NFL 2025 trade deadline: Jaylen Waddle, Breece Hall among biggest names who didn’t get moved

A few blockbuster trades in the final hours before the 2025 NFL trade deadline made waves around the league on Tuesday. The New York Jets made the most noise, sending their young star cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts and veteran defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys for a combined three first-round picks over the next two drafts. But not every team was active on the trade market.

With Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline now passed, teams won’t be able to process trades again until the start of the new league year in March, though they can add players who are free agents off the waiver wire.

Here are some of the biggest names who either popped up in trade discussions or seemed like options to do so, but ended up sticking around:

Breece Hall, New York Jets: The Jets were asking for a third-round pick for their 24-year-old running back, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, but the deadline passed without a deal being made.

Hall, who wasn’t shy before Tuesday about trade rumors, took to social media to share feelings about his team’s other moves: “Sick about my bruddas man … happy for them but man im sick rn,” Hall wrote on X Tuesday afternoon. The 2022 second-round pick leads the Jets in rushing and just recorded a season-high 133 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals (also the third-best mark of his career).

Jermaine Johnson, New York Jets: The Jets’ trade exodus also spared Johnson, whom the organization selected with a first-round pick in 2022. New York had reportedly been getting calls for the 2023 Pro Bowler, but didn’t end up dealing him. Linebacker Quincy Williams, the brother of Quinnen, who the Jets dealt to the Cowboys, is also staying in New York.

I’d be lying if I said I was happy my brothers are gone because I’m not, I’m sick. But, I believe strongly in the organization, staff and my other brothers in the locker room. I said when I got drafted I wanted to be the reason or part of the reason this thing gets changed for…

— Jermaine Johnson II (@ii_jermaine) November 4, 2025

Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins: Miami’s top receiver is sticking around despite turbulence inside the organization. Waddle is in the final year of his rookie contract after Miami selected him with a first-round pick in 2021.

Miami just parted ways with general manager Chris Grier, and coach Mike McDaniel remains on the hot seat amid this year’s 2-7 start.

Bradley Chubb, Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins restructured Chubb’s contract this offseason, and it would have made sense if they decided to part ways with the linebacker due to the hefty cap space he’ll take up in 2026. But he’ll stick around after missing the entire 2024 season with injury. He has four sacks so far this season.

The Dolphins reportedly got calls for Waddle and Chubb, but overall decided to stay pretty quiet in the trade market. They did make a move on Monday to send pass rusher Jaelan Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags listened to calls on their wide receiver, according to Russini, but ultimately kept him around. He has been dealing with a few injuries this season, and didn’t play in overtime last week against the Raiders after hurting his ankle, but he’s still the Jags’ top option at receiver. Jacksonville also picked up former Raider Jakobi Meyers to join Thomas in the passing game.

Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals: Hendrickson and the Bengals spent all summer at odds over a contract dispute. They landed on a deal that expires after this season, and won’t be dealing the edge rusher before that.

The Bengals traded for veteran quarterback Joe Flacco in October, hoping to keep things afloat amid an injury to Joe Burrow. But even with Flacco’s 470 passing yards last week, the Bengals still came up short in a loss to the Chicago Bears that dwindled their playoff odds to 2 percent, according to The Athletic’s playoff simulator.

Trey Hendrickson will be sticking around with the Bengals, who have fallen to 3-6. (Sam Greene / The Enquirer via Imagn Images)

Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens’ 1-5 start was their worst in franchise history, but they’re trying to salvage the season now that Lamar Jackson is back from injury. Baltimore may have other options at tight end, but Andrews was a reliable target in Jackson’s return against the Miami Dolphins and caught two touchdown passes.

A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles: Several social media posts in which Brown seemed to voice his displeasure with how the Eagles were using him created speculation about the star receiver’s future. But even with a slight dip in production this season, Brown has been a leader since being traded to the Eagles in 2022.

“When you’re trying to be a great team, it’s hard to trade great players,” GM Howie Roseman told reporters after the deadline. “A.J. Brown’s a great player. He wears a ‘C’ for a reason. He’s important to this, to this organization.”

Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons: The veteran quarterback has mostly sat on the sidelines behind Michael Penix Jr. this season. And despite quarterback injuries and uncertainties around the league, he’ll stick around. Cousins has appeared in two games for the Falcons this year, closing out a 30-0 loss to Carolina in Week 3 and starting in place of an injured Penix in a 34-10 loss to Miami in Week 8.

Russell Wilson, New York Giants: The Jaxson Dart era has officially arrived in New York, but Wilson is staying around with the backup designation. The Giants signed Wilson to a one-year deal in March. He started the opening three games, but struggled before being benched for the rookie Dart.

Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers: Hubbard’s production has dipped due to the emergence of Rico Dowdle, who went undrafted in 2020 and signed as a free agent with Carolina in March. That opened speculation about Hubbard’s expendability, but he will remain with the Panthers, where he signed a four-year, $33.2 million extension last year.

Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints: Olave is in the final year of his rookie contract after being selected as a first-round pick by the Saints in 2022. His 2024 season was cut short due to injury, but he’s back to leading the Saints in receiving yards (560) and touchdowns (3) in 2025.

The struggling Saints are 1-8, and just turned to rookie second-round pick Tyler Shough at quarterback. Olave didn’t make a move of his own on the trade market, but he did weigh in on Rashid Shaheed’s deal from New Orleans to Seattle, where Shaheed will join Olave’s old Ohio State teammate Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the receiver room. “You got a great one bro,” Olave wrote on X.

Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints: Kamara has said he wants to end his career in New Orleans, and that hope remains intact. The 30-year-old has been a Saint for the entirety of his nine-year NFL career, and despite the organization’s decline in recent years, Kamara has remained a mainstay of the offense.