Rare blockbusters highlight busy NFL trade deadline
Eat your heart out NHL.
The NFL on Monday and Tuesday provided what for it was rare excitement and surprise brought about by blockbuster trades in the final hours approaching the league’s trade deadline, which came Tuesday at 4 p.m. EDT. You know, the kind of fervour NHL teams used to provide every trade deadline day, but don’t anymore and which we hardly have ever seen in the NFL on its mid-season trade deadline day.
Who were the big winners? Well, as in all leagues, when a proven player is traded for a future draft pick or picks, the hands-down short-term winner always is the team acquiring said player. So no need to debate who won the NFL’s five just-in-time swaps. We can, though, take a deeper look into how each trade partner is impacted, in order of trade magnitude: 1
GAROPPOLO TO NINERS San Francisco 49ers get: QB Jimmy Garoppolo, a fourth-year backup who sparkled in two career starts for New England in 2016.
New England Patriots get: second-round draft pick.
San Fran impact: The Niners have their QB of the future. Why Garoppolo? The Niners had been on course to land a top-three draft pick as they’re 0-8 and just promoted a middle-round rookie QB (C.J. Beathard) to starter over struggling veteran Brian Hoyer. Clearly, first-year GM John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan 2018 preferred the proven commodity in Garoppolo over the dice roll of even a top-three QB draft pick next April. As it is, the Niners can slowly work in Garoppolo and are smartly positioned for the future with oodles of cap space (reportedly US$100 million) to open the vault for Garoppolo.
New England impact: GM/head coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday the Pats had gone as long as they could — 2½ years — with what he called the best QB situation in the league: Tom Brady backed up by Garoppolo, a 2014 second-round pick. Who will back up Brady now? Look for the Pats to sign Hoyer, whom the Niners cut on Monday night. Hoyer backed up Brady from 2009-11. 2
BROWN TO SEAHAWKS Seattle Seahawks get: LT Duane Brown, a 10th-year veteran who’s now 32. His three Pro Bowl invitations and first-team All-Pro selection came early this decade, but he’s still one of the NFL’s better left tackles. Houston Texans get: 2019 secondround draft pick, 2018 fifth-round draft pick, backup CB Jeremy Lane.
Seattle impact: For three seasons, the Seahawks have had a screaming need for better offensive linemen. Finally, they have obtained a top-shelf talent to better protect QB Russell Wilson and to open more and better holes in the run game. Seattle instantly becomes a more dangerous team on offence.
Houston impact: Brown held out all spring and summer and just reported to the Texans a week ago. On Friday, Brown publicly slammed owner Bob McNair for his dumb comment about protesting NFL players: “We can’t have the inmates running the prison.” Brown had to go. 3
AJAYI TO EAGLES Philadelphia Eagles get: RB Jay Ajayi, who out of nowhere became a star last season with three 200yard rushing games, 1,272 yards overall and eight TDs.
Dolphins get: 2018 fourth-round draft pick. Philadelphia impact: The league’s best team by record (7-1) now has a deep, dangerous backfield again after multi-purpose man Darren Sproles was lost for the season in September. GM Howie Roseman told reporters Tuesday that LeGarrette Blount remains the starter, a surprise. Ajayi will get his carries. This is a steal of a trade for Philly.
Miami impact: The league’s worst offence just lost its starting running back, no matter how much of a distracting or negative presence Ajayi might have been; he kept whining for more carries. Maybe it was because gallows humour seemed more appropriate than usual on Halloween, but Dolphins head coach Adam Gase quipped: “We’re trying to become the first team in NFL history to score less than zero points a game.” Damien Williams and Kenyan Drake are left to carry the ground load for Miami. 4
BENJAMIN TO BILLS Buffalo Bills get: WR Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina’s top receiver since drafting him 28th overall in 2014.
Carolina Panthers get: 2018 third and seventh-round draft picks.
Buffalo impact: Finally, the new Bills brain trust of GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have tried the additionby-addition approach after three months of addition by subtraction. That is of dumping talented players and being the better for it by virtue of a better locker-room atmosphere and culture. Benjamin immediately becomes Buffalo’s most talented receiver, ahead of Jordan Matthews, rookie Zay Jones, Deonte Thompson and Andre Holmes. The 26-year-old is huge (six foot five, 245 pounds), has great hands and makes plays. This season he has 32 catches for 475 yards and two TDs.
Carolina impact: It’s a strange trade from the Panthers’ perspective. Who’s their No. 1 receiver now? Third-year goliath Devin Funchess? Rookie Curtis Samuel? Or fifth-year Russell Shepard? Good question. Players there can’t be happy about it. 5
ROBINSON TO JETS New York Jets get: CB Rashard Robinson, a fourth-round draft pick from a year ago.
San Francisco 49ers get: 2018 fifthround draft pick.
New York impact: Robinson struggled a year ago as a rookie, but was seen as improving in Year 2. He’s reportedly better suited for the Jets’ press-man coverage preference.
San Francisco impact: At 0-8, it’s all about the future for the Niners. Clearly they felt Robinson wasn’t a fit for their short- or long-term plans and if they could get almost what they spent to draft him, then why not?