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The 2021 NFL trade deadline is set for 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, with the latest sizable deal involving the Rams making a move for Broncos pass-rusher Von Miller.
The action has gotten interesting over the past few weeks with some big names finding new destinations, though it doesn’t appear Deshaun Watson will be one of them.
Business started to pick up toward the end of September, when the Panthers and Jaguars got together on a deal that sent cornerback CJ Henderson, who was a 2020 first-round pick by Jacksonville, to Carolina. The Panthers weren’t done at corner, either. A little over a week later, they acquired Stephon Gilmore from the Patriots. The moves by Carolina were, at least in part, necessitated by injury, as trades often are. The Panthers lost their 2021 first-round pick, cornerback Jaycee Horn, to a hand injury in September.
Another one of the biggest deals to date was also set in motion by an injury. The Cardinals lost tight end Maxx Williams for the season on Oct. 10 against the 49ers; within the week, they had made a deal to get Zach Ertz from Philadelphia.
We have tracked every deal since training camp, with analysis and highlights from our team of NFL reporters (latest info on top). We’ll continue to add to it as trades occur. Here’s what you need to know.
More coverage:
ESPN+ trade grades
Nov. 2
3+ hours to the trading deadline. As I’ve said earlier, I think they’d be open to moving Maye for the right deal, but money an issue. More than $6M remaining this year. Mims has sparked interest from teams, but #Jets not interested in trading him at this time.
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) November 2, 2021
The Texans were hoping for a big year from Charles Omenihu after his 16 QB hits were tied for most on the team in 2020. But the 2019 fifth-round pick was a healthy scratch for two games this season and now is the latest Texans player to be moved before the deadline. https://t.co/chuMrPT0yR
— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) November 2, 2021
#49ers add depth on edge with Omenihu, who has 0 sacks this season but had 4 in 2020 in part time role. Niners changed DL look to start last week with Arik Armstead moving inside and Samson Ebukam starting at DE. Omenihu joins Dee Ford, Jordan Willis and Arden Key as backup DEs. https://t.co/h6a0KLCURW
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) November 2, 2021
The #Saints have a big QB decision looming… but I’m told they’ve been calling teams about WRs
— KimberLEY A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) November 2, 2021
The Cleveland Browns have no plans on trading Odell Beckham Jr. by today’s trade deadline, per sources.
I was told there haven’t been any offers that would make sense for the organization.
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) November 2, 2021
OBJ will show again why he’s special. WR1 #FreeOBJ
— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 2, 2021
Several teams believe the Packers are doing homework on tight ends as the deadline nears. Evan Engram and Hayden Hurst are high-end options. Jordan Akins and Jacob Hollister would be more affordable options.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 2, 2021
Spoke to a bunch of sources this morning who thought a reasonable price for TE Evan Engram was the fifth-round pick range.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) November 2, 2021
Among Houston Texans players expected to be available as the trade deadline nears: TE Jordan Akins, S Lonnie Johnson, RB Phillip Lindsay, LB Zach Cunningham (and, of course, Deshaun Watson)
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 2, 2021
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Melvin Ingram III is on the move. The Steelers traded Ingram to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a sixth-round pick ahead of the trade deadline, a source told ESPN.
Ingram, a former Pro Bowler who spent nine seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, signed a one-year deal with the Steelers prior to training camp as a rotational outside linebacker, but recently expressed frustration over his role after playing just 26% of snaps against the Seattle Seahawks.
Jerry Jones on the trade deadline: “I don’t look for us to be doing anything today,” he said on 105.3 The Fan.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) November 2, 2021
Nov. 1
With Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry expected to miss the rest of the season, the team has signed Adrian Peterson. The 36-year-old, fifth on the league’s career rushing list, is initially being signed to the Titans’ practice squad with the expectation he will be added to the active roster.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said it would take an “extraordinary” offer to trade away running back Ronald Jones, who has been overtaken by Leonard Fournette this year in the starting role. Arians said on Oct. 20 that Jones was not available via trade, but that hasn’t stopped speculation about his availability, especially given Titans running back Henry suffering a potentially season-ending foot injury and Bucs general manager Jason Licht’s close relationship with Titans GM Jon Robinson.
