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How the NFL Trade Deadline Works (2026 Deadline: Nov. 10)

The NFL trade deadline is the last moment of the season when teams can trade players and draft picks. In 2026 it falls on Tuesday, November 10, at 4 p.m. ET, the Tuesday after Week 9. After it, no trades are allowed until the 2027 trading period opens at 4 p.m. ET on March 11, 2027, although teams can still sign free agents and claim players on waivers (NFL.com).

When is the 2026 NFL trade deadline?

The 2026 NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 4 p.m. New York time. The league calendar puts it this way: "All trading ends for 2026 at 4:00 p.m., New York time." These are the dates around it, all from the league's 2026-27 important dates:

Date What happens
Nov 10, 2026, 4 p.m. ET Trade deadline: all trading ends for 2026
Nov 11, 2026 Players with at least four pension-credited seasons become subject to waivers for the rest of the season and postseason
Jan 9 to 10, 2027 Week 18, the final regular season weekend
Feb 14, 2027 Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium
Mar 11, 2027, 4 p.m. ET 2027 league year and trading period begin

How does the NFL trade deadline work?

The NFL trade deadline closes the trading period that opens at the start of each league year in March. Between those two points, any club can trade players, draft picks or both. Four rules shape what a deadline deal can look like:

  • The cutoff is a set time. Trades must be completed by 4 p.m. ET on deadline day, the time set in the league calendar.
  • Draft picks can go up to three years out. In March 2026 the Browns proposed allowing trades of picks five years ahead, then withdrew it before a vote, so the three-year limit stays (NFL.com).
  • The acquiring team needs cap space on the day of the trade. It takes on the player's contract as is, and needs room under the salary cap to fit him at that moment. It can restructure the deal afterward (Over the Cap).
  • Money already paid stays with the old team. Bonus money the former club has already paid remains that club's cap responsibility; the new club is responsible for the rest of the contract (Over the Cap).

What happens after the NFL trade deadline?

After the NFL trade deadline, no trades of any kind are allowed until the next league year begins. For 2026, that means nothing can be traded between 4 p.m. ET on November 10, 2026, and 4 p.m. ET on March 11, 2027.

Teams are not frozen, though. After the deadline they can still:

  • Sign free agents who are not under contract.
  • Claim players that other teams release, through the waiver system.

The deadline also changes how releases work. Until then, a released player with at least four pension-credited seasons is not subject to waivers and can choose his next team. From November 11, 2026, players with at least four pension-credited seasons are subject to waivers for the rest of the season and postseason, so a claiming team can take them first (NFL.com).

Teams can agree to a trade during the offseason, but it cannot become official until the new league year. The Lions and Rams agreed to the Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff trade in late January 2021, and it became official on March 18, 2021, once the new league year had started (NFL.com).

Why is the NFL trade deadline so early?

The NFL trade deadline falls after Week 9 of an 18-week regular season, roughly the midpoint. It used to be earlier: in 2023 it fell on the Tuesday after Week 8, October 31, because the league had not adjusted it when the schedule grew to 17 games in 2021. In March 2024, owners approved a Pittsburgh Steelers proposal moving it to the Tuesday after Week 9 (NFL.com).

Other clubs pushed for a deadline after Week 10, and that proposal failed. NFL.com reported that the league resisted a later deadline because it could "incentivize tanking."

Recent NFL trade deadline blockbusters

The 2025 deadline, on Tuesday, November 4, produced two major trades on deadline day, both involving the Jets:

Player From To Compensation
CB Sauce Gardner Jets Colts 2026 and 2027 first-round picks plus WR Adonai Mitchell (ESPN)
DT Quinnen Williams Jets Cowboys A 2027 first-round pick, a 2026 second-round pick and DT Mazi Smith (New York Jets)

The two deals left the Jets with three first-round picks in the 2027 draft (ESPN). The 2027 first they received from Dallas is the better of Dallas's two firsts that year, and one of those two came from Green Bay in the Micah Parsons deal. Our piece on the Micah Parsons trade follows where every pick in that deal ended up.

Once the deadline passes, teams can only add players through free agency and waivers, and the next milestone is the postseason, explained in our NFL playoff format guide.

Jerseys of the 2025 deadline's biggest names

Both headline players from the 2025 deadline are in the store: the Sauce Gardner Colts jersey and the Quinnen Williams Cowboys jersey. Whoever moves on November 10, every team is on the NFL jerseys page.

Frequently asked questions

What time is the NFL trade deadline in 2026?

The 2026 NFL trade deadline is 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, November 10, 2026. The league calendar says all trading ends for 2026 at that moment. It falls on the Tuesday after Week 9, the slot the NFL has used since owners moved the deadline back one week in 2024.

Can NFL teams trade after the trade deadline?

No. Once the deadline passes at 4 p.m. ET on November 10, 2026, no player or draft pick trades are allowed until the 2027 league year begins on March 11, 2027. Teams can agree to deals in principle during the offseason, but those trades only become official in the new league year.

What can NFL teams do after the trade deadline?

NFL teams can still sign free agents and claim released players through waivers after the deadline. From November 11, 2026, players with at least four pension-credited seasons are also subject to waivers when released, so other teams get a chance to claim them before they reach free agency.

When can NFL teams start trading again?

NFL teams can start trading again when the new league year opens. For the 2027 season, the trading period begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 11, 2027, after all 2026 contracts expire. That is also when free agency signings begin, so trades agreed earlier become official then.

How far ahead can NFL teams trade draft picks?

NFL teams can trade draft picks up to three years into the future. Cleveland proposed extending that limit to five years in 2026 but withdrew the proposal at the March league meeting before a vote, so trades still cannot include picks more than three drafts away, according to NFL.com.

Why did the NFL move the trade deadline?

The NFL moved the trade deadline from the Tuesday after Week 8 to the Tuesday after Week 9 starting in 2024. The Steelers proposed it because the deadline had not moved when the season grew to 17 games in 2021. Owners rejected a later deadline over concerns it could encourage tanking.

Sources

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