Written by Dan Graziano at ESPN.com
What’s this? A real NFL trade deadline, with real trades? Big names on the move? Contenders beefing up for the stretch run?
This kind of thing is supposed to happen in baseball and basketball, but not in the NFL, where the midseason trade deadline traditionally comes and goes with all the excitement of a Chicago Bears three-and-out.
But not this year! This year, big names moved, teams dealt future picks to get better now, and Tuesday was spent in breathless speculation about who might be next. Fun stuff, and we can all agree the NFL needs more fun stuff.
So with the deadline having come and gone, here’s a look at some of the winners and losers:
WINNERS
Tom Brady
Obviously, this won’t last long, but stop to enjoy the symbolism of the fact that 40-year-old Brady is literally the only quarterback on the Patriots’ roster or practice squad. If ever there were a worry that the Patriots would pick Jimmy Garoppolo over him before he was ready to leave, that worry got shipped out to the San Francisco Bay on Monday night. Brady wants to play until he’s 45, and the expected signing of Brian Hoyer won’t bother those plans in the least. Three months ago, the Patriots had two apparently talented backups in Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett. Both are gone, which puts the franchise in a precarious spot should something happen to Brady this season. But Brady can’t be defeated with conventional weapons, so they should be good.
Russell Wilson
Sunday’s victory over Deshaun Watson’s Texans was breathless, three-hour video of Wilson basically screaming, “Get me some help!” After Wilson won that game by himself, the Seahawks finally, at long last, made a real investment in their offensive line, trading two picks to Houston for real-life left tackle Duane Brown. Nitpick all you want about how Brown held out nearly half the season in Houston and is 32 years old. He’s Anthony Munoz compared to what the Seahawks have been running out there at left tackle the past few years. This can only help Wilson’s protection and the Seattle run game, which is currently a myth.
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