The Denver Broncos are finalizing a trade to send eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller to the Los Angeles Rams for two second-day 2022 draft picks, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Rams will send the Broncos a second- and a third-round pick, the sources said. The Broncos will also pay $9 million of Miller’s remaining $9.7 million base salary for the remaining nine games in the regular season.
With the news of Titans’ RB Derrick Henry being out indefinitely, RBs that might be available via trade due to depth chart or team’s standing:
?Tevin Coleman
?David Johnson/Philip Lindsay
?Ty’Son Williams
?Melvin Gordon (unlikely)
?Ronald Jones
?Mike Davis
?Rashaad Penny
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 1, 2021
The Colts absolutely should be interested in trading Marlon Mack to the Titans. You’re helping them short term? Perhaps a little (it’s not going to move the needle much). But youre also gaining a valuable draft pick from a division rival for your #3, contract-year RB. Get it done
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) November 1, 2021
Oct. 31
The Houston Texans are prepared to keep Deshaun Watson past Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, league sources told ESPN. Although many in the Texans organization want to turn the page and move on from Watson as soon as possible, Houston will be ready to reopen trade discussions centered on the quarterback in the offseason, according to the sources.
Oct. 30
Since Howie Roseman first became general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010, the team has made 103 trades, according to ESPN Stats & Information, second-most in the NFL and behind only the New England Patriots (115). The Eagles have been as active as just about anybody when it comes to in-season deals, with seven trades in either October or November since 2010, which is tied for third-most, behind the Patriots (14) and Rams (8). Roseman has already been hard at work in front of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET trade deadline.
Oct. 29
The Los Angeles Rams and DeSean Jackson have reached an apparent crossroads only seven games into the veteran receiver’s time in Los Angeles. Coach Sean McVay said Friday that the team has agreed to allow Jackson to look into trade options and that Jackson would not play Sunday against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.
Oct. 27
The Houston Texans are trading running back Mark Ingram II to the New Orleans Saints, a source told ESPN, confirming a report by NFL Network. The trade includes a swap of late-round picks, the source said. The move reunites Ingram with the team that drafted him in 2011 and where he played eight seasons. Ingram was the Texans’ lead back this season, running for 294 yards and a touchdown on 92 carries.
Oct. 25
The Philadelphia Eagles are trading veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to the New York Jets in exchange for a conditional sixth-round pick that can be a fifth-rounder based on playing time for Flacco, sources tell Schefter. The deal comes the same day an MRI revealed that Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson has a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will be sidelined two to four weeks. Wilson was injured in the second quarter of New York’s 54-13 loss to New England on Sunday when he was hit by Patriots linebacker Matt Judon.
Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, is willing to consider multiple options for a new team as the Nov. 2 trade deadline looms, a source told ESPN. Multiple teams are interested in Watson, and although his interest in joining the Dolphins has become a worst-kept secret of sorts in league circles, the source disputed the notion that it’s simply Miami-or-bust. Watson will consider potential options as they come, according to the source.
With a still-growing list of injuries at linebacker, the Denver Broncos acquired linebacker Kenny Young in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams. Multiple sources said the Broncos sent the Rams a sixth- and a seventh-round pick in the 2024 draft. He is the second linebacker the Broncos acquired in the past three days. Young, in his fourth NFL season, had started all seven of the Rams’ games this season.
Oct. 23
With seven linebackers on injured reserve as well as two more linebackers who might be limited in practice next week, the Denver Broncos acquired Stephen Weatherly from the Minnesota Vikings. The Broncos sent a seventh-round pick in the 2022 draft and a seventh-round pick in 2023.
Date: Oct. 21
The goal for these trade proposals is to be realistic, so while there’s at least one trade with a big name attached, most see players on the back of competitive rosters moving around or starters on bad teams changing hands for draft picks.
