Why The NFL Trade Deadline Date Hurt Colts
The NFL has expanded just about everything in recent years. The league has more games and playoff matchups than ever before in history.
Yet, the NFL trade deadline has remained the same since 2012.
The Indianapolis Colts could have benefitted this season from a different NFL trade deadline date -- one that was at least a couple weeks later.
The Colts aren't alone. Entering Week 9, there are 13 NFL teams who aren't currently in a playoff spot but are within 1.5 games or less of a wild card position.
Those teams in playoff purgatory, like the Colts, weren't buyers on Tuesday. But they weren't really sellers either. Of those 13 teams within "striking distance" of a playoff spot Tuesday, only the Washington Commanders and Green Bay Packers traded away a significant player.
And it took the Commanders being in a unique situation with two star players for their trades to occur.
The Colts could have traded away Michael Pittman Jr. or Julian Blackmon. Both are on expiring contracts as defensive linemen Montez Sweat and Chase Young are. Washington traded both Sweat and Young on Tuesday.
But losing Pittman and Blackmon would have severely hurt Indianapolis' chances of not only competing for the rest of 2023, but fielding a competent wide receiver and safety corps.
Those moves would have been more realistic if the Colts were definitely out of the race. However, they aren't entering Week 9.
That's why the Colts didn't trade anyone away. They didn't acquire anyone either because they aren't really contenders at 3-5.
That could possibly change if the Colts won two or three in a row to begin November. But by then, it's too late for general manager Chris Ballard to add a piece to the roster.
Should the NFL have its trade deadline on November 15 or even November 22 instead of October 31, though, things would be different.
More than likely, the Colts will either be out of the playoff hunt or know for sure if Gardner Minshew has a chance to lead Indianapolis to the playoffs by Thanksgiving.
Furthermore, with fewer games remaining by the next holiday, the Colts would likely have less of a concern about keeping a player just so they have enough bodies at a position.
Current NFL general managers have proven to be far more interested in trades than in years past. But with 14 playoff spots and an extra week of the season, a Halloween trade deadline is too early.
Even the Chicago Bears, who are 2-6, are just two games out of the final NFC wild card spot right now.
Simply put, there wasn't enough sellers on Tuesday to make for a really interesting NFL trade deadline. The best way to generate more potential trades and help teams such as the Colts make better long-term decisions is to push back the NFL trade deadline.
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