The NFL’s trade deadline will be pushed back one week in 2024. The league announced on Tuesday that this year’s deadline will fall on the Tuesday following Week 9 (November 5). 
The deadline had been one week earlier in previous years, and a December report indicated a change was unlikely. However, the Browns and other teams proposed pushing it back two weeks to accommodate the expansion of the regular season to 17 games (and the hypothetical move to an 18-game slate in the future). Little support seemed to emerge for that plan.
[RELATED: NFL Tweaks IR-Return Setup For Playoffs]
A compromise in the form of delaying the deadline by one week emerged, although debate continued over whether any change was necessary. Given today’s news, though, enough opinions were swayed to approve the middle ground solution. Any rule changes require the support of at least 24 of the NFL’s 32 owners to attain ratification.
The NFL’s trade deadline will remain much earlier in the season than its ‘Big Four’ (NBA, MLB, NHL) counterparts, with resistance to delays stemming from concerns about tanking. Indeed, the later in the campaign the deadline is pushed, the clearer the separation between buyers and sellers. Maintaining competitive balance as deep into the season as possible is a reasonable goal on the part of the league.
Still, trades have increased in recent years with teams becoming more willing to move on from expiring contracts on one hand and to acquire rentals for a late-season push on the other. One key element on that front is the fact acquiring teams only need to take on the remaining base salaries in a player’s contract when an in-season deal is worked out; pushing back the time at which deadline deals take place will make it easier for contenders to absorb lucrative pacts.
Each of the past five seasons have seen a minimum of 12 in-season trades take place as teams become increasingly open to player- and pick-swaps in the fall. 22 teams were involved in deals during both the 2022 and ’23 campaigns, with a wide range of buyers and sellers existing. That figure will no doubt continue (or increase) for 2024 with a slightly later deadline in place.
Hmm interesting
The trade deadline will now go from ~2 minor deals/ season to 3 minor deals
Should have been two weeks later with the 17-game schedule to allow contenders to fill injury gaps. There were a couple of teams that would have benefitted from that last year, including the Bills and the Eagles.
You must not be keeping track of football the past couple of seasons. NFL trade deadline has actually become more active the past few seasons. There were 5 on deadline day and 2 more the day before this year, 11 during the 2022 season. It’s not as active as the other three sports, and never will be because the NFL is less plug-and-play than the other sports, but its been more active the past few seasons. More teams are valuing getting something for pending FAs they don’t see a future with and more teams are willing to give up Day 3 picks to plug a depth hole on their team.
“The other three sports”? Murica, F@&k Yeah!
In more relevant news, the NFL has announced it will have 2 games on Xmas Day this year — even though Xmas falls on a Wednesday.
You must not understand hyperbole. Five trades on deadline day is not much more than two.
Th Von Miller trade has been the only significant in season trade of recent memory and I think that was weeks before deadline. The actual deadline deals don’t have much impact.
You know you have a pretty good GM if he can create a trade market for a player on week 9 when none existed after week 8.
Not like injuries happen on a specific week. People will still complain when someone gets hurt after deadline that the team can’t find upgrade.
Remember remember the trade deadline is now the 5th of november! 😉