he doesn’t restructure, the Jets will practically be forced to let him go — then it’s a really expensive rental for a three-win team. And the Jets seemed to be the only party that didn’t realize it was a misguided move.
Bengals receive RB Khalil Herbert, Bears receive 2025 seventh-round pick: On Herbert’s first carry with Cincinnati, there was a botched handoff and a fumble. Herbert recovered it, but that seemed to shake the Bengals’ confidence in him. Herbert has just 19 snaps in four games. He has three carries and a catch for 25 total yards. Cincinnati could have gotten that from practically any practice squad running back in the league.
Cowboys receive WR Jonathan Mingo and 2025 seventh-round pick, Panthers receive 2025 fourth-round pick: Nobody could believe the Cowboys paid a fourth-round pick for Mingo, who had limited production in Carolina. And while the move was made with the future in mind, Mingo hasn’t had an 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 receive WR Mike Williams, Jets 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 might make the trade worth it if that win results in an AFC North title. Other than that play, Williams has done very little. He had three games in a row 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 is why he fell out of favor with the Jets.
49ers receive DT Khalil Davis, Texans receive 2026 seventh-round pick: Davis has played 37 snaps over three games with the 49ers and has three tackles. The 49ers seem to be sliding out of the playoff race. It doesn’t seem to be a great return on investment for San Francisco.
Bills receive WR Amari Cooper and 2025 sixth-round pick, Browns receive 2025 third-round pick and 2026 seventh-round pick: Cooper did miss two games with a wrist injury, which shouldn’t be counted against him. But he hasn’t had a big impact yet. He has a decent 16-231-1 line in five games. He did have six catches for 95 yards last week, which hints at a growing role, but to this point Cooper has just been OK for the Bills.
Seahawks receive DE Roy Robertson-Harris, Jaguars receive a 2026 sixth-round pick: Robertson-Harris hasn’t started a game and has 11 tackles and no sacks in seven games. If Seattle wins the NFC West maybe they won’t regret sending a pick for a low-usage rotation lineman who hasn’t added too much, but it’s hard to say it has been a shrewd move.
Vikings receive RB Cam Akers and 2026 conditional seventh-round pick, Texans receive 2026 conditional sixth-round pick: Akers has supplanted Ty Chandler as the Vikings’ RB2, but he hasn’t produced much. He has 187 rushing yards on 41 carries and has added 33 receiving yards on six catches over eight games. He has been a perfectly reasonable backup running back, and it’s not like the Vikings paid much.
Cardinals receive OLB Baron Browning, Broncos receive 2025 sixth-round pick: Browning was supposed to help the Cardinals’ pass rush, but he still doesn’t have a sack despite playing 44% of the team’s defensive snaps in his four games. Browning has seven tackles, which hasn’t moved the needle much either.
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 is playing about a third of the Steelers’ defensive snaps since joining the team and provides some depth, but the 32-year-old hasn’t made a big difference.
Chiefs receive WR DeAndre Hopkins, Titans receive 2025 conditional fifth-round pick: In seven games with the Chiefs, Hopkins has a 30-357-4 line, which is a little better than 51 yards a game. All four of his touchdowns are less than 10 yards. That has value in the red zone, but Hopkins hasn’t been the big difference maker 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 the Rashee Rice injury. Also, there’s time for him to be a big player in the postseason.
Vikings receive OT Cam Robinson and conditional seventh-round pick, Jaguars receive 2026 conditional fifth-round pick: The Vikings were in trouble after losing Christian Darrisaw to an injury and made a smart trade to get Robinson. He has started all six games and has 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 has kept the left tackle position from being a massive problem in Darrisaw’s absence. For the price Minnesota paid, it has been a fine move.
Ravens receive CB Tre’Davious White and 2027 seventh-round pick, Rams receive 2026 seventh-round pick: White hasn’t started a game for the Ravens but has played a significant role in the cornerback rotation and has been solid. According to PFF, he has allowed four catches for 26 yards in 56 coverage snaps. Baltimore will take that for the minuscule price they paid.
Seahawks receive LB Ernest Jones, Titans receive LB Jerome Baker and 2025 fourth-round pick: This was the only deal since the start of the season involving players on each side. We’ll grade the Seahawks’ side, and it’s a smash hit. The Seahawks have raved about Jones, who has 63 tackles and an interception in six games. Baker has dealt with injuries and has 17 tackles in three games. Both sides should be happy with this move. The rebuilding Titans get a valuable pick and the Seahawks got a player who has 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 of the midseason player acquisitions via trade have worked out. This one has. Smith came in to help 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 keep up that level of production through the playoffs.
