Trading Frenzy

Tuesday was the NFL’s Trade Deadline. Despite great buildup by media and fans, the deadline has often been a modest event. This year was different. This year was closer to the dream deadline of media and fans. 

Deadline Day Trades since 2012:

2012: 1

2013: 1

2014: 2

2015: 0

2016: 1

2017: 3

2018: 5

2019: 2

2020: 2

2021: 3

Especially compared to the past decade, 2022 brought a trading frenzy. The following players changed teams on Tuesday.

T.J. Hockenson - Vikings

Chase Claypool - Bears

Bradley Chubb - Dolphins

Chase Edmonds - Broncos

Calvin Ridley - Jaguars

William Jackson III - Steelers

Jeff Wilson - Dolphins

Jacob Martin - Broncos

Nyheim Hines - Bills

Zack Moss - Colts

Rashad Fenton - Falcons

Dean Marlowe - Bills

Bradley Chubb and Chase Edmonds were part of the same deal. Nyheim Hines and Zack Moss were part of another deal. 12 players changed teams in ten deadline deals. Those ten trades doubled the previous decade high. 

The biggest deal is obviously the one that sent tight end T.J. Hockenson from the Detroit Lions to the Minnesota Vikings. The general belief, certainly my belief, was that Hockenson was a building block player for anything that the Lions are trying to do. Now, he’s a building block player for the Vikings. Tight end was a need for Minnesota. It was a need even before Irv Smith Jr. went on the injured reserve list on Tuesday with a high ankle sprain. Production from the tight end position had been a season-long issue. The Vikings could’ve found a modest boost at the position with a street free agent signing or a ho-hum trade for a promising third-stringer. Instead, first-year general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made a team-changing deal. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that Hockenson was an option. He might not be in the elite tight end class of Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Mark Andrews but he has the talent and potential to be. This is one of the rare in-season deals that should be a boost for this season and future seasons. Hockenson is only 25. His best years are in front of him and he should be a Vikings offensive fixture moving forward. 

The only trade that involved a first-round pick was the trade that sent pass rusher Bradley Chubb from the Denver Broncos to the Miami Dolphins. The details of the trade:

Dolphins receive:

Bradley Chubb

2025 5th-round pick

Broncos receive: 

2023 1st-round pick

2024 4th-round pick

Chase Edmonds

Much has been made of the fact that the first-round pick that was the focus of this deal was the final first-round pick acquired from the San Francisco 49ers in the Trey Lance deal. Much has been made of these picks because the Dolphins turned the three first-round picks into Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill, and Bradley Chubb. That’s quite a haul. 

12 players moving in 10 deadline deals. All of the 10 deals involved players in their prime. The 2022 NFL Trade Deadline is more like what the fans, the media, and the league have been dreaming. It was a trading frenzy.