Ranking Every NFL Trade From the 2024 Offseason: Stacking Deals for Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Justin Fields, Brian Burns, L’Jarius Sneed

Player movement in the NFL is at an all-time high. Younger general managers and staffers are taking over NFL front offices, and they’re far more comfortable with trading players than their predecessors might have been.

With the regular season on the horizon, it’s time to reflect on this year’s trades. Let’s rank every swap NFL teams have completed so far in 2024.

How are we ranking this year’s NFL trades? We’re only considering deals involving veteran players. Teams made 28 spring trades featuring only draft picks moving back and forth; we’re not examining those swaps.

Instead, we’re looking at 23 NFL trades that involved at least one player. We’ll assess every trade from the perspective of the team acquiring the player (not the draft picks), analyzing both the value sacrificed and the projected impact. In player-for-player trades (we’ve seen three in 2024), we’ve ranked the deal based on the side of the move we liked the best.

Here’s how every trade from the 2024 NFL offseason stacks up.

Every 2024 NFL Trade, Ranked

23) Broncos Acquire QB Zach Wilson

• Broncos acquire: QB Zach Wilson, 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 256)
• Jets acquire: 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 203)

Sean Payton didn’t have much to lose by taking a chance on failed former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson in April. The Broncos weren’t guaranteed to land a quarterback early in the 2024 NFL Draft, while the Jets picked up half of Wilson’s roster bonus, making him a low-risk acquisition.

Still, Denver couldn’t have expected much out of Wilson after watching him consistently struggle in New York. Among the 29 NFL quarterbacks to attempt 900 passes since 2021, Wilson ranks dead last in passer rating, yards per attempt, passing success rate, and touchdown rate. He’s the only QB to post a negative EPA + CPOE composite score (-0.010) during that span.

Wilson has already fallen out of the Broncos’ QB competition behind first-round rookie Bo Nix and veteran Jarrett Stidham and isn’t a lock to make Denver’s 53-man roster.

22) Texans Acquire WR Ben Skowronek

• Texans acquire: WR Ben Skowronek, 2026 seventh-round pick
• Rams acquire: 2026 sixth-round pick

The Texans traded for Ben Skowronek after the 2024 draft, so we assume he’ll make Houston’s roster. The Notre Dame product can do a little bit of everything. He boasts 58 career catches, infamously played fullback for the Rams in 2022, and has special teams experience.

Skowronek might find a role for the Texans, but he’s squarely behind Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell, Noah Brown, and John Metchie III on Houston’s WR depth chart.

The Texans can save nearly $5 million in cap space by releasing veteran pass catcher Robert Woods, which would create a slot for Skowronek.

21) Browns Acquire C Nick Harris

• Browns acquire: C Nick Harris, 2026 seventh-round pick
• Seahawks acquire: 2026 sixth-round pick

The NFL’s most recent trade went down on Sunday night. Cleveland lost backup center Luke Wypler to a fractured ankle in its preseason opener, so general manager Andrew Berry targeted an old friend for offensive line depth.

The Browns selected Nick Harris in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent four years in Cleveland before signing with the Seahawks in March. Harris was ticketed to replace J.C. Tretter as the Browns’ center in 2022 before suffering a preseason knee injury.

Ethan Pocic — confusingly enough, a former Seattle draft choice — took over at the pivot that year and is still Cleveland’s starting center. Harris started two games behind Pocic in 2023 and will work behind him again in 2024. The Seahawks were willing to trade Harris because they signed free agent center Connor Williams last week.

20) Titans Acquire OT LeRoy Watson

• Titans acquire: OT LeRoy Watson
• Browns acquire: 2024 seventh-round pick

LeRoy Watson’s ties to Titans decision-makers run deep. He was on the 49ers’ practice squad in 2022 when now-Tennessee GM Ran Carthon was in San Francisco’s personnel department. In 2023, Watson played for Browns OL coach Bill Callahan, who is now in the same role in Nashville.

The Titans’ staff likes something about Watson, who raved earlier this year about Callahan’s “perfectionist” tendencies.

Watson is currently battling a knee injury and will open the season as a backup, but he could see starting reps if incumbent Nicholas Petit-Frere continues to struggle.

19) Cardinals, Falcons Swap QB Desmond Ridder, WR Rondale Moore

• Cardinals acquire: QB Desmond Ridder
• Falcons acquire: WR Rondale Moore

We liked the Falcons’ side of this trade better when it went down in March. Rondale Moore might’ve eventually become a home-run hitter in Atlanta’s new offense, but the former second-round pick suffered a season-ending knee injury in early August.

