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The slowest point of the NFL offseason is upon us. Most teams have packed up for the summer, while nearly a dozen others will finish up minicamp this week.
This is the ideal time to take stock of the splash moves that defined the past five months. Since late February, when league executives huddled in hotel lobbies and convention center hallways at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, we've seen several non-quarterback stars moved for hefty draft capital.
Bold selections were made during April's draft. A few more deals were made soon after, with one of the best pass rushers of all time headed west. ESPN talked to league scouts, executives and coaches about their favorite offseason moves after the dust settled. Some answers were predictable and others surprising.
Jump to a topic:
Broncos’ Waddle deal | Garrett trade
Pats add Brown | Niners-Cowboys pact
Saints draft Tyson | Panthers’ affordable OT
Bengals go big | Controversial draft pick
Broncos add juice with Jaylen Waddle
The Broncos had targeted Waddle for months leading up to his eventual trade on March 17. First, they attempted to acquire him at the Nov. 4 trade deadline. Then they tried again before free agency.
Miami was noncommittal at first but eventually warmed to the trade, which netted the Dolphins first-, third- and fourth-round picks in exchange for Waddle and a fourth-rounder. Waddle is an ideal fit for coach Sean Payton and the Broncos, who lost 10-7 to New England in the AFC title game after Denver quarterback Bo Nix fractured an ankle late in the prior game. And word out of OTAs is Waddle has been highly impressive.
"The move just makes a lot of sense for them because of the player fit. He's perfect for Sean; a good route-runner who can get in and out of his breaks in the short-to-intermediate area and can also get loose deep," said a personnel executive with an NFL team. "They gave up a lot for him, but they targeted a player they needed and made it happen." Evaluators also noted that Waddle's reasonable contract — Denver owes the 27-year-old around $41.2 million over the next two years — enhanced the trade value.
Browns trade Myles Garrett to Rams
Not many are knocking this trade, largely because of where both teams are in their roster-building process.
The Rams have a ready-made offense with Matthew Stafford orchestrating touchdown drives, and as the team set out to improve its defense with elite playmakers, hounding Cleveland for Garrett’s services was the play. With SoFi Stadium hosting the Super Bowl in February, the Rams are making a play to represent the NFC at home. “If the presence of Garrett also nets them Aaron Donald coming out of retirement, that’s an even better trade,” an NFC executive noted.
Many executives feel that if the Browns were compelled to trade a player of Garrett's caliber, Cleveland probably got out at the right time.
The Browns got nine amazing years from Garrett and still owed him $179 million over the course of his contract.
Cleveland received what it equates to about three first-round picks in overall value: star pass rusher Jared Verse (a former first-round pick who was the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year), a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-rounder.
"The Browns understood that even though the roster has pieces, it's not a finished product and is still without a long-term solution at quarterback," an NFC scout said. "It was a good understanding of where they sit."
Stephen A.: Rams are Super Bowl favorites after adding Myles Garrett
Patriots acquire A.J. Brown in trade with Eagles
This trade was far less dramatic than the Garrett deal, even though both occurred June 1. The Eagles and the Patriots were linked to the Brown deal well before the draft.
The Patriots ultimately gave up first- and fifth-round picks for Brown. Not everyone lauded the trade for New England. "Knee, character and picks," said one executive with an NFL team about the downside of the Brown trade. One of Brown's knees has "wear and tear" that the Pats were comfortable with, general manager Eliot Wolf told Yahoo Sports. Other teams knew about the knee issue. And Brown’s sideline behavior throughout the 2025 Eagles’ season made other teams wonder how he would fit into a new locker room. But multiple coaches say Brown is ideal for New England because of his relationship with coach Mike Vrabel, who can check him and his schematic fit with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
"He changes the math on the field," an NFL coordinator said of Brown. "Defenses have to account for him, often with more than one body. He can still get yards after catch, and he wins 50-50 balls. That's something New England's offense didn't have last year."
New England also can consider the Brown trade a win in that it didn't give up a Day 2 pick in addition to a first-rounder.
One evaluator finds it a necessary trade for the Eagles but not a resounding win for the franchise. "I get why they did it, and they got the best return they could, but it's hard to see where this trade makes them better," an AFC executive said.
49ers trade third-round pick for Osa Odighizuwa
The free agency class was weak at defensive tackle, so San Francisco tapped into the previous class to find one.
Odighizuwa was the Cowboys' franchise-tagged player in March 2025, eventually agreeing to a four-year, $80 million deal. This March, the Niners tried to sign interior rusher John Franklin-Myers, who agreed to terms with Tennessee. They then pivoted to Odighizuwa, who was expendable due to the Cowboys’ acquisition of Quinnen Williams in November.
Getting a quality tackle for a third-round pick was considered solid value. "Good player, perfect scheme fit, good pricing, excellent contract to inherit," an NFC executive said of why San Francisco made a sound move.
Saints draft Jordyn Tyson at No. 8
Tyson, the talented wide receiver out of Arizona State, had the highest upside of the wideouts in the draft, according to multiple teams, though Ohio State’s Carnell Tate was considered the safest prospect at that position.
Tate went at No. 4 to Tennessee, which created urgency for teams eyeing Tyson. New Orleans stood pat at No. 8 and selected him.
"They could have gone defense, but in my opinion, the move to help the quarterback [Tyler Shough] was the right one,” an AFC executive said of Tyson. “And his game really complements Chris Olave’s well.”
The thought process: Tyson is great on intermediate and underneath routes, while Olave can work the deep portion of the field.
Panthers sign Rasheed Walker at discount
Walker entered free agency with top billing at left tackle, which usually pays handsomely. In March 2025, Dan Moore Jr. received a four-year, $82 million contract from Tennessee. But the league seemed to push back on inflated tackle contracts this free agency cycle. That perception, coupled with Walker’s late-season struggles and a January arrest at New York’s LaGuardia Airport for a gun charge, likely crashed Walker’s hopes of a big payday.
Carolina capitalized on a suppressed market by signing Walker to a one-year, $4 million contract that carries an additional $6 million in incentives, a deal that shocked many around the league.
"Nobody was paying him $20 million [a year], but no way I thought it would be that low," an AFC executive said. "Capable tackles usually get way more than that. That's a great deal for Carolina. I'm thinking many teams would have done that deal."
Bengals deal for Dexter Lawrence
Cincinnati was not assured to get its desired defensive player with the 10th pick in April's draft, and with Lawrence's trade request from the Giants sincere, the Bengals outbid other suitors for him.
As one AFC executive put it, teams have given up more for worse players in the past. And by extending Lawrence's contract, Cincinnati is on the hook for $70 million over three years, which is relatively affordable for ESPN’s No. 1 interior defensive lineman in 2025.
Zac Taylor excited by what Dexter Lawrence brings to Bengals
"Cincinnati wasn't getting close to that kind of deal with Trey Hendrickson [now with the Ravens], and here they get a premier defensive tackle, which you can build a defense around,” an AFC executive said.
49ers draft De’Zhaun Stribling at No. 33
Many evaluators liked this pickup at No. 33, though it was questioned by fans and media members at the time as one of April's biggest surprises. Stribling was a late riser in the process, and he is considered an ideal fit for coach Kyle Shanahan's offense.
"He was going within the first five to 10 picks in the second round," an NFC executive said. "That was not a reach at all. He can really play."
