NFL Trade Deadline 2022: Twitter Reacts to Trades, Fails, Surprises and Non-Deals

The 2022 NFL trade deadline came and went Tuesday. While the National Football League rarely sees the flurry of activity that other leagues have—specifically MLB—there was quite a bit of activity ahead of this year's by the 4 p.m. ET cutoff.

The deadline action really began on Oct. 20, when the San Francisco 49ers acquired star running back Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers.

McCaffrey saw a significant workload Sunday in his second game as a 49er. In a 31-14 rout of the NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams, McCaffrey logged 94 rushing yards, 55 receiving yards and 34 passing yards while scoring touchdowns in all three categories.

The 26-year-old's breakout performance definitely had social media buzzing.

Acquiring McCaffrey cost the 49ers second-, third- and fourth-round picks in 2023. Already, some believe that was a good deal for San Francisco.

While McCaffrey was the trade-deadline story of Sunday, he didn't remain at the center of the spotlight. On Monday, the Chicago Bears dealt star linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for 2023 second- and fifth-round picks along with linebacker A.J. Klein.

The Smith trade came mere days after the Bears sent standout pass-rusher Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2023 fourth-round pick.

It seems the Bears are signaling they're looking to rebuild long-term. Some believe that this is a gutsy route that is smart for Chicago to take.

Naturally, others believe Chicago is taking a major risk.

Smith is an absolute difference-maker, and he'll be a major asset for the Ravens. This season the 25-year-old has a league-leading 83 tackles, 52 solo stops, three passes defended, two interceptions, 2.5 sacks, and five quarterback pressures. He has allowed an opposing passer rating of only 73.2 in coverage.

Plenty of folks are excited to see what Smith can bring to a Ravens defense that ranks 24th in yards allowed and 20th in points surrendered.

Another notable name was Tuesday, as the Detroit Lions sent 2020 Pro Bowler T.J. Hockenson to the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings.

The move made perfect sense for the Vikings, who are sitting at 6-1 and believe that tight end Irv Smith Jr. is expected to miss 8-10 weeks with a high ankle sprain. Hockenson topped 700 receiving yards during his Pro Bowl campaign and has 26 receptions for 395 yards and three touchdowns this season.

While the Lions are getting a 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 third-round in exchange for Hockenson, a 2023 fourth-round pick and a 2024 conditional fourth-round pick, the idea of Detroit helping out a division rival is a bit perplexing.

Unsurprisingly, some Green Bay Packers fans weren't too happy that their team wasn't the one willing to strike a deal with Detroit.

The Packers also missed out on trading for Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Chase Claypool. He was dealt to the Bears instead, who have clearly prioritized building around Justin Fields over winning this season.

Yep, that's another pass-catcher to an NFC North team that isn't Green Bay.

According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, the Steelers will get a second-round pick in return for the Notre Dame product.

The Steelers also acquired Washington Commanders cornerback William Jackson III, according to Rapoport. This could be seen as a big win for Washington, which was largely expected to release the 30-year-old if a trade didn't materialize.

The Miami Dolphins, on the other hand, are in win-now mode. They made a blockbuster trade for Denver Broncos pass-rusher Bradley Chubb just before the deadline. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Denver will get San Francisco's 2023 first-round pick (acquired in the Trey Lance trade), a 2024 fourth-round pick and running back Chase Edmonds for Chubb and a 2025 fifth-rounder.

The Dolphins are also expected to work out a new long-term deal with Chubb—who is an impending 2023 free agent—per Schefter.

In Miami, Chubb will pair with 2021 first-round pick Jaelan Phillips to give the Dolphins one of the more intriguing young defensive tandems in the conference.

Miami also acquired running back Jeff Wilson Jr. from the 49ers in exchange for a 2023 fifth-round pick, according to Schefter.

In one of the more surprising moves of the day, the Jacksonville Jaguars acquired suspended Atlanta Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley. The 27-year-old pass-catcher was handed an indefinite suspension for betting on the NFL; he was a 1,300-yard receiver in 2020.

According to Rapoport, it's a conditional deal that could be worth as low as a 2023 sixth-rounder to Atlanta and as high as a 2023 fifth-rounder and 2024 second-rounder—depending on if Ridley is reinstated, makes the team, hits certain milestones and signs a long-term extension.

It's a relatively low-risk move for Jacksonville that could have a huge long-term impact for quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars offense.

One receiver who wasn't dealt was Houston Texans standout Brandin Cooks. According to Rapoport, "there were talks," but nothing materialized.

The Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills swapped running backs Nyheim Hines and Zack Moss, with Indy picking up a conditional 2023 sixth-round pick in the deal, per Schefter.

Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers wasn't traded at the deadline, and he may not suit up for Los Angeles again this season.

In all, it was a wild deadline day that featured its fair share of activity, surprises and reactions.