Desmond Ridder is competing with Clayton Tune to become the Cardinals’ QB2 behind Kyler Murray. While Ridder might be a better fit in Arizona OC Drew Petzing’s scheme than he was in Arthur Smith’s, he has to cut down on turnovers.

Ridder’s ranked sixth among quarterbacks with 19 total turnovers despite taking just 439 dropbacks (23rd among QBs) in 2023. His six red-zone turnovers led the NFL.

According to TruMedia, Ridder generated the league’s third-most negative EPA off turnovers; he was second-worst on a per-snap basis.

18) Vikings, Cowboys, Trade CBs Andrew Booth Jr., Nahshon Wright

• Cowboys acquire: CB Andrew Booth Jr.
• Vikings acquire: CB Nahshon Wright

While this might not quite be a “challenge” trade, last week’s Minnesota-Dallas swap involved two former Day 2 draft picks hoping for a fresh start.

The Vikings took Andrew Booth Jr. 42nd overall in 2022, but the Clemson product has made just two starts and played 256 defensive snaps through two seasons. While Booth had fallen out of favor in Minnesota’s CB room, he could serve as depth on a Cowboys roster that lost Stephon Gilmore in free agency.

Dallas has Booth under contract for two more years and only sacrificed one year of control on fellow cornerback Nahshon Wright. A 2021 third-rounder, Wright logged just 50 defensive snaps for the Cowboys last season.

17) Jets Acquire EDGE Haason Reddick

• Jets acquire: EDGE Haason Reddick
• Eagles acquire: Conditional 2026 third-round pick
  • Becomes second-round pick if Reddick plays 67.5% of New York’s defensive snaps and has 10 sacks in 2024

This ranking is subject to change. But for now, we can’t rank the Jets’ Haason Reddick acquisition any higher while he’s holding out for a new contract.

Gang Green traded for Reddick in March, fully aware that he wanted his deal altered. Scheduled to collect $15+ million in 2023, Reddick didn’t attend any of New York’s offseason work and isn’t at training camp.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter said in late July he’d be “surprised” if the Jets and Reddick didn’t eventually solve their contract dispute, but Reddick still hasn’t shown up. On Monday, he officially requested a trade out of New York.

The Jets will give Philadelphia a future third-round pick no matter what happens with Reddick. New York general manager Joe Douglas can’t afford to drag this situation into the regular season in a must-win campaign.

16) Eagles Acquire QB Kenny Pickett

• Eagles acquire: QB Kenny Pickett, 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 120)
• Steelers acquire: 2024 third-round pick (No. 98), two 2025 seventh-round picks

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman coined the phrase “quarterback factory” to describe Philadelphia’s desire to have a never-ending supply of available signal-callers ready to step in or provide trade value.

That approach landed the Eagles Jalen Hurts in the 2020 NFL Draft when the club still had Carson Wentz ensconced as a starter. While Kenny Pickett doesn’t look like the next Hurts, he’s an affordable option at QB2. Philadelphia will pay the former Steelers first-round pick just $4.607 million over the next two years.

15) Seahawks Acquire QB Sam Howell

• Seahawks acquire: QB Sam Howell, 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 102), 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 179)
• Commanders acquire: 2024 third-round pick (No. 78), 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 152)

After you factor in all the various pick swaps involved in the Pickett and Sam Howell trades, the Eagles and Seahawks gave up roughly equal packages for their new backup quarterbacks. The Fitzgerald-Spielberger trade value chart suggests Philadelphia and Seattle traded the equivalent of mid-sixth-round picks for Pickett and Howell, respectively.

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Howell showed more as Washington’s 2023 starter than Pickett did in two seasons with the Steelers. Seattle isn’t asking Howell to compete with starter Geno Smith; his inability to avoid sacks or limit turnovers probably caps his upside at QB2. Still, we’d like to see what Howell could do in a few games inside new Seahawks OC Ryan Grubb’s wide-open attack.

14) Texans Acquire RB Joe Mixon

• Texans acquire: RB Joe Mixon
• Bengals acquire: 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 224)

Acquiring a veteran back like Joe Mixon for a late seventh-round choice made sense for the Texans. (Signing him a two-year, $19.75 million extension was far less defensible.)

Houston’s rushing attack was incredibly inconsistent in 2023. According to TruMedia, the Texans ranked 25th in rushing success rate and 31st in first downs per rush. Offensive line health will help, but Mixon should be a more reliable option than Dameon Pierce.

Still, the Texans might be left wanting more. Among the 49 running backs with at least 100 carries last season, Mixon ranked 43rd in yards after contact per attempt.

