On the eve of the New Year and the eve of the end of the 2025 season, it’s a great time to look back at the past year. With the theme of “year in review,” here’s a look back at the 10 best roster moves of the season:

Cowboys traded for WR George Pickens

Dallas was connected to receivers all offseason and there was strong intelligence that they were targeting WR Tetairoa McMillan before the Panthers plucked him a few spots ahead of them in the first round. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had a plan B, though, swooping in with a trade for Pickens once the Steelers became ready to pull the plug in early May. Dallas exchanged a 2026 third and a 2027 fifth for Pickens and a 2027 seventh, which at the time was viewed as strong value for the Steelers given Pickens was in the final year of his rookie contract. 

Since then, the deal has been a clear win for Dallas and Pickens. The mercurial wideout has been on his best behavior overall, perhaps with less history hanging over him on a new team. On the field, the Cowboys have gotten the best version of Pickens, with 92 catches for 1,420 yards and nine touchdowns. Pickens has actually outproduced fellow WR CeeDee Lamb, and in the games Lamb has missed, Pickens has looked perfectly capable of being a true No. 1 wideout. 

That has given the Cowboys two No. 1-caliber wideouts when both Lamb and Pickens are healthy, and offensive fireworks ensued. Had Dallas not literally had its worst defense in franchise history, it probably would have resulted in a playoff berth. As it is, the impact of acquiring Pickens was somewhat blunted, but he’s still had too much success to ignore. 

The good news is the Cowboys have the inside track to keeping Pickens in the fold this offseason, even if it means navigating a minefield of contract negotiations and ensuring Pickens remains motivated after getting his second contract. That gives this deal a chance to pay off majorly in the coming seasons for the Cowboys. 

49ers signed QB Mac Jones

There wasn’t a ton of fanfare when San Francisco inked Jones to a modest two-year deal to back up QB Brock Purdy. Jones had already had one change of scenery when he went from New England to Jacksonville, starting the last seven games of the 2024 season. He didn’t do a whole lot to change the narrative on him coming off his burnout with the Patriots. 

But 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan is starting to establish a real reputation for rehabilitating damaged quarterbacks, with Jones as the latest exhibition. Jones started eight games for the 49ers this year as Purdy battled a lingering turf toe injury. He didn’t just keep San Francisco’s head above water with Purdy out and a host of other players injured — he led the 49ers to a 5-3 record and had strong production. He completed just shy of 70 percent of his pass attempts for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. Project that out to a full season and it’s over 4,000 yards and 26 touchdown passes. 

Equally important is the fact that the 49ers enter the last week of the season with a chance to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC, thanks in huge part to the contributions of Jones for half the season. Obviously Shanahan and the talent on the 49ers’ offense deserve some credit for his success, but he has legitimately revived his career, showing what he’s capable of in a functioning offensive environment unlike what he had the last three years of his rookie contract. 

Thanks to the foresight of signing Jones to a two-year contract, the 49ers have an incredibly valuable asset in 2026. They can either keep Jones as a proven insurance policy at the most important position in the game, or trade him to another quarterback-needy franchise for a quality draft pick or two. It’s a move that will keep on giving for the 49ers. 

Rams signed WR Davante Adams

While Adams still has elite name recognition and will in all likelihood be inducted into the Hall of Fame one day, the Rams took a real risk by signing him to a two-year, $44 million contract this offseason. That was a huge contract for a 32-year-old receiver when the history of players at that age at that position was not usually positive. The Rams also have had some big misses on big deals for receivers, like Allen Robinson. 

It’s hard to call this signing anything other than a home run so far. Before being sidelined with a hamstring injury, one that should be healed in time for the postseason, Adams had 14 touchdown catches in 14 games. He chipped in 60 catches for 789 yards as well. 

