Why Adam Schefter is ready for a trade frenzy this offseason
The 2026 NFL offseason is now officially underway after Super Bowl 60. NFL Free Agency is the first big milestone on the league calendar this offseason. But one NFL insider believes trades may actually be the most exciting part of the NFL this spring.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter explained during a recent podcast episode why he expects more trading during the 2026 NFL offseason.
“I’ve had general managers, front office executives, scouts look at this free agent class and say it’s not a great class,” Schefter said on The Adam Schefter Podcast Tuesday. “These teams have done a great job of locking up their players for the long haul and making sure they don’t come to free agency. When we talk about the draft, and we’ll see how it shakes out over time, people aren’t all that excited about the draft either. So we have a free agency class that’s not very deep. We looked at the draft as being really deep.”
Schefter suggested NFL teams could instead turn to the trade market to add talent this offseason.
“That tells me we might get more turnover and business than we’ve had in other years,” Schefter added. “I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but that seems to be the trend in recent years. Teams have been more willing and open to big trades. We’ve seen it at the trade deadline each of the last few years, especially this past year.”
The trade deadline included some big trades during the 2025 season. One example is Seahawks acquire VR Rashid Shaheed from Saints. The move worked out well for Seattle, helping them eventually win the Super Bowl.
Schefter clearly thinks this trend of acquiring talent via trade will continue in the offseason.
“Teams are not afraid to make a big deal,” Schefter concluded. “With this free agent class, in the eyes of some, considered a little worse, and with this working class, considered, in the eyes of some, a little less … it wouldn’t surprise me to see an increase in trading activity.”
Hopefully NFL teams will delight their fans with plenty of exciting trades later this spring.
2026-02-11 15:10:00
