Before the NFL added an extra week to the regular season, they moved the trade deadline from the Tuesday after Week 6 to the Tuesday after Week 8. Now that there’s an extra week in the regular season, several teams want to change the trade deadline again.
One idea is to move it back by one week, and another suggestion is to delay it by two weeks. During a conference call on Thursday, Competition Committee chairman Rick McKay discussed these proposals. He explained that historically, the NFL had an early trade deadline to keep the league competitive every week.
However, after experimenting with moving it back, they found it worked well around the midpoint of the season when every team still had a chance.
Now, the Steelers want to move the deadline to the Tuesday after Week 9, while other teams like the Browns, Lions, Jets, Eagles, 49ers, and Commanders prefer a two-week delay.
McKay mentioned that there was a lot of discussion about it but didn’t reveal the Committee’s stance. He acknowledged concerns about moving the deadline too late, which could affect the reasons behind trades.
When asked about the two different proposals, McKay explained that each team has its reasons for their preference. The Browns, for example, proposed one week to adjust to the 17th regular-season game and another week in preparation for a potential 18th game in the future.
