With the 2024 NFL season quickly winding down and with 2025 around the corner, it’s a good time to look back on the biggest trades of the year and see how they fared for all parties.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into our new grades for the 10 biggest trades of the NFL in 2024.
Which trades in the 2024 NFL season worked out, and which ones flopped badly?
Bills Send Stefon Diggs To The Texans
The Buffalo Bills wouldn’t say much, but it became obvious that Stefon Diggs’ antics and me-first attitude became too much for his coaches and teammates.
A few weeks before the draft, the Bills sent the All-Pro wideout, along with 2024 sixth and 2025 fifth-round picks, to the Houston Texans in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick. Diggs also agreed to a restructured deal that made him a free agent after the 2024 NFL season.
Some folks began writing off the Bills after this trade, believing Josh Allen would regress without his top weapon. But it did the complete opposite.
Allen is playing the best football of his career without Diggs. Rather than rely too much on one receiver, Allen is distributing the ball evenly to a nice set of guys, including rookie standout Keon Coleman, rising star Khalil Shakir, tight end Dalton Kincaid, and running back James Cook.
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Allen is now the front-runner to win MVP honors. The Bills look like the most dangerous team in the AFC. What more can you ask for? Oh, and they have an extra second-round pick from this.
Bills Grade: A+
As for the Texans, this is a little tougher. Diggs had 47 receptions, 496 yards, and three touchdowns in eight games before suffering a season-ending ACL tear.
Diggs was on his way to another 1,000-yard season, and Houston looked every bit like Super Bowl contenders with him. Seeing how much they’ve fallen without Diggs, though, an extension can’t be ruled out.
Good thing Houston got two late-round picks in the deal, so we’ll give them a high grade here.
Texans Grade: B+
Jets Finally Reunite Davante Adams & Aaron Rodgers
After unsuccessfully trying to acquire Adams ahead of last year’s trade deadline, the New York Jets finally reunited Rodgers with his old buddy.
Before this year’s trade deadline, the Jets acquired the All-Pro wideout from the Las Vegas Raiders for a conditional 2025 third-round pick.
New York was 2-4 when they made the move for Adams, so it truly was a trade of desperation. Unfortunately for everyone involved with the Jets, the move hasn’t been enough to save the franchise from the depths of despair.
As a Jet, Adams is producing close to a 1,000-yard pace for the course of a full NFL season. But the Jets are still a mess, and a team that must start over in 2025 will be down a valuable day-two pick, so it’s hard to find positives in this trade unless you own Adams in fantasy football.
Jets Grade: C
The Raiders are also in the running for a top-five pick, but they get a rare win here. Trading an aging and expensive asset for a third-round pick turned out to be a coup. And Adams’ departure has opened the door for rookie tight end Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers to grow into a potent receiving tandem.
Thanks to Bowers’ emergence, the Raiders offense isn’t missing Adams. With that, the Raiders get an A grade.
Big Blue BURNS Carolina For Brian Burns
More than a year after rejecting the Los Angeles Rams’ potential franchise-altering offer of two firsts and a second-round pick for Brian Burns, the Carolina Panthers sold low on the superstar pass-rusher.
He was traded to the New York Giants in exchange for 2024 second and 2025 fifth-round picks and 2024 fifth-round pick swaps.
New York may be in the running for the first-overall pick, but their front seven has been a bright spot. Burns is playing like an All-Pro and has formed a deadly pass-rushing duo with Dexter Lawrence, so there’s something for them to build off of in 2025.
Giants Grade: A+
The Panthers are in wait-and-see mode for this pick. They traded the No. 39 pick via the Giants to the Rams to acquire an additional 2025 second-round selection. After wheeling and dealing, the Panthers selected Texas RB Jonathan Brooks with the No. 46 pick.
Brooks missed most of his rookie year recovering from a torn ACL, so there’s little to evaluate. We’ll see how Carolina does with the 2025 second-rounder they got from the Rams, but we’re going to be harsh on them for trading away a superstar player in his prime for below-market value.