More importantly, Adams remains a top-level threat against man-to-man coverage. His athleticism after the catch and down the field may have slipped a tick in his 30s, but his understanding of how to get open and ability to execute a route is as sharp as ever. It’s why he’s scored so many touchdowns, as he and QB Matthew Stafford have been brutally efficient on short passes near the goal line when defenses have little choice but to isolate a defender against Adams. He’s a critical piece of the Rams’ offense alongside top WR Puka Nacua, and his absence the past couple of weeks has been felt. 

Rams traded down, netted 2026 Falcons first-rounder

The Rams had several moves that were contenders for this list, including the bargain deal of signing LB Nathan Landman who has been a breakout star on defense and earned a new three-year, $22.5 million deal. But Los Angeles’ draft day trade with the Falcons stands out for the value it will bring to the franchise for years to come. The Rams traded the No. 26 and No. 101 selections this past April for the No. 46 pick (which became second-round TE Terrance Ferguson) a seventh and Atlanta’s 2026 first. 

That pick was in the top 10 selections before the Falcons upset the Rams on Monday and it should still end up solidly in the top half of the order. That gives the Rams an elite return on their investment plus more ways to parlay that into future value. They could end up with access to a player they would ordinarily have had to surrender a lot of value to trade up for, probably at a premium position since those tend to go higher in the order. It’s possible the Rams could find a long-term heir at quarterback with the pick. They could also trade the pick again for a future haul, deferring the value to future seasons when the Rams will have paid a bunch of core players and will need to lean on draft picks to augment the roster. 

Bottom line, this trade was a coup for the Rams. It’s rare for contending teams to also have the advantage of a high draft pick to consolidate their gains, and that’s exactly the opportunity Los Angeles strategized its way into. 

Bears revamped all three interior OL spots

Even though there are three roster moves under this one heading, it should be viewed as one action by the Bears, as in a single swoop they built the foundation for new HC Ben Johnson’s offense that has been one of the best in the league. In the span of a few days, the Bears: 

• Traded a 2026 fourth-round pick for G Joe Thuney
• Traded a 2025 sixth-round pick (No. 202 overall) for G Jonah Jackson
• Signed C Drew Dalman for three years, $42 million

The deals for Thuney and Jackson required Chicago to take on their contracts. Thuney had one year and $15.5 million left on his deal with the Chiefs, while Jackson had two years due to the Rams, including $17.5 million in 2025. That’s why the draft pick price was so low; the Bears took on a significant amount of salary. Regardless, they had cap space to spare this offseason and were able to land meaningful upgrades to their offensive line, turning a weakness into a strength at an affordable cost. 

Thuney was coming off a first-team All Pro selection but was turning 33 and Kansas City needed to get cheaper to afford other big contracts on the other offensive line. Jackson had fallen out of favor with the Rams but was a known quantity for Johnson since they had overlapped with the Lions. Dalman’s brains (Stanford graduate) and athleticism were a perfect fit for Johnson’s system which asks a lot from its offensive linemen. 

All three have been vital cogs in a unit that’s third in total offense, including over 1,800 yards rushing from what looked preseason like an uninspiring running back duo of D’Andre Swift and seventh-rounder Kyle Monangai. Thuney is Pro Football Focus’ No. 6 guard, Jackson is No. 13 and Dalman is No. 7 among all centers. 

Seahawks swapped Geno Smith for Sam Darnold

I owe a mea culpa to the readers at this point — I thought the Seahawks were insane for voluntarily downgrading at quarterback from Smith to Darnold this offseason. To me, Darnold was a shaky bet away from Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell and the secure Minnesota offensive ecosystem, while Smith was a proven commodity. 

Instead, Darnold proved to have more staying power than I gave him credit for. Seattle banked a third-round pick for Smith and got, at minimum, an equally productive alternative at a cheaper salary ($33.5 million per year vs $37.5 million for Smith) that required less in terms of future commitments ($55 million guaranteed vs $66.5 million). The Seahawks were also able to create a better supporting cast for Darnold than I anticipated, with a massive leap from WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba and strong scheme design from OC Klint Kubiak, the latest model to roll off the Shanahan coaching assembly line. 

