The 2025 NFL Trade Deadline was a wild day and quite the shakeup in the NFL landscape. Premier young cornerback Sauce Gardner was traded to the Colts for 2 first-round picks and second-year wide receiver AD Mitchell. Three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams was shipped to Dallas for a 2026 2nd and a 2027 1st round pick, as well as former first round defensive tackle Mazi Smith.

Jakobi Meyers is the new WR2 in Jacksonville, replacing the injured Travis Hunter. The last-place New York Jets now have five first round picks over the next two years, and yet some of the biggest names linked to trades remained with their teams past Tuesday’s deadline. Here is how the New Orleans Saints fared in their two trades.

Everybody loves a win-win trade. The surging Seahawks are in win-now mode and looking to capitalize on recent success, while the floundering Saints are rebuilding and acquiring assets for the future.

This was a huge acquisition for Seattle. In Rashid Shaheed, they get one of the league’s premier deep threats to pair with their elite young wide receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba. JSN has made his name known in 2025, averaging a ridiculous 118 yards per game through Week 9. Sam Darnold is an MVP candidate at the halfway point, ranking No. 3 in passer rating, No. 2 in QBR, and No. 1 in yards per attempt. He is also PFF’s highest-graded quarterback.

Shaheed gives Seattle’s passing game a new element—the ability to take the top off the defense. This addition creates more single-coverage matchups for Smith-Njigba, stretches the field, and, perhaps most importantly, forces defenses to respect the deep pass and lighten the box: creating better rushing opportunities for a run game that currently ranks No. 31 in the NFL in yards per attempt.

The 1-8 Saints acquired valuable draft capital for a player on an expiring contract. Rather than lose Shaheed in free agency and receive nothing in return, they dealt him for fourth- and fifth-round picks: fair compensation for a player not featured in the team’s future plans. That's decent value for an undrafted player.

Not only does New Orleans acquire future assets, but the trade also allows their fourth-year receiver the opportunity to play for a contender and maximize his value before hitting free agency. The only sour note is that the Saints gave up a fourth- and seventh-round pick for Devaughn Vele earlier in the season.

Now this one is a tough pill to swallow. The Saints drafted Trevor Penning in 2022 with the No. 19 overall pick, but he has not lived up to that selection. Penning missed most of his rookie year due to injury and later transitioned to guard after struggling at offensive tackle. He has been a well-below-average guard in his 46 games and 29 starts, never ranking inside the top 60 in PFF grade among guards. Still, the Saints at least get something in return before he hits free agency.

The Chargers, meanwhile, have been plagued by injuries along the offensive line all season. The most recent, and most significant, was a season-ending ankle injury to standout offensive tackle Joe Alt. Penning gives the Chargers much-needed depth along the offensive line in exchange for a sixth-round pick, which is great value for Los Angeles.