Week Nine of the NFL season brings one of football’s most important mid-year milestones: the 2023 NFL trade deadline. As teams take stock of their first half of the season, they’ll evaluate if there’s a missing piece that could help them on a playoff push or, with a spate of quarterback injuries, if it might make sense to bring on a veteran to help steer a franchise through challenging times. And some teams, off to insurmountably rocky starts, may look to be sellers at the deadline to accumulate draft capital for rebuilding in 2024 and beyond.
See below for a full roundup of what to know about the 2023 NFL trade deadline, including date and time, recent history, key terms and more.
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When is the 2023 NFL trade deadline?
The 2023 NFL trade deadline is set for today, Tuesday, October 31st at 4pm ET.
What time is the NFL trade deadline?
The trade deadline is 4pm ET on today, Tuesday, October 31st. Any swaps submitted after that cutoff will be invalid. Spooky!
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What is the NFL trade deadline?
The trade deadline is the cutoff point for midseason trades between teams, meaning that after that 4pm deadline, teams can’t make trades until the start of the new league year, March 13th, 2024. Teams can still acquire players via free agency or the waiver wire.
Can any player be traded?
Almost all players in the league are eligible to be traded to any team, with the exception of those players who have no-trade clauses in their contracts (and the specific stipulations of those no-trade clauses will vary player to player and contract to contract).
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What is the Waiver Wire?
The waiver wire is the system by which NFL clubs can release and claim players. Teams can make a player’s contract available to other teams by “waiving” that player - there is then generally a 24-hour period during which the other 31 teams in the league can either file a claim to obtain that player or “waive” their opportunity to do so. For more information on the waiver wire system, click here.
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ProFootballTalk has you covered with all the latest news, rumors and updates as we approach the trade deadline. Click here for the buzz around stars like Derrick Henry (TEN), DeAndre Hopkins (TEN), Kyler Murray (AZ) and more.
FAQs
When is the NFL trade deadline for the 2023 season? The 2023 NFL trade deadline is at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 31, entering Week 9.
How does the NFL trade deadline work? ›
The “trade deadline” setting determines if the league uses a deadline for trading players between teams. This option is offered to prevent teams from sandbagging their team at the end of the season by trading blue-chip players for average players.
Is NFL trade deadline Week 8 or 9? ›
The NFL trade deadline will be moving to the Tuesday after Week 9 beginning with the 2024 season. The rule change was approved Tuesday during the NFL's annual meetings.
Why is the NFL trade deadline so early? ›
The NFL trade deadline is generally quieter than other sports due to the salary cap, contracts, compensatory picks, and other reasons, including its early date in the season. However, the league has resisted pushing the deadline further, fearing it would incentivize tanking.
What week is the NFL trade deadline in 2023? ›
The 2023 NFL trade deadline falls on Halloween this year, with all trades required to be executed before 4 p.m. EST on Oct. 31.
Can players still be traded after the deadline? ›
Trades never actually go away. They are just severely limited after the deadline. There are other ways to acquire players after the trade deadline too. The league can't just say, no, that's it, you're not allowed to add new players after this date.
Can NFL teams pick up players after trade deadline? ›
How can teams acquire players after the NFL trade deadline? NFL teams can only acquire new players via free agency or through the waiver wire after the trade deadline.
When can NFL teams not trade? ›
The 2023 NFL trade deadline is set for today, Tuesday, October 31st at 4pm ET.
What time does the trade deadline hit? ›
For 2024, it is scheduled for July 30 at 6 p.m. ET. For many years, the Deadline was always on July 31 at 4 p.m. ET.
What time are NFL trades? ›
Players may be activated during the 21-day practice period, or prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the day after the conclusion of the 21-day period. Deadline for any player claiming the 2024 Injury Protection benefit to file a grievance. All trading ends for 2024 at 4:00 p.m., New York time.
They can wait until the deadline approaches to drive up the price tags on their players, to spark bidding wars. According to one executive we spoke to, even the worst teams — those with every intention of parting with any big leaguer of value — benefit from flexing their leverage muscles and waiting out the buyers.
How does NFL trade work? ›
Teams may negotiate trades at any time before and during the draft and can swap draft picks or current NFL players to whom they hold the rights. When teams agree to a trade during the draft, both clubs call the head table, where Fiore and staff monitor the league's phones.
Did the Dallas Cowboys make a trade before the deadline? ›
The NFL trade deadline passed Tuesday without the Dallas Cowboys making a move. That shouldn't come as a huge surprise considering that team owner and general manager Jerry Jones has been saying for the last week that a deal was unlikely.
Can NFL teams veto trades? ›
Teams with more than one team manager will only receive one vote. In this scenario your League Manager has the ultimate power to veto a trade or let it go through. The individual team managers still have a voice however.
When can the NFL start signing free agents? ›
March 13: The 2024 League Year and Free Agency signing period begin at 4:00 p.m., New York time. Trading period for 2024 begins at 4:00 p.m., New York time, after expiration of all 2023 contracts. The first day of the 2024 League Year will end at 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 13.
Why is there a trade deadline? ›
The “trade deadline” setting determines if the league uses a deadline for trading players between teams. This option is offered to prevent teams from sandbagging their team at the end of the season by trading blue-chip players for average players.
Can you make trades after the trade deadline NFL? ›
What is the NFL trade deadline? The trade deadline is the cutoff point for midseason trades between teams, meaning that after that 4pm deadline, teams can't make trades until the start of the new league year, March 13th, 2024. Teams can still acquire players via free agency or the waiver wire.
How do teams trade after the deadline? ›
Teams are not allowed to make trades of any kind after the deadline passes. They can trade again once their season ends.
What is the point of the trade deadline? ›
The Trade Deadline is the last point during the season at which players on 40-man rosters can be traded from one club to another. Those players may still be placed and claimed on outright waivers, but trades will no longer be permitted after July 30 at 6 p.m. ET.
