The 2025 NFL season is now in the books after the Seattle Seahawks took down the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60. As we enter the offseason, potential rule changes are already being floated around. It’s common for team owners to vote on rule changes in the offseason, and one NFL insider recently revealed what one rule change could be.
Adam Schefter Says Trade Limits on Draft Picks Could be Adjusted
On Monday morning, NFL insider Adam Schefter appeared on the Pat McAfee Show. Among the topics discussed were a possible trade of disgruntled star Maxx Crosby.
That discussion segued into Schefter mentioning possible rule changes regarding trades this offseason. Schefter revealed that some are in favor of a rule change that would allow teams to trade up to five years of draft picks.
Currently, teams can only trade three years’ worth of picks. “There is going to be a push by at least one team this offseason to extend the NFL trade limits from three years of picks to five years of picks,” Schefter captioned on X.
In the video, he can be heard saying, “I had a conversation with somebody this week and, I’m gonna tell you right now, there are gonna be people in the NFL this offseason that push to have their limit grown to five years.”
For this change to be implemented, 24 of 32 owners must approve. Schefter mentioned that one team in particular will be driving this change, but didn’t specify which team.
There will be a push this off-season to extend the NFL trade limits from three years of draft picks to five.
pic.twitter.com/h4sVWTZBIO— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 9, 2026
It would be interesting to see how this potential change could affect trades. The NFL doesn’t have as many trades as the other pro leagues, but that could change if teams have more picks to include.
The Crosby situation would definitely be one to watch if this change happens. If teams can go up to five years of draft picks, that would theoretically increase the number of interested teams.
Rule Change Could Impact Number of Trades Going Forward
It’s worth noting that trades involving three first-round picks are incredibly rare. The last team to pull off such a trade was the Cleveland Browns, who gave up three consecutive first-rounders for embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Even star defender Micah Parsons only went for two first-round picks when he was traded from the Cowboys to the Packers ahead of the 2025 season. In his first year as a Packer, Parsons earned an elite 89.5 score from the PFSN NFL EDGE Impact metric, so the Packers are likely fine with what they gave up.
This change would also allow for other possibilities, such as trading one first-round pick and four or five second-round picks for a player. It’s interesting to wonder about the motivations of the team planning to push for this change.
