Why There are More Trades at the NFL Trade Deadline Than Ever Before

A decade ago, the NFL trade deadline would come and go and there would be very little activity, if any at all.

Though it is still far less active than its counterparts in the NBA and MLB, the NFL trade deadline has seen much more action in recent years.

Why?

As ESPN points out, there are four reasons.

NFL general managers have started to recognize how small their windows for success are and that players, outside of Tom Brady, have relatively short careers. In order to maximize their chances for success with the players they have, sometimes the best option is sacrificing future assets for a proven player and not just trying to draft for success in the offseason.
Teams have started to realize the multitude of ways they can find space and exploit financial loopholes in the salary cap under the current collective bargaining agreement. Also, contracts have increasingly been structured in ways that allow for flexibility which makes the players who are signed to those deals easier to trade.
The use of analytics has become a bigger part of football and teams no longer look at draft picks as untouchable. If the analytics say a player who is already in the league is as valuable as a player they would be drafting in a given round, they’re more willing to just trade for the player who is already in the NFL.
General managers no longer enjoy the job security they once did, so, if they want to stay on the team payroll, they need to win now. “Very few teams and fan bases can stomach long rebuilding projects, according to ESPN. “Five or six new teams make the playoffs every year. It’s a league where your fortunes can turn quickly, and because of that team executives feel as if they have to grab their chances to win when they can.”

With 17 trades already completed since the season began, the skids are greased for a flurry of more moves to come ahead of this year’s trade deadline on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.

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Meet your guide

Evan Bleier

Evan is a senior editor with InsideHook who earned a master’s degree in journalism from NYU and has called Brooklyn home since 2006. A fan of Boston sports, Nashville hot chicken and Kentucky bourbon, Evan has had his work published in publications including “Maxim,” Bleacher Report and “The Daily Mail.”