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When the New York Jets traded for wide receiver Davante Adams, they were 2-4, but team owner Woody Johnson was confident the acquisition was the start of something big.
“Let’s kick… you can add the words after that,” Johnson said after the exchange. “We are going to do very well.”
The Jets are 1-6 since the trade.
Adams hasn’t helped the Jets much, but that’s true of most midseason trades this season. The moves generated a lot of conversation and excitement, and almost none of the traded players have had the impact their new teams expected.
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, immediate grades for trades can also be fun and informative. As long as you understand, they all have context. There’s still time for the moves to work, but few of them look good right now. Here are the grades for trades made before the deadline (with the grades of the teams that traded for the player, not the draft picks in exchange):
Incomplete: Commanders are still waiting for his return
Commanders receive CB Marshon Lattimore and 2025 fifth-round pick, Saints receive 2025 third-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick and 2025 sixth-round pick: The Commanders acquired Lattimore despite the cornerback suffering from 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 berth, so there’s plenty of time for the trade to pay off.
Fs: Ravens did not reach an agreement on Diontae Johnson
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 reception for six yards in four games. He refused to enter 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 failure, even at the bargain price.
Chiefs receive LB Josh Uche, Patriots receive 2026 sixth-round pick: The Chiefs have gotten almost nothing from 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 healthy in Week 14. The Chiefs sent a sixth-round pick for two tackles and no sacks for Uche. .
Ds: What were the Jets thinking?
Jets receive WR Davante Adams, Raiders receive conditional 2025 third-round pick: Adams really hasn’t been bad. He has 40 catches for 453 yards and three touchdowns, and is coming off a 109-yard game with nine catches. But team context matters. Everyone laughed at the Jets for making the change when they were 2-4, in what clearly looked like another attempt to appease Aaron Rodgers. Adams has been pretty good, but he has absorbed many of the targets that were aimed at Garrett Wilson, a young star the Jets should feature. 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 he’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 the wrong 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 one reception for 25 total yards. Cincinnati could have gotten that from virtually any practice squad in the league.
Cowboys receive WR Jonathan Mingo and 2025 7th-round pick, Panthers receive 2025 4th-round pick: No one could believe the Cowboys would pay a fourth-round pick for Mingo, who had limited production in Carolina. And although the measure was taken with the future in mind, Mingo has not woken up 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 could 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 straight games without a catch after the Washington game (the touchdown 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 in three games with the 49ers and has three tackles. The 49ers appear to be falling out of the playoff race. It doesn’t seem like a great return on investment for San Francisco.
Cs: Amari Cooper could still impact the Bills
Bills receive WR Amari Cooper and 2025 sixth-round pick, Browns receive 2025 third-round pick and 2026 seventh-round pick: Cooper missed two games with a wrist injury, which should not be counted against him. But it hasn’t had a big impact yet. He has a decent line of 16-231-1 in five games. He had six catches for 95 yards last week, suggesting an increasing role, but to this point Cooper has been fine 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 lightly used rotation lineman who hasn’t added much, but it’s hard to say it was a smart move.
Vikings receive RB Cam Akers and 2026 conditional 7th-round pick, Texans receive 2026 conditional 6th-round pick: Akers has supplanted Ty Chandler as the Vikings’ RB2, but hasn’t produced much. He has 187 rushing yards on 41 carries and has added 33 receiving yards on six receptions in eight games. He’s 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 with 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 in 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 has been an improvement 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. All four of his touchdowns are less than 10 yards. That has value in the red zone, but Hopkins hasn’t made the big difference the Chiefs expected. Still, he hasn’t been bad either, with games of 90 and 86 yards, and it’s better than anything Kansas City has had since Rashee Rice’s injury. Plus, there’s time for him to be a great player in the postseason.
Vikings receive OT Cam Robinson and a conditional seventh-round pick, Jaguars receive a conditional 2026 fifth-round pick: The Vikings were in trouble after losing Christian Darrisaw to injury and made a smart trade to get Robinson. He has started all six games and has allowed only one sack, according to Pro Football Focus. He hasn’t been very good, allowing 16 pressures and his 61.3 PFF grade would rank 60th among tackles this season, but he’s kept the left tackle position from being a big problem in Darrisaw’s absence. For the price Minnesota paid, it was a good decision.
Ravens receive CB Tre’Davious White and 2027 seventh-round pick, Rams receive 2026 seventh-round pick: White hasn’t started any games for the Ravens, but he has played an important role in the cornerback rotation and has been solid. According to PFF, he has allowed four receptions for 26 yards on 56 coverage snaps. Baltimore will take 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 agreement since the start of the season that involved players from each side. We’ll grade the Seahawks side and it’s a big hit. The Seahawks have praised Jones, who has 63 tackles and one 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 break.
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 on to help replace the injured Aidan Hutchinson and hit the ground running. Smith has three sacks and seven quarterback hits in four games. The Lions will be delighted if he can maintain that level of production throughout the playoffs.