It’s last call for NFL teams to make a significant roster swap this season.
The trade deadline is closing in, with 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday marking the cutoff. In recent weeks, a number of teams have already swung deals to add talent at a key position or shed salary while stocking up on draft picks. The action could continue into the final hours, as several franchises still have cause to make a move with the regular season approximately halfway complete.
USA TODAY Sports will update you with the latest news throughout the day and break down all of the completed trade agreements.
Latest trade rumors and news
– Jerry Jones said Tuesday it’s a “high improbability” that the Cowboys orchestrate another trade (they finalized a deal with the Texans on DT Eli Ankou on Monday) before the trade deadline. One player who won’t be on the move is DE Aldon Smith, whom Jones said would not be moved. Multiple reports indicated that the Seahawks were among the teams that had inquired about Smith.
– One of the more notable targets to keep an eye on could be Texans WR Will Fuller, whom several teams have inquired about, according to multiple reports. Among the teams that have been linked to the No. 21 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft are the Packers, though Aaron Rodgers said Monday he wouldn’t push the team to acquire a receiver. The Texans are 1-6 after firing coach and general manager Bill O’Brien, but interim coach Romeo Crennel said last week he was trying to reassure players that he is not looking to trade them.
– Falcons DE Takk McKinley said Monday that Atlanta will not trade him and already had “declined a handful offers.” The No. 26 pick in the 2017 NFL draft, McKinley has just one sack in four games this season and is in the final year of his contract. Falcons QB Matt Ryan and WR Julio Jones have both stated their desire to remain with the franchise, and the team does not plan to move either, according to ESPN.
– Bengals WR John Ross has made it known he wants out of Cincinnati, saying, “It’s not a secret that I have requested a trade. Trade me if this how y’all feel.” In three and a half years since being selected No. 9 overall in the 2017 NFL draft, the speedy Ross has not lived up to his billing and has only played one snap since Week 3.
– Amid conflicting information about whether Washington Football Team DE Ryan Kerrigan requested to be traded, coach Ron Rivera said Monday that he would not speculate on any rumors. Kerrigan, 32, has taken a backseat to Chase Young and Montez Sweat and is in the final year of his contract, but Washington remains in the hunt for the NFC East despite its 2-5 record.
– While the Jets have dealt the likes of LBs Avery Williamson and Jordan Willis and DT Steve McLendon, DT Quinnen Williams appears to be off limits. Coach Adam Gase said last week the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft “is going to be here.”
Completed trades
– Nov. 2: Chargers trade CB Desmond King to Titans for 2021 sixth-round draft pick.
Analysis: All parties seem to win here, as King gets a fresh start with a contender after getting lost in the shuffle in Los Angeles. The 2018 All-Pro selection is an immediate upgrade in the slot for a struggling Titans secondary. The Chargers, for whatever reason, had little use for him, playing him in just 54.6% of their defensive snaps and making him a healthy scratch Sunday vs. the Broncos.
– Nov. 2: 49ers trade LB Kwon Alexander to Saints for LB Kiko Alonso and a conditional fifth-round pick.
Analysis: Just a year and a half after signing Alexander to a four-year, $54 million deal, the 49ers are moving on. Injuries limited Alexander to just 13 games in San Francisco, which will absorb $6.9 million in dead money next year but save $8.6 million, according to overthecap.com. The Saints continue to go all-in on competing for a title with their current group, and Alexander offers another athletic option at linebacker if he recovers from the high ankle sprain that has sidelined him for the last three games.
– Nov. 1: Jets trade LB Avery Williamson and a 2022 seventh-round pick to Steelers for a 2022 fifth-round pick
Analysis: Lucky Williamson, who goes from an 0-8 team to a 7-0 one. The 28-year-old clearly did not figure into the Jets’ long-term plans. No one in Pittsburgh will mistake Williamson for injured linebacker Devin Bush, and his coverage woes (92.6% completion rate, 8.7 yards allowed per target) could be worrisome. But he shores up a position of need for the Steelers.
– Oct. 28: Bengals trade DE Carlos Dunlap to Seahawks for OL B.J. Finney and a seventh-round pick
Analysis: Seattle’s languishing pass rush is arguably the foremost problem with the NFL’s last-ranked defense, so John Schneider and Pete Carroll went bargain hunting. Dunlap provides the Seahawks with an accomplished edge presence looking for a new chapter in his career after falling out of favor in Cincinnati, which seemed eager to move on from the veteran.
– Oct. 27: Cowboys trade DE Everson Griffen to Lions for conditional sixth-round pick
Analysis: Griffen became just the latest in a series of Dallas’ offseason defensive acquisitions to be shown the door in a disastrous start to the year. A fresh opportunity awaits in Detroit, which likely will need Griffen to play a key role after Trey Flowers landed on injured reserve.
– Oct. 23: Giants trade OLB Markus Golden to Cardinals for sixth-round pick
Analysis: At 5-2, the Cardinals turned to a familiar face in Golden, who played for the team from 2015-18, to boost a pass rush still smarting from Chandler Jones’ season-ending biceps injury. The 29-year-old had limited value for a rebuilding Giants team.
– Oct. 22: Vikings trade DE Yannick Ngakoue to Ravens for third-round pick and 2022 fifth-round pick
Analysis: Refusing to rest on their laurels, the Ravens looked to the market to ramp up their pass rush even further and landed one of the league’s top young talents off the edge. Ngakoue, who recorded five sacks in five games with the Vikings, allows Baltimore to rely less on its blitzes to disrupt opposing quarterbacks in what amounts to an audition for the team as well as the rest of the NFL. Amid a 1-5 start, Minnesota recouped what it could just a few months after giving up second- and fifth-round picks to land Ngakoue.
