From Fred Dean to Christian McCaffrey: How midseason trades reshaped NFL history

The in-season trade market in the NFL traditionally was a bit more tepid than other sports because the difficulty of inserting a player into a brand new scheme on the fly made deals much less appealing for contenders.

That has changed in recent years with a newer generation of general managers more willing to take chances and a later trade deadline leading to more teams willing to plan more for the future than a late-season run.

The past three seasons have seen 50 trades between Oct. 1 and the deadline compared to just 16 from 2015-17, according to Spotrac. There have been some big-name players that were swapped like Christian McCaffrey, Leonard Williams, Montez Sweat, T.J. Hockenson, Roquan Smith and Bradley Chubb.

Even lower profile players have made a big impact in the postseason with midseason acquisition Mecole Hardman catching the game-winning touchdown in overtime for Kansas City in the 2023 season just months after the Chiefs acquired him from the New York Jets.

One team that has been aggressive in recent years when in contention has been the San Francisco 49ers, who added receiver Emmanuel Sanders in 2019, McCaffrey in 2022 and pass rusher Chase Young in 2023.

Now San Francisco is weighing whether to make a deal before the deadline this year on Nov. 4.

“Sometimes there’s one guy who can only help this year. Sometimes there isn’t a guy available who’s like that,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “So, we’ll see what comes up. Sometimes things come up, but I don’t see it any different right now than how I felt going into the year.”

Here’s a look at some impactful midseason trades in NFL history:

Fred Dean to 49ers in 1981

The San Francisco dynasty of the 1980s behind Bill Walsh and Joe Montana was launched when the 49ers pulled off a deal in October for one of the game’s top pass rushers. Dean was in a contract dispute with the San Diego Chargers when San Francisco acquired him for a second-round pick.

Dean recorded two sacks in his first game for the Niners, leading the team to a 45-14 win over NFC power Dallas that announced San Francisco as legitimate contenders. He had 12 sacks in 11 games for San Francisco that season and helped the team win its first Super Bowl.

Mike Haynes to Raiders in 1983

Haynes was sitting out in a contract dispute in New England in 1983 when the Raiders acquired him for a future first and second-round pick. Haynes had already established himself as one of the game’s top cornerbacks and was exactly what the Raiders needed to pair with Lester Hayes.

The Raiders went from a bottom 10 defense in scoring before Haynes arrival to one of the better ones down the stretch thanks in large part to the addition of Haynes. He had an interception in the Super Bowl win over Washington later that season.

Herschel Walker to Vikings in 1989

Perhaps the most impactful midseason trade ever turned out to benefit the team giving up the star player the most. Dallas unloaded its best player in the first season with Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson in charge and got the pieces that helped build a dynasty.

The Cowboys got a package that ultimately led to eight draft picks, including three first-rounders. Dallas used those picks to help draft Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith and key contributors to three Super Bowl wins like Darren Woodson, Kevin Smith and Russell Maryland.

The Vikings didn’t win a playoff game in two-plus seasons with Walker.

Marshawn Lynch to Seahawks in 2010

Seattle traded two midround picks to Buffalo for Lynch early in Pete Carroll’s first season as coach and the player known as “Beast Mode” helped make the Seahawks a contender.

Seattle reached the playoffs that first season and Lynch’s 67-yard Beast Quake run helped eliminate defending champion New Orleans from the playoffs.

Lynch then had four straight seasons with at least 1,200 yards rushing as the perfect complement to the Legion of Boom defense and had four TD runs in the playoffs on the way to a Super Bowl title in the 2013 season. The Seahawks might have won a second championship with Lynch had they given him the ball at the 1 at the end of the Super Bowl the next season against New England.

Von Miller to Rams in 2021

The Rams had been aggressive under GM Les Snead and coach Sean McVay and had made a major midseason trade for Jalen Ramsey in 2019 that helped transform their defense.

But they still needed more in 2021 even after acquiring quarterback Matthew Stafford in the offseason. Those additions came in November that season when they dealt two future day two draft picks for pass rush help in Miller and also signed the recently released Odell Beckham Jr. as another receiving option.

Miller delivered four sacks in the playoffs, including two in the Super Bowl win over Cincinnati. Beckham caught a TD pass against the Bengals before going down with a major knee injury but it’s likely the Rams wouldn’t have been champs without both.

McCaffrey to 49ers in 2022

The following season the Rams’ division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, outbid Los Angeles and got the biggest prize of the trade season in a deal for McCaffrey.

The do-everything back transformed an offense that had been stagnating and helped the Niners reach the NFC title game that season before losing at Philadelphia when they had no healthy quarterbacks available.

McCaffrey then won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award the following season when he helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl before an overtime loss to Kansas City.

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