Titans trade faces scrutiny

The NFL trade deadline on November 12 saw 18 teams execute transactions to strengthen their rosters.

Sports analysts are now evaluating which of these moves carry a high risk of becoming financial burdens for the acquiring teams.

The primary concern stems from the 2025 deal in which the Indianapolis Colts traded two first-round picks to the New York Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner.

That transaction is widely regarded as a mistake, as the Colts are currently rebuilding while Gardner has underperformed to the worst level of his career in Indianapolis.

The most direct comparison to the Gardner deal involves the Tennessee Titans and the Chicago Bears.

The Titans sent defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to Chicago in exchange for two first-round picks.

Unlike the Gardner move, this trade appears to be functioning well for the Bears, who are contenders for the Super Bowl.

Simmons recorded a sack, a pass breakup, and a tackle for loss in his first two games.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a different kind of aggressive move by trading a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-rounder for defensive end Jordan Davis.

This acquisition addresses a void left by DaVon Hamilton's season-ending injury.

The Jaguars are competing for the top seed in the AFC, so the trade's success will depend on Davis improving their run defense and forcing opponents to change their blocking schemes.

The Houston Texans acquired Marvin Harrison Jr. from the Arizona Cardinals for a second-round pick to reunite him with quarterback C.J. Stroud on their college team, but early results show Harrison has not caught more than three passes in a game and has run only 29 routes in three appearances off the bench behind Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson, and Tank Dell. The Minnesota Vikings traded a third-round pick for quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is on pace for a career-high 40-touchdown season with the Las Vegas Raiders, and they are betting that his chemistry with coach Kevin O'Connell will improve after his previous tenure ended with an Achilles tear. The Dallas Cowboys traded a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-rounder to the Pittsburgh Steelers for cornerback Joey Porter Jr., but he has missed games due to illness and an ankle injury, leaving the value of the deal in question despite his status as an elite defender who has allowed only one career touchdown. The Seattle Seahawks acquired offensive guard Quenton Nelson from the Indianapolis Colts for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder, but his status remains week-to-week following a minor knee procedure, and he contributed to just 81 rushing yards in his debut against Seattle's stagnant running game.