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The Winners and Losers of Recent NFL Trades

Who were the winners in the recent NFL trades?

Bo Marchionte

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Tuesday’s flurry of NFL trades could go down in the history books.  The Saints traded Jimmy Graham, one of the most prolific tight ends over the last four years. Along with quarterback Drew Brees, they were the NFL’s version of the great Utah Jazz combo of John Stockton and Karl Malone. Unloading his (still freshly) signed contract from last summer helped jettison Graham to Seattle (four-year, $40 million contract). The money was too much of a burden for the Saints to continue with.

The Saints and Seahawks were not the only other teams that pulled off significant trades on the opening night of free agency. Find out the winners and losers of the big trades that included big names.

New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks

Saints: Acquired center Max Unger and first-round pick (No. 31 overall) in 2015

Seahawks: Acquired tight-end Jimmy Graham and a 2015 fourth-round pick

Winner – Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks released tight end Zach Miller (failed physical) on March 6th. Miller, 29, missed most of last season due to an ankle injury and it appears that the wheels were in motion to acquire Graham.

The clear winner in this trade is Seattle. Back-to-back NFC Championship wins along with a Super Bowl title. Their time to win is now and adding Graham adds another dimension to their offense that has lacked a legitimate receiving weapon.

“The opportunity to get a player that can make these kinds of plays that we’ve seen Jimmy Graham do for a number of years really got us excited,” said Seattle head coach Pete Carroll. “In complementing the rest of our team, we think he’s just a fantastic target that we can implement in a number of ways. It’s pretty clear, he’s a big receiver, plays big, makes plays in a crowd, makes plays on top of guys, he’s a very effective player in the red zone, he has been a terrific, consistent scorers, so all of that stuff, we’re just going to fit it into our offense and make him hopefully a very complementary part of it.”

The window for success shuts pretty quickly in the NFL and Seattle is acting on the now instead of the unknown future. The Saints looked to revamp a defense by allowing their second-most important offensive weapon to be traded. A pretty poignant move by the Saints front office.

 

Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens

Ravens: Acquire the Lions fourth-and-fifth round draft picks in 2015

Lions: Acquire defensive-tackle Haloti Ngata

Winner – Baltimore Ravens

The reality of this trade is that the Lions replaced Ndamukong Suh (three Pro Bowls in the last four years) for Ngata who is 31 years old and has not played for full 16-game schedule since 2011.

Allowing Suh to test free agency, the Lions used two picks in this years draft for a player past his prime. Ngata is (or was) a fantastic force helping the Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII. His five Pro Bowl appearances are nothing to look lightly upon, but Ravens’ general manager Ozzie Newsome usually does not get burned when he allows a player to be moved off his roster via being traded or cut.

Ngata was due to make $8.5 million and it appeared he would not budge on restructuring his contract. Baltimore drafted both Timmy Jernigan and Brandon Williams the last two years in the second and third rounds. Their addition led to the subtraction of Nagata’s big cap number on the Ravens’ roster.

 

St. Louis Rams and Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles: Acquire quarterback Sam Bradford and a fifth-round pick in 2015

Rams: Acquire quarterback Nick Foles, a fourth-round pick in 2015, and a second-round pick in 2016

Winner – None it is a draw

 

Eagles head coach Chip Kelly has been the talk of the NFL, unloading every single noticeable name on their roster offensively. Last year, the team released receiver DeSean Jackson and last week traded running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills.

The latest blockbuster move by the Eagles is swapping quarterback Nick Foles for the Rams’ former No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford. Both quarterbacks are free agents in 2016 so each has a one year audition with their new clubs.

Foles had an amazing season in 2013 throwing 27 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. Last season Foles came crashing back to earth as he threw 10 picks and only 13 touchdowns passes. For a guy inherited by Kelly, Foles did not prove enough over the last two years to be considered for a long-term deal.

Bradford’s massive contract and history of injuries were simply too much for the Rams to bear. Bradford has been cursed with two ACL injuries and has never been the reliable quarterback St. Louis envisioned when they drafted him in 2010. He has made seven starts in the last two years and finished his career 18-30-1 overall as the Rams starting quarterback.

“Sam was a leader on our team in the locker room and on the field,” Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher said. “He was a great teammate who was dealt some adversity but handled it all with grace and dignity.”

Fresh starts for both quarterbacks and teams make this trade a draw for all parties involved.

Bo Marchionte is an NFL writer for Football Insiders and has covered the NFL for over a decade. His background includes being staff for the Texas vs. The Nation All-Star game as a talent evaluator for player personnel along with an internship scouting with the Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the Canadian Football League. Bo’s draft background includes working for the NFL Draft Bible and currently owns and operates College2Pro.com. He has done radio spots on NBC, Fox Sports and ESPN and their affiliates in different markets around the country. Bo covers the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Panthers along with other colleges in the northeast.

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