Another NFL trade deadline has come and gone, with no more deals until 4 p.m. ET March 18, when the new league year begins. Still, I am buzzing about the moves of a team that has never really impressed me. Also, below I’ll discuss a quarterback’s great fortune from one of those moves, and the remembrance of longtime NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
For all the years I worked in the NFL, the trade deadline came after Week 6 of the season, when most teams weren’t clear on whether they were in a buying or selling mode. It was moved to after Week 8 in 2012, though it was still not as late as in other sports, and that was all the NFL was willing to do until it was moved to after Week 9 before last season. While the NBA and Major League Baseball trading deadlines have generated more “buzz” later in the season, the NFL didn’t want teams to be able to “rent” players down the stretch, believing it would affect competitive balance. And a proposal I wrote—when I was with the Packers—about allowing teams to trade cap space was quickly dismissed by NFL powers.
Spinning to this year’s trade deadline, there was one team that was clearly a seller, as it moved on from its two best young defensive players, both of whom recently received contract extensions. The Jets traded Sauce Gardner to the Colts for two first-rounders and Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys for a second-rounder in 2026 and a first-rounder in ’27. The Jets recognized that their future success is certainly not coming anytime soon, and sold the present for future assets.
Sign Up. SI NFL Newsletter. Get MMQB’s Free Newsletter. dark
I usually don’t say this, but I think the Jets made some shrewd moves, especially with the Gardner trade. In structuring Gardner’s contract earlier this year, they paid a relatively modest signing bonus of $13.75 million, with a $20 million option bonus in 2026 that now becomes the Colts’ responsibility. To me, the steep price of two first-round picks surrendered for Gardner is something that should be reserved for ascending quarterbacks or truly premium pass rushers such as Micah Parsons or Myles Garrett. Also, acquiring a 2027 first-round pick from the Cowboys for Williams is going to be some nice deferred gratification for the Jets.
Of course, the key will be what the Jets’ front office does with those picks. Remember, this is a team that drafted Zach Wilson with the second pick in the 2021 draft. Having said that, the Jets, in my opinion, maximized their return on these players.
The Gardner trade indirectly contributed to generational wealth for his new quarterback. Daniel Jones signed a one-year, $14 million contract with the Colts in free agency and is set to hit the market again after the season. While the Colts drafted quarterback Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 pick in 2023, he was beaten out by Jones and is not their quarterback of the future. Now, having just ceded their first-round picks for 2026 and ’27 to the Jets, the Colts have no actual chips to either draft or trade for their quarterback of the future. All roads lead to Jones and the pot of gold waiting for him in Indianapolis.
When Jones signed with the Giants a couple of years ago, the going market for top-tier quarterbacks was a $40 million per year average, and Jones cashed $80 million over two years of that contract. Now, the going market rate for top-tier quarterbacks is $60 million per year. I am not saying he will receive that, and a franchise tag is a possibility. Still, the Colts’ acquisition of Gardner gave Jones extraordinary leverage for his next contract, as he is their only option at the game’s most important and lucrative position.
In discussing the business of the NFL, I often speak of commissioner Roger Goodell and his stewardship, which has made the NFL far and away the most popular and profitable sports league in history. That success was built on the backs of previous commissioners, most recently Bert Bell, Pete Rozelle and Paul Tagliabue.
I spent most of my time at the Packers working under Tagliabue’s leadership, before Goodell took over in 2006. There were differences in their leadership and management styles, mostly stemming from Tagliabue’s legal background. Indeed, while working many years at the prestigious firm of Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., one of his clients was the NFL. Goodell had a business background, working his way up through the league office, and is now the only commissioner of the four major men’s North American sports leagues who is not a lawyer.
Those differences between the two commissioners proved most stark in matters of discipline for player conduct. Tagliabue believed no league discipline should attach until the player’s situation had wended its way through the legal process. Thus, if we had a player accused of misconduct or arrested, we knew—on a purely practical level—that we would have his services until the full adjudication of his allegations. With Goodell, as I experienced firsthand at the Packers in one of his first disciplinary cases (I cannot share the player’s name), there was no such deference to the legal system. Goodell had no problem meting out discipline based on police reports or other evidence, choosing not to wait until the lawyers had their day in court. There was a new sheriff in town compared to Tagliabue’s cautious approach to player misconduct.
Tagliabue also had a strong, close relationship with NFL Players Association president Gene Upshaw. They were already close working partners before then, but that bond was strengthened in 2001 when both lost someone close to them in the September 11 attacks. The labor peace between those two leaders was in stark contrast to the contentiousness of recent labor negotiations between Goodell and NFLPA leadership under DeMaurice Smith.
Beyond his leadership of the league, I was most impressed with Tagliabue’s kind and humble presence. I particularly remember one time at a league meeting when I was at the pool, swimming with my son, and he was doing the same with his granddaughter. We sat in the water and just talked about parenting and grandparenting. I’m not sure he knew who I was or even whether I worked for one of his NFL teams; I was certainly not at a level where he would understand me. But he talked to me as if I were as important to him as a team owner. I will never forget that.
The NFL news cycle moved on quickly, but Tagliabue will be missed.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
