Browns’ GM Andrew Berry proposes to push back the NFL trade deadline

Highlights

• The Cleveland Browns seek to extend the NFL trade deadline, suggesting moving it back two weeks.
• The NFL has not adjusted the trade deadline despite adding a 17th game; the Browns proposed a change.
• Proposal aims to help teams assess needs better, enhance the late-season excitement; decision due in March league meeting.

Although the NFL offseason is typically focused on free agency, the NFL Scouting Combine, and the NFL Draft, it’s also a perfect opportunity for the league to make rule changes and evolve the game.

The Cleveland Browns are the latest team to make headlines in search of a rule change, as general manager Andrew Berry stated the team will be making an official proposal to the league with the hopes of extending the current trade deadline.

Should the trade deadline be moved back?

The deadline was not adjusted when a 17th game was added to the schedule

While the official rule-change proposal sent to the league is not public at this time, Berry brought up some interesting points when asked about the Browns’ reasoning behind this decision.

Despite the addition of a 17th game to the regular-season schedule, the NFL has not moved the trade deadline since 2012, when it was moved from week 6 to its current status of week 8. While it’s not a surprise the league itself prefers an earlier trade deadline, Berry has a persuasive argument when you consider the NFL’s standing compared to other professional sports leagues.

If you look at their seasons by calendar days or games played, baseball and basketball, they have the trade deadline at what, 65% of their games? Hockey is at 78%, currently we are at 45%.

All in all, the proposal of moving the deadline back to week 10 isn’t too farfetched as this would be after roughly 55% of regular season games. Considering the league has already added an extra game to the schedule and there are talks of adding an 18th, this move simply makes sense.

While this might be a convenient argument for the Browns to make after losing Deshaun Watson to injury in week 9 of the 2023 season, one week after the current trade deadline, they aren’t alone in this search for change. This proposal would benefit teams league-wide, as Berry suggests:

Over the last 10 years, the earliest a team has been eliminated from postseason consideration has been Week 11.

Not only could this change make for an exciting, action-packed end to the regular season, but it also gives teams a better idea of where they stand in the market in terms of being buyers or sellers. The Tennessee Titans are a prime example from the 2023 campaign, who were 3-4 at the current deadline, but 3-6 by the time the newly proposed deadline came around.

With the current deadline, a 3-4 record can turn into a win streak in a heartbeat, or it can crash and burn just as rapidly. In other words, the team doesn’t have a great sense of whether they need to invest in a playoff push or unload in the trade market. On the other hand, a 3-6 record might just mean the season isn’t going your way, and changes could be in the cards.

While the Browns and Berry make a solid case, any official league-wide rule change will require the approval of 24 teams. The next league meeting is scheduled for March 24-27, and if the Browns have submitted their proposal by then, the trade deadline could be changed as early as next season, depending on the voting results.

Source: Mary Kay Cabot

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.