13) Jets Acquire OT Morgan Moses

• Jets acquire: OT Morgan Moses, 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 135)
• Ravens acquire: 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 113), 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 218)

The Jets’ offensive line was among the NFL’s worst in 2023, ranking bottom four in pass-blocking and run-blocking win rates. New York had no choice but to overhaul its front five before Aaron Rodgers returned to the starting lineup in 2024.

Morgan Moses, a third-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, is entering his 11th pro campaign. While he’s never made an All-Pro or Pro Bowl team, he’s been the definition of reliable, making 144 starts while rarely missing time due to injury.

Moses was a solid contributor along the Ravens’ offensive line in 2023. Forty-one OTs played at least 900 snaps last season; according to TruMedia, Moses allowed the sixth-fewest pressures (26) among that group.

12) Bears Acquire C Ryan Bates

• Bears acquire: C Ryan Bates
• Bills acquire: 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 144)

Ryan Poles finally got his man. The Bears GM tried to sign Ryan Bates as a restricted free agent in 2022, but the Bills matched Chicago’s offer. Two years later, the Bears acquired Bates to play center for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.

While Williams’ football IQ is off the charts, NFL teams often pair younger QBs with experienced centers, hoping the veteran lineman can assist with protection calls and other pre-snap details.

The 27-year-old Bates also offers guard versatility. With Nate Davis banged up, Chicago has been using Bates at right guard and Coleman Shelton at center.

11) Jaguars Acquire QB Mac Jones

• Jaguars acquire: QB Mac Jones
• Patriots acquire: 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 193)

Mac Jones owns the best single season of any quarterback traded this year. He took the Patriots to the playoffs in his 2021 rookie campaign, ranking eighth in success rate and 14th in EPA per play.

Jones’ ensuing two seasons were disasters, but it’s hard to lay all the blame on his shoulders. The former first-round pick dealt with New England’s offensive weapon and offensive line issues and had Matt Patricia as his offensive play-caller in 2022.

The Jaguars hope Jones never plays, but Jacksonville’s offensive environment is more welcoming than the Patriots’. Grabbing worthwhile Trevor Lawrence insurance for a sixth-round pick is good business.

10) Browns Acquire WR Jerry Jeudy

• Browns acquire: WR Jerry Jeudy
• Broncos acquire: 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 136), 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 203)

The Browns entered the offseason with a sneaky need at wide receiver. Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore are heading into 2024 contract years, and neither Cedric Tillman nor David Bell — Cleveland’s third-round picks in 2023 and 2022 — has topped hit 400 career receiving yards.

While Jerry Jeudy might always be remembered as the wideout drafted two slots ahead of CeeDee Lamb, the Browns are hoping the 25-year-old has untapped potential.

Jeudy dealt with myriad injuries, poor quarterback play, and an uninviting offensive infrastructure with the Broncos. It’s not that far-fetched to believe he has upside remaining.

Perhaps most importantly, the Browns bought low on Jeudy, sacrificing just a pair of Day 3 draft choices before signing him to a three-year, $52.5 million extension. Jeudy’s average annual value ranks just 24th among wide receivers.

9) 49ers Acquire DT Maliek Collins

• 49ers acquire: DT Maliek Collins
• Texans acquire: 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 232)

The 49ers failed to convince defensive tackle Arik Armstead to accept a pay cut this offseason after he missed 13 games from 2022 to 2023. San Francisco cut Armstead in March, then looked to the trade market to find a tag-team partner for holdover DT Javon Hargrave.

Maliek Collins isn’t a star, but he’s the sort of glue guy every NFL defensive line needs. The 29-year-old has played at least 500 snaps in seven of his eight seasons. Collins matched his career high with five sacks in 2023 and has managed 30+ pressures in four of the last five years.

“I’ve always liked his skill set,” 49ers DL coach Kris Kocurek said of Collins in June. “I think his skill set is tailor-made to play the attack-style nature we play. And he’s played in some attack schemes throughout his career last year.

“He was down there in Houston, so there will be a lot of familiarity from working with DeMeco (Ryans) and those guys in Houston and then coming here and doing very similar type things.”

8) Titans Acquire CB L’Jarius Sneed

• Titans acquire: CB L’Jarius Sneed, 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 252)
• Chiefs acquire: 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 227), 2025 third-round pick

L’Jarius Sneed might’ve been the NFL’s biggest All-Pro and Pro Bowl snub in 2023. Emerging as the Chiefs’ CB1 last season, Sneed allowed just a 55.9 passer rating in his coverage area, the league’s fifth-best mark. Twenty-five cornerbacks played at least 900 snaps in 2023 — Sneed was the only one who did not allow a touchdown in coverage.