Panthers Grade: C-
Chiefs Send L’Jarius Sneed Off To Music City
The Kansas City Chiefs couldn’t afford to pay all-world cornerback L’Jarius Sneed the money he wanted with a cap crunch on the horizon. So he was sent to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick, with the two sides also swapping 2024 seventh-rounders.
Sneed then signed a four-year extension worth $76.4 million.
We’ll have to see what the Chiefs do with their 2025 third-round pick, but they already look like big-time winners. Their defense is still as good as ever without Sneed, another example of them acing asset management. Don’t pay top dollar for a guy you can easily replace with your savvy drafting.
Plus, Trent McDuffie has emerged as the new ace shutdown corner in KC.
Chiefs Grade: A+
For the Titans, this is a D grade. Sneed has missed most of the year with a quad injury, but he was a giant liability before getting hurt. Pro Football Focus gave him a horrid 36.3 grade over his first five games — with his 36.8 coverage grade ranking outside the top 200 among qualified corners. WOOF!
Also Read: 5 Biggest DISAPPOINTMENTS Of The 2024 NFL Season So Far…And The 5 Biggest SURPRISES
Justin Fields Gets His Fresh Start In Steel City
Thanks to the Carolina Panthers’ generosity in the Bryce Young trade, the Bears got to select can’t-miss QB prospect Caleb Williams with the first-overall selection in 2024. With a franchise QB intact, Chicago gave Fields a fresh start by dealing him to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick.
Fields was initially going to back up Russell Wilson, but the latter missed the first six games with a calf injury. Fields wasn’t elite by any means, but he certainly looked better than any Pittsburgh quarterback since 2018, Ben Roethlisberger.
He won four of six starts, with five passing touchdowns, five rushing scores, and just one interception. Even though Wilson has taken over the offense, Fields gets the occasional snaps in Arthur Smith’s offense.
Even if he’s not a Steeler in 2025, Fields played a significant role in helping them march toward the postseason.
Steelers Grade: A
For the Bears, well, we’re just going to keep it simple and give them an A grade as well. They did the right thing by giving Fields an opportunity elsewhere, and it was never a question to make Williams the day-one starter. Even if nothing comes out of the 2025 draft pick they got from Pittsburgh, Chicago handled this situation perfectly.
Chargers Ship Keenan Allen To Bears
Looking to retool at the wide receiver position, the Los Angeles Chargers sent Pro Bowler Keenan Allen to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round pick – the no. 110 selection.
Having drafted Caleb Williams first overall, Chicago had hoped that Allen would help elevate this offense with DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. Or not!
Allen has been a non-factor for most of the NFL season. He didn’t even hit 50 yards in a game until Week 12 against the Minnesota Vikings. At least the Bears gave it a shot, and at least the price was minimal.
Bears Grade: C
The Chargers were big winners here, alright. They would package the No. 110 pick to the New England Patriots to move up and snag Georgia wideout Ladd McConkey at No. 34 overall.
McConkey has been one of the best rookies of 2024, quickly emerging as Justin Herbert’s top weapon. Oh, and the Chargers are on their way to the postseason for just the third time since 2014.
Chargers Grade: A+
Haason Reddick Flies From Eagles To The Jets
Having already signed ex-Jets star edge rusher Bryce Huff in free agency, Eagles GM Howie Roseman perfected his ace management once again. Reddick was sent to the offseason darling Jets for a conditional 2026 third-round pick.
Could this deal have gone any worse for the Jets?
Reddick was inactive for the first seven games because of a holdout. Heading into the last year of his contract, Reddick sought a new deal from the Jets, but GM Joe Douglas wouldn’t bite. After a lengthy standoff, Reddick finally returned in October.
Well, he’s hardly been an impact player, which happens when you’ve missed so much time holding out. The Jets gave up a third-round pick for basically half a season of a guy who’s not performing on a garbage NFL team.
That’s an F Grade. F for Fantastic Failure!!!
