Evaluating NFL trades is an inexact science. In the moment, we can compare deals to similar ones from the past or look at what the widely held expectations were for a swap, but teams have information and insights that we don't necessarily have on the outside.
Let's grade trades from the 2025 NFL season. When a deal happens, we often hear the old adage that it will take years to know how well each team did in the deal. To that I say: nonsense. General managers don't get the benefit of hindsight while they are making their decisions, so why should we when evaluating those decisions?