The Titans only had to give a future third-round pick (plus move back 25 spots in 2024’s seventh round) to add Sneed’s production and tenacity to their rebuilt secondary.

Hoping to build a competent unit for first-year DC Dennard Wilson, Tennessee also signed CB Chidobe Awuzie and safeties Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams, adding years of experience to the club’s defensive backfield.

Sneed’s Titans extension didn’t move the cornerback market. His $19.1 million AAV cleared Bears CB Jaylon Johnson (who signed an extension in March) by $100,000 annually. But Sneed’s new deal ranked seventh among CBs at the time of signing and is now eighth after the Jaguars extended Tyson Campbell in July.

We have another cornerback trade ranked slightly higher than Tennessee’s move for Sneed. That’s primarily because we have questions about the Titans’ competitive window during Sneed’s prime but also because he’s leaving the friendly confines of a Steve Spagnuolo defense in Kansas City.

7) Broncos Acquire EDGE John Franklin-Myers

• Broncos acquire: EDGE John Franklin-Myers
• Jets acquire: 2026 sixth-round pick

John Franklin-Myers might not have been a household name outside of Jets country, but he’s been one of the NFL’s more productive pass rushers over the last four seasons.

According to TruMedia, just 11 edge defenders have had a better pressure rate than Franklin-Myers (min. 1,000 pass-rushing snaps) since 2020.

You might have heard of some defenders ahead of him, including Micah Parsons, Myles Garrett, and T.J. Watt. JFM’s 14.2% pressure rate over the last four years is a tenth of a percentage point better than Maxx Crosby’s.

Denver’s trade for Franklin-Myers would rank higher if the Broncos were going to be more competitive this season. Unfortunately, the 27-year-old probably won’t play many meaningful snaps with the rebuilding AFC West franchise in 2024.

6) Steelers Acquire QB Justin Fields

• Steelers acquire: QB Justin Fields
• Bears acquire: Conditional 2025 sixth-round pick
  • Becomes fourth-round pick if Fields plays 51% of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps in 2024

If the 35-year-old Russell Wilson — average to below while working under future Hall of Fame coach Sean Payton in 2023 — thrives for the Steelers next season, how does that change Pittsburgh’s long-term outlook?

Justin Fields is a decade younger, adds a rushing threat, and — perhaps most importantly — has momentum in the Steelers’ quarterback competition. Wilson injured his calf during a training camp condition test, allowing Fields to handle most of Pittsburgh’s first-team reps under center. He’s earned rave reviews during practices, endearing himself to teammates in the process.

Grabbing a former top-15 pick with Fields’ upside for a future conditional sixth was a win for the Steelers.

5) Bears Acquire WR Keenan Allen

• Bears acquire: WR Keenan Allen
• Chargers acquire: 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 110)

New Bears center Ryan Bates will be Caleb Williams’ best friend along Chicago’s offensive line. Keenan Allen will offer the same veteran presence in the club’s pass-catching corps.

When the NFL trade market opened in March, the Bears couldn’t have been sure they’d be in a position to select Washington WR prospect Rome Odunze ninth overall in the 2024 draft. If Chicago thought Odunze (or another early-draft wideout) was possible, Allen was a perfect solution. He was only signed through 2024, so the Bears weren’t making a long-term commitment.

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Allen put up a 108-1,243-7 line for the Chargers in 2023 before missing the final four games of the year with a pedal heel bruise. Injuries might hinder Allen for the rest of his career, but Chicago’s WR depth will allow the 32-year-old to take breathers. He remained efficient before going down, posting two-plus yards per route run for the eighth time in 11 pro seasons.

4) Lions Acquire CB Carlton Davis III

• Lions acquire: CB Carlton Davis III, 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 201), 2025 sixth-round pick
• Buccaneers acquire: 2024 third-round pick (No. 92)

Lions DC Aaron Glenn wanted to play more man coverage last season. Glenn admitted he intended for Detroit to be more aggressive in 2023, and the numbers bear that out. From Weeks 5 through 17, the Lions used man coverage at the NFL’s seventh-highest rate (31.7%) before leaning heavily into zone throughout the playoffs.

The only problem? Detroit didn’t have the personnel to hold up. When Glenn called for man coverage during that Week 5-17 span, the Lions ranked just 22nd in passing success rate and 31st in efficiency, per TruMedia.

Carlton Davis III, whom Detroit acquired from Tampa Bay in exchange for a third-round pick, is a genuine press-man cornerback. So are 2024 Lions draft picks Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr.

