When is the NFL trade deadline? Date, time and rules for 2026

The 2026 NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. ET, with all 32 teams required to complete trades by then. The cutoff comes after Week 9, giving clubs time to assess rosters before deciding whether to add help for a playoff push or move veterans for draft capital. Owners voted in 2024 to push the deadline back one week to account for the league’s 17-game schedule. Trades must be submitted before 4 p.m., though they can be announced after if paperwork was timely. Already completed deals include the Chicago Bears’ Oct. 29 trade for Jeffery Simmons and the Seattle Seahawks’ Oct. 27 acquisition of Quenton Nelson; the 49ers also bought DeForest Buckner from Indianapolis.