The NFL trade deadline has now officially come and gone, and with it the last wave of major player movement until the 2026 offseason.
Storyline threads are abundant: Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson are still stuck in New York, the Cowboys replaced Micah Parsons on the defensive line (read: not really, but close enough, I guess), and Jakobi Meyers will now duel with Brian Thomas, Jr. to be the most poorly utilized receiver in Jacksonville.
But even while the dust is starting to settle, there are still rumors and rumblings about the larger implications of what Nov. 4, 2025 meant around the NFL. Let's dive into the post-deadline rumor mill.
Miami's stinginess and the day of failed deals
Well, as it turns out, Chris Grier's ousting as the Miami Dolphins' GM had a decent effect on how the team approached the trade deadline. While Grier might not have believed that a teardown and rebuild was necessary, interim GM Champ Kelly at least greased the wheels, unloading LB Jaelen Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third round pick. While that was seen as a bit of a coup for the new GM (Phillips would have either walked in free agency or been much too expensive for a rebuild-bound team after this season), what is more interesting was the lack of movement from Miami's other big trade chip: Jaylen Waddle.
Waddle was a popular target at the deadline, to say the least. The Giants made a call on him, as expected, but what was more surprising was the interest lobbied by both the Steelers and Broncos as well (more on teams smelling championship windows in a bit). But after reportedly demanding a first round pick to start negotiations, Miami understandably couldn't reach a deal with any other comers for Waddle's services. Whether he is to remain a Dolphin through the rebuild is still to be seen, but Waddle's price on the trading market has been set -- and it is way lower than the Dolphins must have anticipated.
In New York, meanwhile, the Jets made a haul moving the biggest stars on their defense, Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. But they must have plans over the next couple of drafts, because both WR Garrett Wilson and RB Breece Hall remain in green after the trade deadline. At least in Hall's case, the running back market stayed surprisingly quiet at the deadline, but the Jets must have been thinking the same thing about Wilson as the Dolphins have with Waddle.
At least Dante Moore will have weapons when he gets drafted.
Both Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones have found homes
Of the biggest headlines from the trade deadline was the Jets actually committing to the demolition of their roster -- at least on the defensive end. Quinnen WIlliams went to Dallas, and Sauce Gardner joined the Indianapolis Colts to make what now could be one of the more dangerously well-rounded rosters in the league. And while the discourse will be mostly on the Jets' massive post-deadline draft capital haul, the Colts should be discussed as boasting, as ESPN's Colts reporter Stephn Holder puts it, "the most formidable roster they've had under GM Chris Ballard".
More telling is that this has stoked the fire on the rumors that Daniel Jones is bound for an extension with the team, as the Colts have all but said with this trade that they're committing to him being their quarterback. Even if the offense likely truly belongs to RB Jonathan Taylor, even if Gardner's contract is a sneaky bargain for this season, even if the two first rounders they gave up for him will likely end up in the bottom half of the round, Indy has made it clear: Daniel Jones is their guy.
And while the press wasn't as loud on it, the Seattle Seahawks basically said the same thing about Sam Darnold by nabbing Rashid Shaheed from the New Orleans Saints. Jaxson Smith-Njigba is having a career year and is just off pace to cross the 2,000 yard mark for the season, but traditional logic dictates Seattle's WR2 simply cannot be a pure blocker in the way that Cooper Kupp has become late in his career. That they invested in a speed demon like Shaheed to unlock a new dimension to their attack shows an investment into Darnold in the same way that Indy has committed to Jones -- just in a different font.
All signs point to two of the league's most unlikely stories have found places to truly build something for themselves. They likely won't turn into 'Baker Mayfield'-level stories, but, after that redemption arc, who knows?
The Dallas Cowboys' unique defensive line
After Micah Parsons' much-publicized trade to the Green Bay Packers, the Cowboys were seemingly near the top of the edge rusher market. But in a loaded field rumored to be on the move -- many called for Dallas to somehow, some way to pull the trigger on Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders -- Dallas did not star hunt in the pass rush. No Maxx Crosby. No Trey Hendrickson. In fact, Dallas looked elsewhere on Cincinnati's defense, buying low on linebacker Logan Wilson for a 2027 seventh round pick.
No, Dallas' big move was to upgrade their interior defensive line, from Mazi Smith to former All-Pro Quinnen Williams. Williams, who cost a 2026 second rounder and a first in 2027, is Dallas' latest expensive DT, joining Kenny Clark and the newly minted $80 million Osa Odighizuwa. Dallas of course is now forced to get a little creative, and is apparently going to use all three in five down linemen sets, while Williams will take priority on four and passing downs.