“I’m about to just lock s— up,” Davis said May. “Excuse my French. I’m not going to lie. I’m about to lock No. 1 receivers up, get my hands on some balls, and give the ball back to our offense, and play physical, and bring energy. You’ll see.”

3) Texans Acquire WR Stefon Diggs

• Texans acquire: WR Stefon Diggs, 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 189), 2025 fifth-round pick
• Bills acquire: 2025 second-round pick

If the Texans get the 2020-22 version of Stefon Diggs, this trade will be a home run. Diggs led the NFL in catches (127) and yards (1,535) in 2020 while earning first-team All-Pro honors, then topped 1,400 yards and hauled in a career-high 11 touchdowns in 2022 as a second-team All-Pro.

However, Diggs showed obvious signs of decline in 2023. He slowed down over the stretch run, failing to surpass 100 yards in a game after Week 7 and eclipsing 70 yards just four times during that span. Diggs finished with his fewest yards (1,183) and yards per reception (11.1) since 2018, his second-to-last season with the Vikings.

Diggs, who had ranked as a top-six wideout in ESPN’s player tracking metrics every season from 2019 through 2022, fell to just 67th last year. His “open” score fell from third in 2021 to seventh in 2022 before dropping all the way to 21st in 2023.

But the Texans aren’t asking Diggs to become a WR1. Houston already rosters Nico Collins, who broke out for an 80-1,297-8 line last season and finished second to only Tyreek Hill in yards per route run (3.21).

The Texans also have 2023 standout rookie Tank Dell, who averaged more than 15 yards per catch before suffering a season-ending injury in December. They acquired Mixon, re-upped TE Dalton Schultz, and boast a top-12 offensive line.

If Diggs can become the finishing touch for C.J. Stroud and Co., Houston will fondly look back on this trade.

2) Giants Acquire EDGE Brian Burns

• Giants acquire: EGDE Brian Burns, 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 166)
• Panthers acquire: 2024 second-round pick (No. 39), 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 141), 2025 fifth-round pick

New York ranked 18th in pressure percentage in 2023 but had to blitz at the NFL’s second-highest rate (45.4%) to get there.

Wink Martindale, the Giants’ former defensive coordinator, designed that blitz-heavy attack. But he’s no longer around, having resigned earlier this year after multiple interpersonal conflicts with head coach Brian Daboll.

New DC Shane Bowen doesn’t want to send extra pass rushers nearly as often as Martindale did. Bowen’s Titans blitzed on just 22% of plays last season.

New York needed another force player along the front seven that it could rely on to generate consistent pressure. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence is the NFL’s best pass-rushing nose tackle, while Kayvon Thibodeaux came into his own as his 2023 rookie campaign progressed.

Brian Burns will add a new dimension to the Giants’ pass-rushing plan. An athletic marvel, Burns was incredibly consistent for the Panthers, posting at least eight sacks and 18 QB hits in four straight years.

And perhaps most importantly, he won’t turn 26 years old until next month. Young, talented, franchise-caliber pass rushers like Burns don’t often become available. Good on the Giants for striking and adding a premier talent at a minimal draft cost.

1) Steelers, Panthers Swap WR Diontae Johnson, CB Donte Jackson

• Panthers acquire: WR Diontae Johnson, 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 240)
• Steelers acquire: CB Donte Jackson, 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 178)

Let’s be absolutely clear about which side of this trade we’re ranking at No. 1: We think the Panthers got away with a heist by trading CB Donte Jackson for WR Diontae Johnson.

Viewed as Pittsburgh’s WR1 during the latter portion of Ben Roethlisberger’s tenure, Johnson’s best season came in 2021 when he earned Pro Bowl honors after posting 107 catches for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns.

Johnson gradually ceded targets to fellow Steelers WR George Pickens over the next two seasons but remained efficient. In 2023, he ranked seventh in ESPN’s tracking metrics, primarily due to his ability to create consistent separation.

The former third-round pick remains one of the NFL’s most underrated wideouts and represents a tremendous upgrade for the Panthers, who had to add more weapons around quarterback Bryce Young. Carolina relied on 33-year-old Adam Thielen as their WR1 in 2023 and lost DJ Chark in free agency.

Johnson is still only 28. The Panthers will pay him just $10 million in 2024. Carolina might consider an in-season extension if Johnson emerges as Young’s favorite target.

While Johnson reportedly requested a trade out of Pittsburgh, it isn’t easy to justify the move from the Steelers’ perspective.

Jackson is slightly cheaper than Johnson but has generally been a league-average corner throughout his NFL tenure. Seventy-two CBs played at least 400 coverage snaps in 2023. Jackson finished 44th in snaps per target, 51st in snaps per reception, and 66th in passer rating.