2024 NFL Trade Deadline Tracker: Grading Every Major Move

Davante Adams is on the move, making it time to break out the 2024 NFL trade tracker. 

With the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline still three weeks away, there’s ample time for a slew of deals to be made. Looking at the contenders, there should be a bevy of them. The Buffalo Bills made a move for Amari Cooper, but the Kansas City Chiefs still need a receiver. The same can be said for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders.

Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions desperately need help for their pass rush after losing star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson for the year to a broken tibia and fibula. 

While we’ve already written about some potential fits, we’ll start our trade tracker with the first major move of the season, with Adams turning in the Silver & Black to join Gang Green.

October 15

Bills grade: A+

Browns grade: B-

Only hours after their division rivals made a move to secure Davante Adams, the Bills got busy. Buffalo landed Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns, bringing in one of the best on the receiver market.

For Buffalo, this is likely a rental, but an impactful one. The Bills are sending a third-round pick to Cleveland while getting back a 2025 sixth-rounder, and then also parting ways with a ’26 seventh-round choice. Still, that’s a small price to pay for a receiver who has seven 1,000-yard campaigns and less than $1 million in base salary for this season.

After six weeks, it became increasingly clear that Buffalo didn’t have enough on the outside. While Khalil Shakir is a nice slot presence, the conglomerate of Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mack Hollins weren’t getting separation on a consistent basis, and Cooper fixes that. 

As for Cleveland, the season is lost. The Browns are 1–5 and floundering with Deshaun Watson under center. To get a top-100 pick for Cooper, who was likely going to leave in free agency anyway, was the right move. —MV

Jets grade: D

Raiders grade: F

When was the last time a team two games under .500 made a significant midseason move to acquire talent instead of offloading it for future draft capital? Can’t remember? Nobody can.

The Jets acquired Adams on Tuesday morning, sending a conditional third-round pick to the Raiders. Vegas would receive a second-rounder if the Jets reach the AFC championship game, or if Adams earns All-Pro status in 2024.

Here’s the issue for both sides. New York isn’t good, not because it doesn’t have enough weapons, but because the coaching is abysmal, the run defense is average and the discipline is lacking. And while Aaron Rodgers remains a quality quarterback, he’s a far cry from the player who won consecutive MVPs with the Green Bay Packers in 2020 and ’21.

In acquiring Adams, the Jets are taking on an expensive 31-year-old receiver who will want to restructure his deal (he has two non-guaranteed seasons left), which runs through the 2026 season. So either New York will release him after the season and get a smaller return on its investment, or have to pack the contract with more guaranteed money. Not ideal. 

As for the Raiders, why not take on some salary and get a better pick in return? Owner Mark Davis doesn’t have the cash on hand like other owners around the league, but he was slated to pay Adams anyway. Smart business says take on a good chunk of salary to sweeten the deal. 

Also, Vegas can’t claim this is a good trade. The Raiders traded for Adams before the 2022 season, giving up first- and second-round picks before signing him to a five-year, $141 million deal. Las Vegas then released Adams’s college teammate, quarterback Derek Carr, after one year, replacing him with Jimmy Garoppolo, Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew II over the past two seasons.

Ultimately, the Raiders failed on every level, with Adams wasting years of his prime, while the Jets got a terrific yet aging player. —MV

Vikings grade: C-

Texans grade: B+

Either the Minnesota Vikings really like running back Cam Akers or Aaron Jones might not be close to returning to the field. 

The Vikings acquired Akers in a trade for the second consecutive year after sending a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans. Minnesota also gained a ’26 conditional seventh-round pick from Houston. 

It’s essentially the same terms as last year’s trade—just with a different team. Last year, the Los Angeles Rams sent Akers and a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick to the Vikings in exchange for a ’26 conditional sixth-round selection.  

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has expressed optimism about Jones, who’s dealing with a hip injury. The 29-year-old running back was also seen on the practice field on Monday, perhaps a good sign for him being available for Sunday’s showdown against the Detroit Lions. Landing Akers might be more about depth and adding a player who’s familiar with O’Connell’s offensive scheme. Akers played six games with the Vikings last season and worked with O’Connell in Los Angeles when O’Connell was the offensive coordinator. 

Akers will need to earn snaps in Minnesota because the team also has Ty Chandler, who has struggled a bit this season. But Akers made the most of his opportunities when injuries hit the Texans’ running backs room. Now with Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce healthy again, the Texans gained a higher draft pick simply for already having plenty of depth and quality options at the position. —GM