Date: Oct. 20
The NFL trade deadline is less than two weeks away, and teams are setting up their rosters for the stretch run of the season. We asked our NFL Nation reporters to pick potential trade targets for each team.
Date: Oct. 15
The Philadelphia Eagles have traded three-time Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals for cornerback Tay Gowan and a 2022 fifth-round draft pick, the teams announced. Arizona lost its primary tight end target, Maxx Williams, for the season to a knee injury. Even though the Cardinals target their tight ends the third-lowest amount in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information data, Williams was on pace for career highs in catches, yards and touchdowns.
Date: Oct. 12
With three weeks to go until the deadline, let’s take a closer look at how things might play out, players to keep an eye on and situations to watch across the league.
Date: Oct. 11
The Baltimore Ravens, after losing three running backs to season-ending injuries during the preseason and then scrambling to replace them, have received trade inquiries from teams interested in their current group of running backs, league sources told ESPN. Baltimore has former New Orleans Saints running backs Latavius Murray and Devonta Freeman, as well as former Kansas City Chiefs running back Le’Veon Bell. That veteran trio joined second-year running back Ty’Son Williams.
Date: Oct. 11
The lingering question for the New York Jets in the aftermath of Marcus Maye’s DUI-arrest revelation is how will it impact his future with the team? Short answer: It moves him one step closer to the door. The Jets didn’t sign him to a long-term extension last offseason, resulting in the franchise tag, so why would anyone think they would give him a big deal in 2022, when he will be a year older (29) and facing a possible league suspension?
Date: Oct. 6
The Carolina Panthers have acquired Stephon Gilmore in a trade with the New England Patriots, who were unable to agree with the star cornerback on a restructured deal. The Patriots initially were planning to release Gilmore on Wednesday but ultimately traded the four-time Pro Bowler to Carolina for a 2023 sixth-round draft pick. Gilmore and Patriots coach Bill Belichick had both offered public goodbyes before the trade announcement.
Date: Oct. 5
The Miami Dolphins have traded wide receiver Jakeem Grant to the Chicago Bears, the team announced. The Dolphins will receive a 2023 sixth-round pick. Grant, the Dolphins’ primary returner since they drafted him in the sixth round in 2016, is one of the NFL’s best special teams players, with five return touchdowns in his career; he ranks 11th among active players in non-offensive touchdowns.
Date: Sept. 27
The Carolina Panthers acquired cornerback CJ Henderson and a fifth-round pick from the Jacksonville Jaguars for tight end Dan Arnold and a third-round pick, the teams announced. The Panthers’ 2021 first-round pick, cornerback Jaycee Horn, is out for an extended time with multiple broken bones in his right foot. Panthers coach Matt Rhule said Horn will have surgery; he was placed on injured reserve Monday. Rhule said Henderson is a player the Panthers considered taking with the No. 7 pick in 2020. They used that pick on former Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown.
Date: Sept. 9
The New Orleans Saints completed their trade for cornerback Bradley Roby, sending a 2022 third-round draft pick and a 2023 conditional sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans. To facilitate the trade, the Texans converted $7.6 million of Roby’s base salary into a signing bonus. Roby’s base salary for 2021 is now $1,862,645, which fits into the Saints’ salary-cap space.
Date: Sept. 3
After an initial 53-man roster that was short on cornerbacks, the Pittsburgh Steelers fortified the position by acquiring Ahkello Witherspoon in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks for a 2023 fifth-round pick, the teams announced. Witherspoon, 26, signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Seahawks in March and was expected to compete for the starting job at left cornerback, but Seattle moved D.J. Reed to the left side and Tre Flowers into the starting role at right cornerback, making Witherspoon a trade candidate. A day earlier, Seattle traded a 2022 sixth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for Sidney Jones.
Date: Aug. 31
The New York Jets have traded veteran tight end Chris Herndon to the Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota sent a 2022 fourth-round pick and a 2022 sixth-round pick. It executed the trade one day after coach Mike Zimmer announced that Irv Smith Jr. would undergo surgery to repair a meniscus injury he sustained in the team’s preseason finale at Kansas City.
