The NFL Trade Deadline: Is It Too Early?

The trading deadline can mean a lot of things for each major sports league.  One common area of concern as teams approach their league's trading deadline is where they stand in the league.  Teams often wonder if they are championship contenders or bottom feeders in the cellars of their league.  However, the thought that each league's members put into the trading deadline of their league is an entirely different story.

The timing of the NFL's trading deadline is absolutely horrible.

The NFL's trading deadline is in the most need for reform.  Six weeks is not enough for a team to sit down and wonder what they will need heading towards the end of the season.  Teams need more time to evaluate where they are at as a team, and wonder what pieces can be acquired from other teams in order to make their team better.  A later trading deadline in the NFL would allow teams to separate themselves from the losers (like the Lions) and the winners (usually, the Patriots).  This way, teams from the bottom of the standings can trade their star players that want to contend for a championship and get a decent compensation for draft picks in return.  Teams who are on the bubble of a playoff spot can help themselves and trade for these players so that maybe, just maybe, their team can use that extra bit of talent to push themselves to a Super Bowl. 

The NFL has the quietest trading deadline of any major sports league.  I was surprised to learn that the Cowboys made their offense even more potent with the acquisition of WR Roy Williams at the trading deadline yesterday.  However, that was the only roster shakeup I heard anything about.  I was sad to learn that the Bills let go of DE John McCargo for draft picks, however, who really knew anything about John in Indianapolis, McCargo's new home. 

The NHL's trade deadline makes so much more noise, and that is probably because the trade deadline is later in the season, the cut-off date usually being the last week of February.  Take last year, the 2007-08 season, as an example.  The Buffalo Sabres dealt star defenseman Brian Campbell to the San Jose Sharks for a 1st-round pick and RW Steve Bernier.  Sure, Buffalo wasn't exactly a bottom-feeder, however Darcy Regier knew that Campbell's contract issues would not be settled, and he didn't want to see Campbell go without any compensation.  The Thrashers lived in the NHL's cellar last season, and dealt star forward Marian Hossa, along with Pascal Dupuis, along to the Pittsburgh Penguins, who eventually made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, but lost to Detroit.

Even more evidence that the trade deadline for the NFL comes too early is the MLB's trading deadline, which really isn't a deadline.  It's more of a guideline for teams to follow to make free trades.  The real "deadline" is that stars like Manny Ramirez can't leave teams after the deadline.  Speaking of Manny, he helped the Dodgers make the playoffs this year.  He was a powerful presence that the Dodgers had been missing for quite some time, and he may have been the push that L.A. needed to get into the playoffs this season.  Sure, they're losing NLCS to the Phillies right now (a shame, because I was a strong supporter of the Dodgers to win the World Series.  Oh well, go Rays!), however Manny was just being Manny, and Manny got into the playoffs.  

I honestly don't know a lot about the NBA as I'd like to, but I do know one thing.  The Cleveland Cavaliers totally shifted their entire roster in order to give Lebron James a nice counterpart on the court instead of the mediocrity that he was playing with to begin the season with the Cavaliers.  Cleveland moved a little less than half its roster in order to acquire Ben Wallace from the Detroit Pistons in order to make Lebron happy.  (By the way, Lebron is seeking a trade.)

Let's keep in mind that the NHL, the MLB, and the NBA all have their trading deadlines late in the season, allowing for more sure, decisive movements of star-caliber players, or at least those with enough talent to break loose into another team's system.

I believe that the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Players of the NFL is expiring soon, with rumor of a salary-capless season in 2010, and a lockout in 2011 if the issue is not resolved.  Possible, a nice little revision to that agreement, or the NFL's rules in general can be a modified trade deadline, one that can allow for more moves at the deadline, allowing the NFL to make a little more noise when it comes to trading at the deadline.