The most impactful in-season trades in NFL history

Trade season is upon us in the NFL.

A pair of major moves were made Tuesday by AFC East teams looking to compete for a division title. First, the New York Jets landed All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams in a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. A few hours later, the Buffalo Bills acquired wide receiver Amari Cooper in a trade with the Cleveland Browns.

[Related: Who won the Davante Adams trade?]

The moves came three weeks ahead of trade deadline day on Nov. 5, possibly a sign that more big roster news is on the horizon.

As we count down the days until then, let’s look at some of the more memorable in-season trades in NFL history. 

Raiders trade for CB Mike Haynes from Patriots (1983)

Raiders received: Mike Haynes
Patriots received: First-round pick in 1984 NFL Draft and 1985 second-round pick

The Raiders traded for Haynes in the middle of his prime, acquiring one of the game’s top corners in the late 1970s and early 1980s for a couple of draft picks. The deal gave the Raiders a second top corner — along with Lester Hayes — and Haynes, a future Hall of Famer, immediately helped the Raiders and played a role in their Super Bowl win that season. He recorded an interception, two pass breakups and a tackle in their 38-9 win over Washington in Super Bowl XVIII. Haynes still played at a high level after that season, earning three Pro Bowl nods in the following three years.

Colts trade for RB Eric Dickerson from Rams (1987)

Colts received: Eric Dickerson
Rams received: RB Greg Bell, RB Owen Gill, three first-round picks, three second-round picks
Bills received: LB Cornelius Bennett

Indianapolis acquired one of the greatest running backs of all time during the strike-shortened 1987 season, picking up Dickerson as part of a three-team trade with the Buffalo Bills. Dickerson rushed for 1,011 yards in just nine regular-season games in his first season with the Colts and helped them reach the postseason. He ran for nearly 3,000 yards over the next two seasons but fell off in the following two years. Dickerson, who had a contract dispute during his first season with the Rams, would eventually sign a one-day contract to retire with the team.

Vikings trade for RB Herschel Walker from Cowboys (1989)

Vikings received: Herschel Walker and four draft picks
Cowboys received: LB Jesse Solomon, LB David Howard, CB Issiac Holt, DE Alex Stewart, eight draft picks
Chargers received: RB Darrin Nelson

The Vikings traded for Walker in the middle of the 1989 season hoping he’d be the missing piece for a Super Bowl run. Instead, they helped build another team’s dynasty. The Cowboys received a massive haul of draft picks in the deal, part of which they used to bring in Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland, Kevin Smith, Clayton Holmes and Darren Woodson, with each playing a role in their three Super Bowl wins in the 1990s. As for Minnesota, Walker helped the Vikings reach the playoffs in 1989, but his tenure there was largely a disappointment. The deal quickly became known as one of the most lopsided in NFL history.

Seahawks trade for RB Marshawn Lynch from Bills (2010)

Seahawks received: Marshawn Lynch
Bills received: 2011 fourth-round pick and 2012 fifth-round pick

Seattle got one of the most important players in its franchise’s history in a midseason move in 2010. The Seahawks landed Lynch in a trade after he lost his starting spot in Buffalo. Lynch wasn’t terrific out of the gate for the Seahawks, rushing for just 573 yards in 12 games during the 2010 regular season. But he provided the memorable “Beast Quake” run in the postseason that year before earning Pro Bowl honors in each of the next four years. He also led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl win in the 2013 season, and might have done it again the following year if Pete Carroll had opted to give Lynch the ball on the 1-yard line against the Patriots.

Raiders trade for QB Carson Palmer from Bengals (2011)

Raiders received: Carson Palmer
Bengals received: 2012 first-round pick and 2013 second-round pick

Palmer made it clear that he wouldn’t play for the Bengals ever again after the 2010 season and threatened to retire. As his trade saga carried on well into the 2011 season, the Raiders lost starting quarterback Jason Campbell for the year, prompting them to trade for Palmer. They went 4-5 with Palmer that season as he threw more interceptions (16) than touchdowns (14). The team finished 4-12 with Palmer in 2012, which wound up being his last season with the Raiders. The following offseason, they traded him to the Arizona Cardinals, where he played five seasons and made the Pro Bowl in 2015. The two picks Cincinnati received in the deal turned into cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick and running back Gio Bernard.

49ers received: Jimmy Garoppolo 
Patriots received: 2018 second-round pick

The Patriots opted to move on from the quarterback many felt was Tom Brady’s successor. In a surprise move during the 2017 season, they shipped Garoppolo to a rebuilding team in San Francisco. Garoppolo won all five games he started with the 49ers that year, earning him a five-year extension that was the largest on an annual basis in NFL history at the time. Garoppolo was sidelined for the season just three games into 2018 due to an ACL tear, but he led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2019. San Francisco made the NFC Championship Game with Garoppolo at quarterback in the 2021 season, and he won seven of his 10 starts in 2022 before suffering a season-ending foot injury.