Date: Aug. 31
The Baltimore Ravens traded guard Ben Bredeson and a 2022 fifth-round pick and a 2023 seventh-round pick to the New York Giants for a 2022 fourth-round pick. Bredeson provides depth on the interior for the Giants.
Date: Aug. 31
The Los Angeles Rams traded punter Corey Bojorquez and a 2023 seventh-round pick to Green Bay for a 2023 sixth-round pick. It would appear this means the Packers are moving on from a punter (JK Scott) they drafted in the fifth round in 2018. So not only did they use a draft pick on a punter but now they’re trading for one.
Date: Aug. 31
The New England Patriots acquired offensive lineman Yasir Durant from the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2022 seventh-round pick. Durant is expected to make the 53-man active roster and provide depth.
Date: Aug. 31
The Detroit Lions acquired WR Trinity Benson and a 2023 sixth-round draft pick from Denver for 2022 draft picks in the fifth and seventh rounds.
Date: Aug. 31
The Indianapolis Colts acquired offensive tackle Matt Pryor and a seventh-round 2022 draft pick from Philadelphia in exchange for a sixth-round 2022 draft pick.
Date: Aug. 30
The New York Giants traded defensive lineman B.J. Hill and a conditional 2022 seventh-round draft choice to the Cincinnati Bengals for offensive lineman Billy Price. Hill, a 2018 third-round pick out of NC State, did not play in Sunday night’s preseason finale against the New England Patriots with the trade in the works. Price, a 2018 first-round pick, provides the Giants with some much-needed depth on the interior of their offensive line. He has played center and guard in the NFL.
Date: Aug. 30
The Carolina Panthers acquired DE Darryl Johnson from the Buffalo Bills for a sixth-round draft pick in 2022. He’s expected to add depth and be a core special teams contributor.
Date:Aug. 28
The Jacksonville Jaguars have traded quarterback Gardner Minshew II to the Philadelphia Eagles for a conditional 2022 sixth-round pick. The sixth-round pick could rise to a fifth-rounder if Minshew is involved in 50% of the plays in three games this season. The move comes after Jaguars coach Urban Meyer announced Wednesday that No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence had won the starting job.
Date: Aug. 28
Joey Slye entered training camp for the Carolina Panthers without competition at place-kicker and ended it without a job. The Panthers released Slye on Saturday in favor of Ryan Santoso, acquired Thursday in a trade with the New York Giants after he lost the kicking job to Graham Gano. Strangely enough, it was Gano who lost his job to Slye last summer.
Date: Aug. 28
Baltimore dealt offensive lineman Greg Mancz to the Miami Dolphins. In return, the Ravens will improve a late-round pick in a swap of a seventh-round selection for a sixth-rounder.
Date: Aug. 26
The Baltimore Ravens traded rookie cornerback Shaun Wade to the New England Patriots for a couple of draft picks. The Ravens received a seventh-round pick in 2022 and a fifth-rounder in 2023. Wade, a fifth-round pick out of Ohio State, was not going to make the Ravens’ 53-man roster after being passed on the depth chart by Chris Westry.
Date: Aug. 25
The Los Angeles Rams have acquired Sony Michel from the New England Patriots to add some much-needed depth at running back. The Patriots acquired a sixth-round pick in 2022 and a fourth-rounder in 2023 in the deal. Michel fills an immediate need for the Rams, who will play the season without rising star Cam Akers after he tore his right Achilles tendon while working out before training camp.
Date: Aug. 25
The Las Vegas Raiders acquired linebacker Denzel Perryman and a 2022 seventh-round pick from the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a 2022 sixth-round pick.
Date: Aug. 25
The Seattle Seahawks acquired cornerback John Reid from the Houston Texans for a conditional 2023 seventh-round pick.
Date: Aug. 24
The Green Bay Packers traded CB Ka’dar Hollman to the Houston Texans for a 2022 seventh-round draft pick. Hollman was selected by the Packers in the sixth round (No. 185 overall) of the 2019 NFL draft and played in 18 games with one start in his two seasons with Green Bay.