Meanwhile, the Eagles’ defense doesn’t miss Reddick at all. The unit is as good as ever under first-year DC Vic Fangio. Huff has outperformed Reddick up to this point, and I think the NFC juggernauts got a third-round pick out of this.
A+ for Philly. Congrats on hosting rival GMs again, Howie.
Vikings-Jaguars Draft Day Blockbuster!
After trading up via the New York Jets to take Michigan QB JJ McCarthy 10th overall, the Vikings decided to make another blockbuster on day one of the NFL Draft.
The Vikings acquired the Jacksonville Jaguars’ No. 17 pick to select Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner. In return, the Jags got the No. 23 and No. 167 picks PLUS 2025 third and fourth-rounders.
This was too much value for Minnesota to give up in order to jump six spots. We don’t want to judge Turner too harshly after his rookie year, but he hasn’t at all been an impact performer. The Vikings D has been lights-out under Brian Flores, showing they didn’t really need Turner in the first place.
For now, we’ll give the Vikings a grade of a C. Turner can change that with a strong second year, though. And we suppose they can’t regret too much, given that they’re playoff-bound with Sam Darnold and company.
This NFL season has been a disaster in Jacksonville, but trading down was a big one. With the No. 23 pick from Minny, the Jags selected LSU wideout Brian Thomas Jr.
Thomas has emerged as the Jags’ new No. 1 receiver amid down years from the rest of their offensive players. Did we mention that the Jags still have third- and fourth-rounders to use to complete this trade?
A+ for Jacksonville. A rare win for the organization, we may add.
Chiefs & Bills Play Nice, Make A Blockbuster Draft Day Deal
There’s nothing juicer than a blockbuster trade between two bitter rivals. Okay, maybe a fine New York steak…but otherwise!
The Chiefs and Buffalo Bills may be archenemies and always in the other’s way for a Super Bowl quest, but the two sides came together and cooked up a delicious trade on day one of the draft.
On draft day, the defending Super Bowl champs acquired the No. 28, 133, and 248 picks from Buffalo in exchange for the No. 32, 95, and 221 picks.
With the No. 32 pick, the Chiefs selected Texas wideout Xavier Worthy — who broke the 40-yard dash record with a time of 4.21. Worthy’s stats haven’t been totally eye-popping, but it’s hard to guess where the Chiefs offense would be without him, given the injuries to Marquise Brown and Rashee Rice.
Worthy has all the makings to be an All-Pro receiver in this league. And hey, the Chiefs are again in the running for Super Bowl contention. We’re high on his upside, so an A grade feels far.
The Bills traded down one spot to the Carolina Panthers, who took Xavier Legette at No. 32. With the No. 33 selection, Buffalo took wideout Keon Coleman.
Coleman has shown flashes of becoming a No. 1 receiver, and Josh Allen is having an MVP-like year without Stefon Diggs. We’ll give Buffalo an A grade as well, making it a win-win for both teams.
Joe Mixon Heads To H-Town
Looking to save up some cash, the Cincinnati Bengals sent Joe Mixon to the all-in Texans in exchange for the low price of a 2024 seventh-round pick.
Well, join us in calling this a win-win for both teams.
Texans Grade: A+
Despite running behind a shaky offensive line, Mixon has returned to his Pro Bowl form in Houston. They have a potent rushing game to complement CJ Stroud, and Mixon could end up setting new career highs across the board.
Houston is headed to a second straight AFC South division crown despite a string of injuries to key players. Not sure they’d be here without Mixon, who’s emerged as the best running back this team has had since Arian Foster.
Congrats to GM Nick Caserio on crushing it at the trade table, as usual.
As for the Bengals, we’re happy to give them a B+ grade for this one.
That’s because sophomore Chase Brown has emerged as the new lead back in Cincinnati. If he was the day one NFL starter, Brown would also be on his way to a 1,000-yard season. We know it’s been a bad year in Cincy, but it’s not like Mixon would single-handedly have them in playoff position right now.
The Bengals saved cash and have their new stud RB1 on a rookie deal. Again, all sides win!
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