Ranking the 14 best NFL offseason moves, from blockbuster trades to splashy signings

The NFL rests for no one. On the surface, this NFL offseason didn’t come with a loaded free-agent class or a draft that promised headlines.

Instead, the news cycle was dominated in the trade market, the coaching cycle or some teams landing key pieces that might not sell a lot of jerseys. The Raiders won’t win any awards for signing Tyler Linderbaum, but he might be a difference-maker for the rebuild in Las Vegas.

Then there are the flashy moves, like the Myles Garrett blockbuster or the Jaylen Waddle trade that came before that.

The games on the field won’t start until September, but teams have been competing off the field in the meantime. And some are bigger winners than others.

Here are the 14 best offseason moves ranked.

OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans)

<1 / 4

OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans)

<2 / 4

CB Trent McDuffie: Traded to Los Angeles Rams (previous team: Kansas City Chiefs)

<3 / 4

RB David Montgomery: Traded to Houston Texans (previous team: Detroit Lions)

<4 / 4

WR DJ Moore: Traded to Buffalo Bills (previous team: Chicago Bears)

The Rams saw they had a hole in the secondary and addressed it in a way that only they can – by throwing draft picks at the problem. L.A. dealt a package of picks to the Chiefs in exchange for the All-Pro corner, who should star in a star-studded defense.
trade up for Makai Lemon

A.J. Brown wasn’t playing for the Eagles in 2026 and the team recognized that. It meant the team would have to face reality and seek help in free agency or the draft. Philly found that help in Lemon, who slid down the board in the first round. The pick required some maneuvering, but it was exactly what the Eagles needed. Lemon should be seeing the ball plenty in his rookie season.

The Vikings didn’t receive good enough quarterback play in 2025. For the second year in a row, injuries were the story of J.J. McCarthy’s season and Sam Darnold wasn’t there to save him this time. Murray has his faults, but he is proven and has never played in an offense like Kevin O’Connell’s. Either Murray pushes McCarthy to be the best version of himself, or Murray takes over the starting job. It’s hard to be against either option.

In the NFL, success starts at the top. After all, winning with a bad coach is nearly impossible. Whether Kubiak becomes a good head coach is anyone’s guess, but he certainly has the tools. A good offensive mind, Kubiak comes from a family of coaches and just coordinated a dominant Seahawks offense to a Super Bowl victory. And with the Raiders‘ crop of young skill position talent, he is primed for immediate success in the desert.

A shoulder injury slowed Greenard’s 2025 season, limiting him to just three sacks after two consecutive seasons with at least 12. Expect the pass-rusher to return to form in 2026 with the Eagles, who collect defensive line talent as a hobby. Surrounded by the likes of Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and others, Greenard’s path to the quarterback just got a lot easier. And it only cost the Eagles a pair of third-round picks. That’s some good business.

Trading up for Downs is part of a larger philosophy that the Cowboys have used in the post-Micah Parsons era – fix the defense without breaking the bank. Downs didn’t check off the positional value box early in the first round, but he should be the next star to emerge in Dallas.

The Giants have been living in the NFL’s basement for years, a fall from grace for a once-proud franchise that lauded its Super Bowl titles and rich history. It’s something that “Big Blue” hopes to return to in the Harbaugh era, who raises the floor to at least the ground level – and that’s a big deal. The Giants have just two winning seasons in the last 10 years and five of those seasons ended with four wins or fewer. Harbaugh’s time in Baltimore might’ve run out, but he brings credibility and stability to an organization in desperate need of that.

The running back committee didn’t work and neither did the Chiefs’ roster in 2025. Signing the Super Bowl 60 MVP goes a long way in fixing that, giving the Chiefs another option on offense that could potentially open up the passing attack once again.

Cincinnati‘s defense allowed the second-most yards per game in the league last season (380.9) and it is desperate to avoid a repeat. Trading for Lawrence is the headliner of the Bengals‘ offseason transformation, which prioritized defense in free agency and the draft. Lawrence is the type of player you can build a defense around and he fits the team’s timeline to win now.

If “see ball, get ball” were a transaction. The Patriots needed a WR1 for Drake Maye to take New England‘s offense to the next level and acted on instinct to make it happen. Brown was available, and the Patriots were essentially the only team in the running. That’s all there is to it. Acquiring star talent doesn’t always have to be difficult.

The Chargers‘ decision to hire McDaniel as offensive coordinator changed the team’s outlook more than any single free-agent signing or draft pick could this offseason. Known for his creativity, McDaniel will utilize endless motion, speed and more to build an offense that is quarterbacked by one of the league’s best in Justin Herbert. Expect the new OC to design a more lethal rushing attack and significantly raise the Chargers’ ceiling in 2026.

Sean Payton’s offense was missing something. Between the running back committee and a lack of proven receivers behind Courtland Sutton, Denver needed to change that this offseason. Waddle fits that mold perfectly, giving Bo Nix an option that makes a living in the middle of the field. Given Waddle’s explosiveness and ability to make plays after the catch, he is the kind of receiver that the Broncos needed to open up the offense.

The Raiders might’ve nailed their head coaching hire on paper, but that wasn’t going to be enough to transform the league’s worst team. They also needed to improve in the trenches and did so in a big way by inking Linderbaum to a massive free agent deal. Overpay? Maybe. Necessary? Absolutely. After all, it doesn’t matter how good Fernando Mendoza is if he can’t remain upright. Luckily for Vegas, they secured one of the league’s best centers for years to come.

One of the biggest trades in NFL history tops the charts here. Shocking, right? The Garrett deal rocked the football world in more ways than one, establishing a super team in the City of Angels. With no clear areas of weakness across the depth chart, the Rams might be the team to beat. At the very least, you won’t want to play against them in Madden. On the bright side for the other 31 teams, they play games in real life. And that might be the only bright side when the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year joins arguably the league’s best team.