When the New York Jets traded for receiver Davante Adams, they were 2-4, but team owner Woody Johnson was confident the acquisition was the start of something big.
“We’re going to kick… you can add the words afterward,” Johnson said after the trade. “We’re going to do very well.”
The Jets are 1-6 since the trade.
Adams hasn’t helped the Jets all 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 players traded have had the impact their new teams hoped for.
With a few weeks left in the season, let’s assign grades to the trades made after Week 1. Like NFL Draft grades, the instant trade numbers can also be fun and informative. As long as you understand it, they all have a context. There’s still time to work out the moves, but few of them look good right now. Here are the numbers for the trades made before the deadline (with the numbers for the teams that traded for the player, not the draft picks in return):
Incomplete: Commanders 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 dealing with a hamstring injury. And over a month later, Lattimore still hasn’t played his first game with the Commanders due to the injury. Lattimore has two years left on his contract and the Commanders are in good shape for a playoff spot, so there’s still plenty of time for the trade to pay off.
Fs: Ravens didn’t get a deal for Diontae Johnson
Ravens receive WR Diontae Johnson and 2025 sixth-round pick, Panthers receive 2025 fifth-round pick: This seemed 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 play in a Week 13 game and was 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 got 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 over a sixth-round pick for two tackles and no sacks from Uche.
Ds: What were the Jets thinking?
Jets receive WR Davante Adams, Raiders receive 2025 conditional third-round pick: Adams really wasn’t bad. He has 40 catches for 453 yards and three touchdowns, coming off a nine-catch rushing game of 109 yards. But the team context is important. Everyone made fun of 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 soaked up a lot of the targets that went to Garrett Wilson, a young star the Jets should play. If Adams moves on after this season — he has a cap hit of $38.3 million next year, and if he doesn’t restructure, the Jets will practically be forced to let him go — it’s a very expensive hire for a team with three victories. And the Jets seemed to be the only side that didn’t realize this 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 got it back, 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 a total of 25 yards. Cincinnati could have gotten that from just about any practice squad returning to 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, who had limited production in Carolina. And although the move was made with an eye to the future, Mingo has not yet woken up in Dallas. He has two catches for 10 yards in four games. Hopefully this isn’t a sign of things to come for Dallas.
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 could make the trade worthwhile if that win results in an AFC North title. Outside of that game, Williams has done very little. He had three straight games 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 appear to be sliding out of the playoff race. It doesn’t appear to be a great return on investment for San Francisco.
Cs: Amari Cooper can still make an impact on Bills
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 cannot be blamed on him. But he hasn’t had a big impact yet. He has a decent 16-231-1 line in five games. He had six catches for 95 yards last week, indicating an expanding role, but so far Cooper has been just okay for the Bills.
Seahawks receive DE Roy Robertson-Harris, Jaguars receive 2026 sixth-round pick: Robertson-Harris hasn’t started a game yet and has 11 tackles and no sacks in seven games. If Seattle wins the NFC West, they might not regret choosing a lineman who doesn’t use the rotation much and hasn’t added too much, but it’s hard to say this is a smart move been.
Vikings receive RB Cam Akers and 2026 conditional seventh-round pick, Texans receive 2026 conditional sixth-round pick: Akers has replaced 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 in eight games. He’s been a perfectly reasonable backup, and it’s not like the Vikings have paid much.
Cardinals receive OLB Baron Browning, Broncos receive 2025 sixth-round pick: Browning should help the Cardinals with the 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 likely a reason they wanted to move on. Smith has one sack in four games. Smith has played about a third of the Steelers’ defensive plays since joining the team and provides some depth, but the 32-year-old hasn’t made a big difference.
Bs: DeAndre Hopkins has been an upgrade for Chiefs
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 slightly better than 51 yards per game. All four of his touchdowns have been under 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 wasn’t 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 is time for him to become a big time 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 injury and made a smart trade to get Robinson. According to Pro Football Focus, he has started all six games and has allowed just one sack. 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 has kept the left tackle position from becoming a major problem in Darrisaw’s absence. For the price Minnesota paid, it was a great 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 yet, but has played a key 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 accept that for the minuscule 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: This was the only deal since the start of the season involving players from each team. We rate the Seahawks side and it is a great success. The Seahawks are excited about Jones, who has 63 tackles and an interception in six games. Baker has battled injuries and has 17 tackles in three games. Both parties should be happy with this step. The rebuilding Titans get a valuable pick and the Seahawks have 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 and 2026 sixth round: Very few of the midseason player acquisitions have come via trade. This one has. Smith came in to help replace the injured Aidan Hutchinson, and he got off to a running start. Smith has three sacks and seven quarterback hits in four games. The Lions will be lucky if he can maintain that level of production throughout the playoffs.
