NFL Trade Rumors
Last week we looked at the best roster moves of this past season, the ones that sparked the most success for the teams involved, several which are playing this postseason. Today, it’s time to look at the other side of the coin. These moves didn’t pan out how their architects intended. We’re not just talking bad value on a free agent signing or a draft pick — you can make a case that each of these moves tanked the season for these teams before it even began.
Let’s dive in.
The Jets invested a lot in Fields this past offseason and had high expectations, even though New York was going to be his third team. Believing that the former first-round pick who only turned 26 in March still had untapped potential, the Jets handed him a two-year, $40 million deal with $30 million guaranteed — $20 million in 2025 and $10 million in 2026. Money talks in the NFL and that contract screamed that new HC Aaron Glenn and GM Darren Mougey were planning to give Fields a long runway as the starter.
Instead, Fields barely made it half the season. He was benched at halftime of a Week 7 loss to the Panthers and that would have been it had veteran backup QB Tyrod Taylor not gotten hurt as well. Fields managed to pilot the Jets to a couple of wins, but the second the Jets were back in the loss column, they pulled the plug again. He finished the year with nine games, completing 62.7 percent of his passes for 1,259 yards, seven touchdowns and an interception, plus 383 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
Those numbers might not seem like a complete disaster on a surface glance, but a paltry 140 passing yards per game is just not viable in the modern NFL. Watching the Jets, it was glaring how incapable of running even a basic offense Fields had become, holding onto the ball far too long and misfiring on too many passes. It got to a point where Glenn cited the need to be able to evaluate other players on offense as a reason for benching Fields.
The Jets entered the year with a fair amount of talent but Fields’ flop was one of a few factors that contributed to Glenn and Mougey tearing the roster down to the studs in their first year in charge. While they’ll move on to a different plan this year and likely cut Fields, he’ll still count for $22 million in dead money against their cap as a little unfriendly reminder of the mistake.
Coming into last year, I loved this trade for the Raiders and thought the Seahawks were downgrading at quarterback by going to Sam Darnold. Instead, that swap ended up one of the best moves of the season. I still think Smith has some good football left in him but it’s hard to...