Cowboys trade for WR Amari Cooper from Raiders (2018)

Cowboys received: Amari Cooper
Raiders received: 2019 first-round pick

Dealing with issues at wide receiver following the departure of Dez Bryant, Dallas took a big midseason swing to improve the position in 2018. The move paid dividends as Cooper totaled 53 receptions for a team-high 725 yards and six touchdowns over nine regular-season games for the Cowboys, who went on to win the NFC East. Cooper put up two 1,000-yard seasons after that before getting traded to the Cleveland Browns in the 2022 offseason. Meanwhile, the rebuilding Raiders used the draft pick they received in the trade to select safety Johnathan Abram.

Steelers received: Minkah Fitzpatrick, 2020 fourth-round pick, 2021 seventh-round pick
Dolphins received: 2020 first-round pick, 2020 fifth-round pick, 2021 sixth-round pick

Just two weeks into the 2019 season, Miami opted to move Fitzpatrick only a year after the team selected him in the first round. Fitzpatrick has been one of the league’s best safeties since his move to Pittsburgh, recording five interceptions after the Steelers acquired him in 2019. He’s earned a first-team All-Pro and four Pro Bowl nods since the move. The Dolphins used the first-round pick they got from the Steelers to draft offensive tackle Austin Jackson.

Rams received: Jalen Ramsey 
Jaguars received: 2020 first-round pick, 2021 first-round pick, 2021 fourth-round pick

Hoping to get back to the Super Bowl for a second straight season, the Rams traded for arguably the NFL’s top corner to shore up their defense. Ramsey had a Pro Bowl season after joining the Rams in the middle of the 2019 season, but the Rams failed to get to the postseason. However, Ramsey was a first-team All-Pro in the next two seasons. Los Angeles made the playoffs in 2020 before winning the Super Bowl the following year. The Jaguars used the first-round picks they got in the deal on K’Lavon Chaisson and Travis Etienne. 

Rams received: Von Miller
Broncos received: 2022 second-round pick, 2023 third-round pick

Another key defensive piece of the Rams’ Super Bowl-winning squad was also acquired midseason. Miller was effective in eight regular-season games for Los Angeles in 2021, recording eight sacks. He was even better in the postseason, with four sacks over four playoff games. Two of those sacks came in the Rams’ win in Super Bowl LVI. The Broncos used the picks in the trade to draft linebackers Nik Bonitto and Drew Sanders.

49ers received: Christian McCaffrey
Panthers received: 2023 second-round pick, 2023 third-round pick, 2023 fourth-round pick, 2024 fifth-round pick

After watching the Rams make a pair of in-season moves to win the Super Bowl in 2021, the 49ers outbid their division rival to acquire McCaffrey. While some thought San Francisco paid a steep price for a running back, McCaffrey immediately proved he was worth the draft capital. He had 1,210 yards from scrimmage and 10 total touchdowns in 11 regular-season games with the 49ers that season and played a big role in their run to the NFC Championship Game. A year later, McCaffrey was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year, leading San Francisco to a Super Bowl appearance. The Panthers used the second-round pick they received in the deal as part of the trade to acquire the No. 1 overall pick in 2023, which they used to draft Bryce Young.

Chiefs received: Kadarius Toney
Giants received: 2023 third-round pick, 2023 sixth-round pick

Chiefs received: Mecole Hardman
Jets received: 2025 sixth-round pick

Sometimes, a move along the margins can be the difference between winning and losing the Super Bowl. That’s been the case for the Chiefs the past two years. After Kansas City acquired Toney as a work-in-progress in 2022, he made two big plays in its Super Bowl LVII win. First, he came down with a touchdown reception in the fourth quarter to give the Chiefs their first lead of the game. Later, Toney returned a punt 65 yards, the longest ever in a Super Bowl, to set up Kansas City for another touchdown.  

A year later, the Chiefs re-acquired Hardman in a midseason trade with the Jets. Hardman was relatively unproductive in his return to Kansas City until the final play of the 2023 season, when he recorded the game-winning touchdown reception in the team’s overtime win in Super Bowl LVIII.

Commanders received: 2024 third-round pick
49ers received: Chase Young

Commanders received: 2024 second-round pick
Bears received: Montez Sweat

Washington opted to hit the reset button during the 2023 season, moving on from two pass rushers who were in the final season of their respective contracts. Young was moved to a 49ers team that was looking to win the Super Bowl. He wasn’t able to get them over the hump, but Young had a sack in their Super Bowl LVIII loss. 

Sweat, meanwhile, was moved to another rebuilding team. Not only did Sweat register six sacks in just nine regular-season games last season, but he also signed a four-year, $98 million contract, with $72 million guaranteed a few days after getting traded to the Bears.

As for the Commanders, the picks they received in those deals became Jer’Zhan Newton and Luke McCaffrey.

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