NFL Trade Deadline Winners From a Betting Perspective

The NFL trade deadline has come and gone, with several teams around the league bolstering their rosters ahead of the second half of the season. With every trade, there’s going to be an immediate perceived winner and a loser, along with a team who overpaid, while another fleeced the competition. 

Deadline day was certainly more active than ever today, so let’s dive into the top 5 winners of the day, along with their latest Super Bowl odds post-deadline. 

NFL Trade Deadline Biggest Winners and Team Super Bowl Odds

Minnesota Vikings (+2500)

Irv Smith Jr. has a high-ankle sprain and will be out of the lineup for some time, but Minnesota wasted no time in getting his replacement in the building.

The Vikings traded for T.J. Hockenson today. The Vikings traded a second and third round pick, but got two fourth picks back in return. 

So not only did the Vikings get another passing option to bolster the offense, but they also got two solid draft picks in return. They got good talent in the door for a minimal price, and I like the deal a lot.

George Pickens / Pittsburgh Steelers (+50000)

The Steelers traded away receiver Chase Claypool in the midst of a mediocre season to the Chicago Bears for Chicago's second round pick in 2023.

With Claypool out of the mix, this will allow George Pickens to blossom as the No. 2 receiver. Since Kenny Pickett became the starting quarterback, Pickens has already been more involved in the offense. He’s averaging six targets per game over the last four games and will see more as the season progresses. 

Miami Dolphins (+3000)

The Dolphins are playing chess while everyone is playing checkers. They’ve turned all the picks they got back for the “Trey Lance pick” into Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb. Miami has filled out its roster using other people’s picks and can still build around Tua Tagovailoa. 

Mike McDaniels has shown to be a competent head coach, which makes the Dolphins one of the sneaky valuable teams this season.

Baltimore Ravens (+1400)

Baltimore has had defensive issues for the last two seasons and the trade for Bears stud linebacker Roquan Smith will be a huge addition to the Ravens.

The Ravens like to send pressure and let their corners fend for themselves. However, they haven’t been able to cover or rush well enough. Smith will provide some stability in that front seven to help out the defense and give Lamar Jackson some support for the second half of the year. 

Trevor Lawrence / Jacksonville Jaguars (+12500)

The Jacksonville Jaguars made one of the biggest splashes of the day, trading for suspended receiver Calvin Ridley. In his last full season with the Falcons, Ridley had over 1,300 yards and 9 touchdowns. Jacksonville now has a true No. 1 receiver for Lawrence to throw to.

The Jaguars are 20th in the league in yards per attempt, 21st in passing yards per game and 27th in completion percentage. If Ridley can step back in and be an elite receiver, Jacksonville has a potentially great duo that can lead them to have a lot of value in next year's future's market.

Honorable Mention: Christian McCaffrey / San Francisco 49ers (+1200)

The 49ers have one of the best skill position groups in the league now that McCaffrey is in the building. He is a true workhorse back that can do it all (see the passing, receiving and rushing touchdowns he had in Week 8). He also makes life extremely easy for Jimmy G, who has been known to struggle at times.

As long as the 49ers have one of the best defenses in the league, San Francisco stands as the most complete team in the league.

You can find Donnavan Smoot’s full betting record here.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.