NFL trade deadline: Biggest winners and losers
By Mike Luciano
Loser: The NFC North
The NFC North is one of the more stratified divisions in football, as the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears are contending for playoff spots while the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings look forward to 2021. At the deadline, Green Bay could’ve given Rodgers a competent No. 2 wide receiver, while Chicago could’ve found another warm body to start on the offensive line. Unfortunately, Brian Gutekunst and Ryan Pace did nothing of the sort, leaving them unable to make a major upgrade before the postseason.
On the flip side of that coin, the Lions and Vikings, who got some picks back in the Yannick Ngakoue deal, had every reason to sell as they try to get players and draft picks for next year. Instead, the Vikings decided to keep valuable commodities like Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris in Minnesota, while Detroit actually went into buyer mode and added former Cowboys defensive end Everson Griffen. In a topsy-turvy division, the teams who needed to be active did nothing, while the losing teams made win-now moves.