A steady stream of blockbuster moves in advance of the 2026 NFL trade deadline redistributed some of the league’s top talent at numerous positions. A grand total of 18 in-season trades made the 2026 campaign the fourth-most active year of player movement and defined where teams stand in the playoff race and the hunt for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 draft.

Teams including the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars went all-in ahead of the deadline when they spent premier draft capital on defensive standouts like Jeffery Simmons and Jordan Davis. Those swaps made the Super Bowl contenders two of the deadline’s biggest winners.

On the other hand, the Indianapolis Colts emerged as by far the most aggressive sellers when they parted with Quenton Nelson, DeForest Buckner, Keenan Allen and Josh Downs. That dichotomy shows exactly how teams used Nov. 10 as a pivot point in their quest for either a championship or a jumpstart in the rebuilding process.

A bevy of big-name trade candidates stood still when the deadline passed. The Colts’ fire sale did not extend to Jonathan Taylor or Daniel Jones, while defenders like Khalil Mack, Will McDonald and Budda Baker remained with their respective teams, too.

Below is every in-season trade processed in advance of the NFL’s 2026 deadline.

Nov. 10: Ravens land another center to close out deadline day
Ravens receive: Ryan Neuzil
Falcons receive: Andrew Vorhees, 2028 sixth-round pick
Just over a month ago, the Ravens pulled off the league’s third in-season trade to acquire Cam Jurgens. The move landed them a long-term solution at center following Tyler Linderbaum’s exit in free agency. Now they have another center on the roster. Neuzil was the Falcons’ starter at that position this season but appears poised to take on a backup role for the Ravens unless he moves to guard (a position he played to an extent in Atlanta and exclusively in college). Olaivavega Ioane is locked in at right guard, so it will come down to John Simpson and Neuzil on the left side. The other will head to the bench as the primary interior offensive line reserve.

The Falcons will not walk away empty-handed, as Vorhees brings starting experience at guard. There will be some shifting around to do on that offensive line.

Nov. 10: Chiefs add weapon to receiving corps
Chiefs receive: Josh Downs, 2027 seventh-round pick
Colts receive: 2027 fourth-round pick, 2027 fifth-round pick
Kansas City owns the 10th-best passing offense in the NFL but is more reliant on yards after the catch than any team in football. Additionally, wide receivers accounted for only 46.0% of the Chiefs’ receiving yards through Week 9, the second-lowest rate, behind only the Raiders at 36.8%, according to Next Gen Stats. This team needed another weapon for Patrick Mahomes and secured one just minutes before the trade deadline in the form of Downs. Although he is not much of a field-stretcher, he could free up Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy or expand his own role now that he is on a new team.

That concludes the Colts’ fire sale, bringing the tally to four players traded. All of them were on expiring contracts, so Indianapolis prioritized landing guaranteed draft capital for players likely to leave in free agency, who may or may not have netted compensatory picks. There are now only five healthy wide receivers on the Colts’ active roster: Laquon Treadwell, Deion Burks, Ashton Dulin, Anthony Gould and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.

Trade grades:

Chiefs: B+ | Colts: A

Nov. 10: Broncos bolster defense as Chargers finally sell
Broncos receive: Daiyan Henley
Chargers receive: 2027 fourth-round pick, 2028 fifth-round pick
One AFC West team got stronger while the other slipped further into the abyss. The Broncos added Daiyan Henley to their linebacker group and now own high-end depth behind locked-in starters Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad. Henley, a former third-round pick, was an every-week starter for the Chargers and brings excellent coverage and run defense skills to the vaunted Denver unit as it gears up for a postseason push. The Broncos anticipate receiving a compensatory pick for John Franklin-Myers’ departure in free agency, which will help offset the cost of this deal.

It was puzzling to see the Chargers sit on their hands for most of the pre-deadline, considering they are the only winless team in the league, and while the Henley deal finally made them sellers, it was also a surprise for them to strengthen a division rival. They latched onto their other tradeable assets — players like Khalil Mack and even Justin Herbert, who would have commanded far greater returns— while securing only Day 3 capital for Henley.

Nov. 10: Vikings reunite with Kirk Cousins to solve quarterback dilemma
Vikings receive: Kirk Cousins
Raiders receive: 2027 third-round pick
For the second time in his career, Cousins is a Viking. Minnesota had the most glaring need at quarterback of any team in the league heading into deadline day, and Cousins was the most obvious target given his familiarity with the franchise and offensive system and his status as a bridge for the Raiders to No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza. He is coming off his worst performance of the year (a three-interception day in a loss to the 49ers) and seemed destined to cede the job to Mendoza in the weeks to come, so the trade makes all kinds of sense for both teams.

Minnesota’s two losses this season emphasized its inability to capitalize on owning the league’s stingiest defense. It was most apparent on “Monday Night Football” when Carson Wentz struggled mightily in a 23-6 loss to the Bills. Cousins’ arrival gives the Vikings a rest-of-season solution and an upgrade over Wentz and Kyler Murray — one who should be able to force-feed the ball to superstar wideout Justin Jefferson and more accurately distribute it to the secondary options, too.

The Vikings sent their own 2027 third-round pick to the Raiders in the deal and still possess the Eagles’ third-rounder, which projects to be a more valuable asset. Las Vegas now owns more Day 2 capital and will put that to use in its construction of a young core around Mendoza.