Darnold also took a legitimate step forward in his game this year. He’s been through the wringer in his career and has been able to learn lessons about when to be aggressive and when to check the ball down and live to fight another day. After a career year in terms of production with the Vikings in 2024, he’s been even better in some areas in 2025. Darnold has a career-best 67.2 completion percentage and is averaging an outstanding 8.5 yards per attempt as the triggerman for Kubiak’s explosive offense. 

Now, some foibles remain. Darnold has thrown 14 interceptions and fumbled 10 times this year. The Seahawks are 13-3 and a win away from clinching the No. 1 seed in the NFC despite turning the ball over a remarkable 28 times, the majority of which Darnold holds responsibility for. They’re very much a Super Bowl contender but the microscope on Darnold is only going to become more intense as they advance into the most meaningful portion of the schedule. 

Jaguars traded for WR Jakobi Meyers

Midseason trades don’t have an incredible hit rate as far as making a real difference, especially when it comes to wide receivers, but teams seem to be making progress in this area as they become more aggressive. The latest success story is Meyers. Acquired by the Jaguars ahead of the midseason deadline for a conditional 2026 fourth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-rounder, Meyers has 37 catches for 439 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. 

That receptions number leads the team since his arrival, and he’s behind only WR Parker Washington in yards and RB Travis Etienne in receiving touchdowns. Perhaps more importantly, Meyers has been credited with not just stabilizing the Jaguars’ offense but helping it reach another level in the past couple of months. Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence has been on a hot streak and has meshed much better with Meyers’ veteran savvy and reliable hands compared to the other pass catchers on the team. 

Another thing that speaks volumes: the Jaguars were willing to hand Meyers a massive three-year, $60 million extension with $30 million in guarantees just weeks after he joined the team. Jacksonville is 7-1 since trading for Meyers — including winning the last seven straight — and looks like a legitimate threat in the AFC. 

Panthers signed RB Rico Dowdle

The upstart Panthers are still figuring out how to handle success and may not follow through on the opportunity they have to beat the Buccaneers and win the NFC South on Saturday. But their progress has been a fun story this season. Under HC Dave Canales and GM Dan Morgan, Carolina started to lay the foundation of the identity they wanted to have last season: a tough, physical team built around the run game and a mauling offensive line on one side of the ball, and a stout defense on the other side that limited big plays and created turnovers. 

They took another step forward with that identity this year, especially on defense. But it was the unheralded addition of Dowdle that may have saved the season. A former undrafted free agent out of South Carolina in 2020, Dowdle toiled without much reward, notching seven carries in the first three years he was in the NFL while also battling injuries. The Cowboys brought him back as an unrestricted free agent on a minimum deal in 2023 and he impressed enough in spot action to get another low-cost deal in 2024 to compete for a role with Ezekiel Elliott.

Dowdle proved himself the better back at that point and finished the 2024 season with over 1,000 rushing yards. Expecting to be rewarded in free agency after a career year, Dowdle instead found a bear market once again. He signed a cheap deal with the Panthers to operate in tandem with RB Chuba Hubbard, who was a breakout player for the team in 2024. 

After operating as a handcuff to Hubbard for the first few weeks, Dowdle got his shot when Hubbard had a calf injury and exploded. He rushed for over 200 yards in a comeback win over the Dolphins in Week 5 — one that arguably saved the Panthers’ season and got them back on the right track — then added another 239 yards from scrimmage the following week in a revenge game win against the Cowboys. Dowdle runs like he hates to be tackled and is a threat in the passing game as well. There were some bugs to work out when Hubbard returned but the Panthers have been able to lean on the duo to have an effective rushing attack this year. 

Hopefully Dowdle is less underrated when he’s up for a new deal again this March.