Which major NFL trades look better -- worse -- in hindsight? Barnwell's fresh takes on 23 recent swaps

Evaluating NFL trades is an inexact science. In the moment, we tin comparison deals to akin ones from the past oregon look astatine what the wide held expectations were for a swap, but teams person accusation and insights that we don't needfully person connected the outside. Are a player's medicals concerning? Is helium a occupation successful the locker room? Is determination a imaginable starter waiting to interruption retired connected the seat with much opportunities?

And portion we cognize the worth of draft picks successful a vacuum, really seeing who those selections go tin pass what a squad really landed successful a trade. The squad trading distant those picks shouldn't attraction whether the selections crook into stars oregon scrubs connected the different broadside of the equation, but trading a seasoned prima for picks surely feels a batch amended erstwhile you onshore a younger, cheaper replacement successful the draught and tin usage immoderate of the fiscal savings elsewhere connected the roster.

The Seahawks and Cardinals -- who meet Thursday (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video) -- person some been progressive successful important trades implicit the past fewer years. I'm going to usage this matchup arsenic an excuse to instrumentality a look backmost astatine immoderate of the astir notable deals from the caller past. I'm looking astatine important moves from 2022 and 2023, since those are caller capable to beryllium applicable and acold capable successful the past to let for much meaningful analysis.

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I'm going to mostly skip draft-pick swaps and absorption connected trades wherever the superior extremity for 1 of the teams was adding a seasoned known quantity, similar the Jets trading for Aaron Rodgers and the Dolphins making their move for Tyreek Hill. I won't see the infamous Bears-Panthers trade that led Carolina to Bryce Young; that was a woody made chiefly for draught capital, adjacent though DJ Moore was involved. I'll marque 1 objection -- the large draft-day trade the Cardinals made with the Texans successful 2023, with Arizona moving down and Houston making a large stake connected borderline rusher Will Anderson Jr.

It's casual to measure trades years aft the fact, of course, truthful I'm besides going to springiness immoderate discourse connected what the temper astir the commercialized was astatine the clip and however I felt astir it successful the moment. I'm blessed to accidental that I got immoderate deals close successful existent time, but I can't accidental that I batted 1.000, either. Let's commencement with a woody that I was mostly incorrect astir -- and 1 that dramatically sent the Seahawks successful a caller direction. Deals are listed successful chronological order.

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