THREE MEGA-DEALS!! Examining & Grading Each Trade

 Oh my god. After the recent deals the past few weeks, this was already one of the most active and wild NFL off-seasons EVER already, and with three deals that are some of the biggest in recent memory all going down in the past week, it is OFFICIALLY the craziest NFL off-season of all time not even a debate...and we aren't even at the draft yet. Deshaun Watson shocked everyone by deciding to go to Cleveland, the Packers stunned the world by moving Davante Adams, and then the Colts made a big move in bringing in former MVP QB Matt Ryan. We will get into all 6 sides of the deals!
Side Note: Another nice deal that happened over the weekend was WR Robert Woods heading from the Rams to Titans for a 6th rounder, it's not as big as these other ones so I won't give it a whole section here, but I think this is an A trade for the Titans and a D for the Rams...

Blockbuster 1

Raiders receive:
-WR Davante Adams

Packers receive:
-2022 first round pick (no. 23 overall)
-2022 second round pick (no. 53 overall

Raiders - A+

Are you kiddin' me Raiders? What a move. Wow. With the entire AFC West bulking up this off-season, the Raiders felt a little left out. The Chargers picked up Khalil Mack and JC Jackson, the Broncos brought in Russell Wilson along with Randy Gregory, and the Chiefs are still the Chiefs. The Raiders felt a bit behind. Then this move came out of the left field. For just two draft picks (ONLY ONE FIRST) the Raiders added arguably the best WR in the NFL!! Amari Cooper went from the Raiders to the Cowboys a few years back for just a first, and now for just a first and a second, the Raiders added one of the best offensive players in football. Suddenly the Raiders are looking very real. Adams is going to team up with his former college QB and good friend Derek Carr. Adams will slot into an offense already boasting pro bowl caliber pass catchers Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller. They now own arguably the two best route running receivers in football. After signing sack master Chandler Jones in FA along with this move, the Raiders suddenly look like a real contender themselves. What a move by the new front office.

Packers - D

This makes no sense to me. I get that you have no money with the salary cap hell you are in and how you just signed Aaron Rodgers to the mega deal of all mega deals, but this just doesn't make sense. They couldn't win it all with their roster last year, and now you are telling me they are going to try to with literally no receivers on the roster. If you were always going to trade Adams like they said they were, then why wouldn't they just move on from Rodgers as well and roll with Jordan Love? Moving Adams just kinda destroys the timeline we thought they were on, they will obviously have to add at WR because as of now they have literally no one. Not even Marquez Valdes-Scantling or Robert Tonyan to say the least. Randall Cobb cannot be your WR1. Also, that is an awful return for Adams. A first and a second is good value, but you could have gotten a lot more for Adams in my opinion. Adams is still firmly in his prime and is one of the best non-QBs in the entire NFL. You are telling me he's only worth a second rounder more than what Amari Cooper was worth a few years back? I don't know about this move at all for Green Bay, and while they can get a WR with one of their two first rounders, this move could end up creating a lot of disgruntled players in GB this coming season...

Blockbuster 2

Browns receive:
-QB Deshaun Watson
-2024 sixth round pick

Texans receive:
-2022, 23, & 24 first round picks (no. 13 in 2022)
-2023 third round pick
-2022 & 2024 fourth round picks

Browns - B+

Don't get me wrong, this was a great move for the Browns, but it's only not in A range because of the inevitably high price it costed them. Three firsts and then some, but the Browns OFFICIALLY and FINALLY have their QB of the future FOR SURE. We all know how many QBs they've been through over the past 20 years, but now they officially have their guy for the next 8 or so years. Watson is a superstar. He is smart, mobile, accurate, a great leader, and has a huge arm. He is a combined package of everything the Browns have looked for in a QB for decades. Losing out on all of those picks will be tough for the very long term future, but the Browns have built up a beautiful roster that really has just been a QB away for some time now. Those pick aren't too needed for the team, especially with their great trade for Amari Cooper a week prior. Watson suddenly has a Super Bowl contending team around him. He's got the OL, he's got the best running game in the league, and he has a pretty good WR core as well. Behind him, the Browns' defense is elite as well. While it was one of the biggest trade costs in NFL history (including a mega-extension that followed the trade) I think the cost will be well worth it as the Browns suddenly look like a surefire top 5 roster in the NFL and could be in the Super Bowl this coming year despite playing in a loaded AFC.

Texans - A+

Great job from GM Nick Caserio. He originally came into the job and was unwilling to move Watson, but as his time in Houston went on, he finally realized it was inevitable and he just secured one of the best returns in NFL history. For a guy who the whole world knows isn't going to play for your team again, the Texans got back a king's ransom...and then some. The Texans smartly drafted a guy like Davis Mills somewhat early last year, and to their pleasant surprise, looks like he could have potential to be a franchise guy for them. Now the Texans have two firsts for each of the next 3 seasons along with many other picks and improving cap space. Houston is going to have picks 3 and 13 in this draft alone which will be huge for starting to build up their new core. I think this was a great job for the Texans as they get rid of the looming cloud over their franchise and now have unlimited assets for the future of this team going forward with new HC Lovie Smith and QB Davis Mills.

Blockbuster 3

Colts receive:
-QB Matt Ryan

Falcons receive:
-2022 third round pick

Colts - A

Patience really paid off for the Colts here. After backing themselves into a bit of a corner following the Carson Wentz trade, the market broke beautifully for them as they were able to turn around and flip one of the picks they got for Wentz for a better QB in Matt Ryan. For Wentz they received multiple high draft picks, and still have a few of those left having only had to give a single third to acquire the former MVP QB Matt Ryan. While this will be the fifth straight year that Indy will have a new week 1 starter, I think this not only is the best of them (other than Andrew Luck), but the best roster surrounding the said QB as well. Ryan did have a bit of a down year in Atlanta and is 36 years old, but a lot of that can be accredited to the terrible situation around him. Ryan really only had one good target to work with and one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL along with a terrible defense that couldn't stop anyone. Ryan now comes to one of the better offensive lines in football and will have the best RB in football behind him and an elite defense to help him out on the other side. WR Michael Pittman is going to be a breath of fresh air for him to air it out to as well. The Colts feel like instant contenders in a weak AFC South and with Ryan at the helm, could be a true Super Bowl contender. I love this move for the Colts who gave up very little for a guy who could change everything for this team, and the best part, the Falcons are paying for a lot of Ryan's immense salary meaning the Colts still have cap space to work with...(Julio Jones to Indy??)

Falcons - B-

This is a tough one to grade for the Falcons. They were backed into such a terrible situation that this move basically had to be done for them to eventually be able to move on and improve at some point, this season will not be that year. With the trade of Ryan, the Falcons will take on the largest dead cap hit in NFL history at over $45 million this season. With holes upon holes on this roster, the Falcons simply will be bad this year. I liked the quick move to sign QB Marcus Mariota who can be a great bridgegap QB for this and maybe next year as well, he's an underrated young QB who deserves his second chance and is familiar with HC Arthur Smith from Tennessee. This move had to be done, and until it was made, the Falcons were just going to go into deeper and deeper s$*t. Now that it is out of the way, they can take their time and begin to retool. The 8th pick in the draft will be huge for them, and with so many needs, whoever the best player available is is who they should go with. Getting the third in return is nice as with Ryan's age and contract, I didn't know if they would even be able to get anything close to decent back for him. While this move hurts badly short term, it had to be done for long term success, and props to the team for getting it done.