For one, the number of in-season trades has soared this century, and there’s a “pretty defined line of demarcation” starting in 2015. In 11 seasons from 2004-14, there were 53 in-season trades across the league. In the next 11 seasons (2015-25), the tally grew to 155.
(Popper and Sando excluded 2002-03 in order to have two equal timeframes to compare.)
The surge of in-season trades was even more apparent from 2020 through 2025, with 100 of them. There are likely numerous factors why, including the league pushing the deadline in 2012 from Week 6 to Week 8, and again in 2024 to after Week 9. That gives teams more time for conversations about players and extends more clarity about their playoff chances.
Curious how the Vikings have reacted to the trend? Well, from 2004-14 they signed off on three in-season trades, and from 2015-25, they executed nine. Their +6 difference sits in the middle of the pack relative to other clubs — not close to the Jets +15 change or the Bucs at -7; Seattle, interestingly is the only other team in those stretches to make fewer trades (-1) in the latter, granted they are one of the busier franchises over both time spans.
A couple other conclusions drawn by Popper and Sando center around teams being more aggressive with pick-for-player trades, and a willingness to part with sixth- and seventh-round selections.
