BroBible
The 2025 NFL Trade Deadline has officially come and gone, but not without several big moves along the way.
The Indianapolis Colts made a blockbuster trade with the New York Jets for superstar cornerback Sauce Gardner. The Jets continued their fire sale by trading star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys.
And the Seattle Seahawks added to an already talented wide receiver corps with the addition of New Orleans Saints speedster Rasheed Shaheed.
Only time will tell how those moves work out. But there are plenty of examples of league-changing moves at the deadline in the past, and we’re counting them down.
Unlike the NBA or MLB, the NFL doesn’t exactly have an extensive history of trade deadline blockbusters. Sure, you’ll get the occasional big move. But most substantial trades occur in the offseason.
What that does mean, however, is that when a big-time deal gets done at the deadline, it receives a lot of press and could significantly change the direction of the current season.
These five moves are the biggest in league history.
The Jacksonville Jaguars used the fifth pick of the 2016 NFL Draft on star cornerback Jalen Ramsey out of Florida State. But while Ramsey lived up to the hype, the Jags did little to hold up their end of the bargain.
So when 2019 rolled around, and with Ramsey looking for a major contract extension, he asked out.
On October 15, 2019, the Jaguars traded Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a 2020 first-round pick (20th overall), a 2021 first-round pick (25th overall), and a 2021 fourth-round pick (130th overall). Ramsey went on to make two All-Pro teams in LA and helped lead the Rams to victory in Super Bowl LVI.
By 1987, Eric Dickerson had established himself as a superstar for the Los Angeles Rams. The No. 2 pick in the 1983 NFL Draft was a three-time first-team All-Pro and the NFL’s reigning offensive player of the year.
But with Rams sitting at 1-5, they dealt the Hall of Fame running back to the Indianapolis Colts in a three-team deal involving the Buffalo. Bills involved
The deal involved 10 total players, including future draft picks. Dickerson helped the Colts to the playoffs in 1987 and was again named a first-team All-Pro, as he was in 1988 as well.
But Indy would not make the playoffs again in his tenure.
Marshawn Lynch was a good player for the Buffalo Bills. The 2007 first-round draft pick made the Pro Bowl in 2008 and rushed for over 1,000 in each of his first two seasons.
But nobody could’ve imagined what Lynch would be come when the Seattle Seahawks gave up a fourth-round pick and a conditional fifth-round...
