Each year, every NFL team makes a number of moves, signings and draft picks in order to best set themselves up to contend for a Super Bowl trophy. Often times, the teams that hit on these moves make the playoffs if not the Super Bowl, while the teams that blow these decisions can set themselves back several seasons.
As the 2025 season comes to a close, it’s time to take a look back at the most impactful moves over the past year, from trades that helped teams reach the playoffs to signings that became dominant storylines these last 12 months.
There were a number of impactful moves, such as the Cowboys trading for George Pickens, that didn’t make this list because they were not one of the deciding factors or defining storylines of the 2025 NFL season.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the most significant trades, signings and draft picks from the 2025 campaign.
Trades
Cowboys trade Micah Parsons
There was no bigger storyline in the lead-up to the 2025 season than the Cowboys trading Micah Parsons to the Packers. After a contentious offseason between the two sides, Parsons requested a trade from Dallas, who shipped their best defensive player to Green Bay.
Trading Parsons further exposed the Cowboys’ weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball. Though Dallas had a great offense, it was unable to take advantage because of its defensive deficiencies—even after acquiring Quinnen Williams midseason. For Green Bay, the addition of Parsons transformed the defense before he unfortunately suffered a torn ACL toward the end of the season.
Jaguars trade for Jakobi Meyers
The Jaguars made one of the most impactful moves of the year by bringing in Jakobi Meyers midseason. Early in the year, the Jaguars receiving core was plagued by drops. Once Jacksonville brought in Meyers, the Jaguars transformed into one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses heading into the postseason. The acquisition proved so successful that the Jaguars extended Meyers before the end of the regular season.
As Liam Coen explained last week on the Pat McAfee Show, "Our first practice with Jakobi Meyers, we were a better team. The first practice Jakobi came in, our pass game looked completely different. Our whole team was like, ‘What!’”
Seahawks trade for Rashid Shaheed
Along with the Jaguars, the Seahawks made a successful midseason move by acquiring Rashid Shaheed from the Saints. While Shaheed did not necessarily light up the stat sheet after coming to Seattle, his speed made him another threat for teams to worry about outside of Offensive Player of the Year Jaxson Smith-Njigba. More importantly, Shaheed’s impact as a returner helped the Seahawks earn two critical wins over the Rams and 49ers.
Bears trade for OL Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, sign Drew Dalman
An underrated aspect in the Bears’ turnaround this season alongside the hiring of Ben Johnson and development of Caleb Williams was the team’s improved offensive line. The additions of linemen Joe Thuney, the inaugural Protector of the Year winner, Jonah Jackson and Drew Dalman helped the Bears rank No. 1 in ESPN’s pass block win rate metric and top-six in PFF’s pass blocking and run blocking grades. They also helped Williams go from getting sacked a league-high 68 times as a rookie to 24 times in his sophomore campaign.
Seahawks trade Geno Smith to Raiders, sign Sam Darnold
The most important move the Seahawks made last offseason though was moving on from Geno Smith and signing Sam Darnold. Smith struggled in Las Vegas after the trade while Darnold helped the Seahawks win the Super Bowl this season, avenging his own “ghosts” in the process.
Signings
Colts sign Daniel Jones, Philip Rivers
The Colts made two quarterback signings that were important stories over the 2025 season. During the offseason they added Daniel Jones, who had a resurgent season and led a historic offensive start for Indy before tearing his achilles.
When Jones went down with his injury, the Colts shockingly brought Philip Rivers out of retirement at the age of 44. Rivers wasn’t able to revive the Colts’ playoff hopes, but he did provide an inspiring storyline for fans to follow as their season fell apart.
Patriots sign Milton Williams
After a standout performance in the Eagles’ Super Bowl win last year, the Patriots managed to lure defensive tackle Milton Williams to New England. Williams was especially impactful to the Patriots’ postseason success, recording three sacks during their run to the Super Bowl.
49ers sign Mac Jones, Eddy Piñeiro
The 49ers went away from making many acquisitions last offseason, but they did pull off a couple key signings by adding quarterback Mac Jones and kicker Eddy Piñeiro. As the 49ers dealt with loads of injuries, including to starter Brock Purdy, Jones kept the team running smoothly by going 5-3 in his absence. Meanwhile, Piñeiro provided stability at the kicking position after Jake Moody’s struggles cost the team in prior games.
Rams sign Davante Adams
While Cooper Kupp, the receiver the Rams parted ways with last season, won the Super Bowl with Seattle, Davante Adams proved to be the more impactful addition overall. Adams was a strong complement to Puka Nacua and racked up 789 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns before missing the final weeks of the regular season with a hamstring injury. He helped Matthew Stafford win his first career MVP award and the Rams advance to the NFC championship game.
Draft picks
Panthers draft Tetairoa McMillan
The Panthers correctly chose to draft Tetairoa McMillan with the No. 8 pick in the draft, and he delivered. McMillan recorded over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign while providing Bryce Young with a trusty receiver as he continues to develop. The Offensive Rookie of the Year played a key part in the Panthers making their return to the postseason this year.
Seahawks draft Nick Emmanwori
Do-it-all safety Nick Emmanwori was a pivotal part of the Seahawks’ success this season. Emmanwori’s ability to succeed in coverage and against the run allows for coach Mike Macdonald to be even more creative with his defensive game plans, reminiscent of what he was able to do with Kyle Hamilton’s versatility back in Baltimore.
Browns draft Shedeur Sanders
In a shocker, Shedeur Sanders fell to the fifth round of the draft before he was selected by the Browns, who had already drafted quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Sanders might not have affected the outcome of the 2025 season, but the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was easily one of the top stories of the football year.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Trades, Signings and Draft Picks That Decided the 2025 NFL Season.
