From Kirk Cousins to Jessie Bates to Jeffery Simmons, there was no shortage of big names that moved at or before the NFL trade deadline. The volume of deals that took place created the opportunity for many teams to benefit, but also for others to take a clear step in the wrong direction.
These five teams did so poorly at the trade deadline that we can't do anything but proclaim them the biggest losers of the time period.
Indianapolis Colts
There is no bigger loser than the Indianapolis Colts, who might've been the most active team. The Colts went straight into sell mode after firing GM Chris Ballard, and rightfully so, trading Quenton Nelson, DeForest Buckner, Josh Downs and Keenan Allen in exchange for draft capital. Moving off these players for future draft capital made sense, but did the Colts do well in any of the returns? The Nelson return, in particular, felt light for one of the best offensive linemen in football.
Even beyond that, the Colts made the absolutely inexplicable decison to hold on to Jonathan Taylor, reportedly turning down offers that included second-round picks and more in the process. I understand the desire to want to hold onto a franchise player, and Taylor is still very good, but he's now 27, his efficiency has waned this season (and will only get worse now that the roster around him has been completely stripped down), and the team is 2-7 with him. What good does keeping him do for the franchise? It's not like they'll be competitive with him next season, and it's not like his value is suddenly going to rise when he'll be older and not under contract for as long as he is right now.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Colts might not have done enough in my eyes, but at least they made moves and acquired real draft capital that should help them rebuild. The Los Angeles Chargers did not do that. Despite being the NFL's only winless team, the only move they made was to trade 26-year-old Daiyan Henley for two picks, a fourth- and a fifth-rounder. This deal was fine, even though they gave a division rival a linebacker with some upside, but why is this all the Chargers did?
I'm not here to say the Chargers had to go nuts and trade Justin Herbert or Ladd McConkey. I even think holding onto Tuli Tuipulotu makes a lot of sense if an extension is coming. But what is 35-year-old Khalil Mack on an expiring contract doing in L.A.? Both Donte Jackson and Dalvin Tomlinson are on the wrong side of 30 and on expiring contracts; why are they here? It's not as if the Chargers wouldn't get interest — they made it clear they had no intention of waving the white flag. Why? Their whole deadline mentality made no sense, given their literal winless record, and to see them do practically no selling of note is incredibly frustrating.
Denver Broncos
Speaking of the Henley trade, that's all the Denver Broncos did. Yup, the only move the 7-2, AFC West-leading Broncos made was acquiring Henley, a decent linebacker who should help elevate an already stout Denver defense. But is Henley really a game-changer? Does he make the Broncos that much better? Most alarmingly, how does he help an offense that has really struggled for much of the year?
The Broncos are averaging just 22 points. The only team in a playoff spot averaging fewer is the Minnesota Vikings, the best defensive team in football by every metric, and they just acquired Kirk Cousins. Perhaps the Colts were completely unwilling to move on from Taylor, but he wasn't the only offensive player available. Denver sitting on its hands at the deadline feels like a major blow when, with the right offensive upgrade, the Broncos could've been taken seriously as Super Bowl contenders. Without that, I'm not sure how they advance far into the playoffs.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Broncos might've made an underwhelming trade, but hey, at least they did something, right? The Cincinnati Bengals are 6-2, tied with the Steelers for first place in the AFC North. They proceeded to do absolutely nothing to boost their odds of winning a Super Bowl. Not only did the Bengals wind up doing nothing, but they had a deal, only to back out of it.
That's right. The Bengals appeared to have acquired edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie from the Eagles in exchange for a sixth-round pick, only to back out of it soon after finding out that they would've lost their third-round compensatory pick they received after losing Trey Hendrickson to free agency. The Bengals not wanting to do that deal after learning of the consequences is fine, but how in the world did they not know the consequences beforehand? How in the world did they not do anything after that? Why are the Bengals holding on to draft picks when, had they acquired a running back and/or defensive help, they could've established themselves as legitimate contenders? Just mind-boggling stuff from an organization that continues to shoot itself in the foot.
New York Jets
At 2-7, the New York Jets were in a clear position to sell off some veteran assets in exchange for picks that could help them in 2027 and beyond. New York wound up making a total of one trade, sending Andre Cisco to the Lions for a 2029 sixth-round pick. That's it. The only move the Jets made was to trade a safety, clearly not part of their long-term plans, for a sixth-round pick three years from now.
This means the Jets held onto Will McDonald, a disgruntled edge rusher who is not an ideal scheme fit in Aaron Glenn's defense and has only one more year of control after this one (and an expensive one at that). This means the Jets held onto Breece Hall in a market lacking running backs (given that the Colts and Titans clearly didn't want to trade Jonathan Taylor and Tony Pollard, respectively), despite having a better, younger and cheaper alternative in Braelon Allen. This means the Jets held onto Nahshon Wright, a Pro Bowler from last season who has not played a single defensive snap and is on an expiring contract.
I'm not here to say the Jets should've traded Garrett Wilson or even Geno Smith, but they didn't get an outstanding return for the one player they did trade, and they held onto players they should've traded. What's even worse is that they reportedly want to give Aaron Glenn (who is 5-21 as Jets head coach, by the way) every chance to prove whether he can be their coach moving forward, which is apparently why they wanted to hold onto the talent they had. Just very bad all around.
Add us as a preferred source on Google