Scott Pioli is one of the most experienced front office leaders of any football organization and is perfectly placed to answer pertinent questions regarding the rules, etiquette and hourly burly attire of trade talks.
The Halloween trade period ends in 31at October but that does not mean management must cease and desist all trade talk.
According to former three-time Superbowl winner with the Patriots Pioli, trades can start anywhere, anytime in the year.
“In my experience, those conversations commonly take place between general managers, head coaches and agents. The only way a suitor can confirm a player is available is to check with the team that has the rights to the player, ” he explained.
He explains, “that team must give consent to engage in discussions by league rule and set the boundaries of those discussions.”
There are numerous cases of a free agent joining a team out if the trade window he explains.
“Sometimes a player will be put on the market if a younger player ascends at his position (consider Cam Akers being traded in Week 3 this year from the Rams to the Vikings after being displaced by Kyren Williams in Los Angeles). Sometimes a player grows unhappy in his current situation. Sometimes a team will decide to capitalize on a closing window for other suitors to acquire a player headed for the open market in the offseason.”
Pioli has been with the Browns, Ravens, Jets, Patriots and Chiefs in a storied Executive career and any fan with a mild appreciation on how the trading works can follow his tips.
Like for example, “One way to get trades done quickly is for a team to make it known that it is releasing a player a day or two before it actually submits the transaction to the league. This advertises that a player is available, essentially proclaiming, ‘Come and get this player if you want him.'”
Asked to give a specific example of a coach wanting a specific player is, “The Minkah Fitzpatrick trade between the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers in September of 2019, early in Fitzpatrick’s second pro season. A deteriorating relationship between Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins led to the team granting him permission to seek a trade, and the Steelers — who clearly possessed relevant information on Fitzpatrick from old homework assignments during the draft process — pounced on the opportunity to get him.”
Asked to explain the difference in trade deadlines between the NBA and the MLB and the NFL he said, “There were a somewhat surprising 19 in-season trades made in 2022, and I believe this may be a trend that continues. However, I still believe this answer is two-fold. First, one player on an NBA team can make a world of difference, and the same thing goes for a great player (pitcher, hitter, fielder, etc.) in baseball. In the NFL, however, so much has to go right even for the best players to make a seismic difference on a team.”
These are some key takeaways from the five-time NFL Executive of the Year.
He started his career in 1992, as a pro personal assistant to Bill Belichick at the Browns and steadily moved his way up the ranks and through a clutch of well-known rosters.
Belichick and Pioli were responsible for the 2000 199th overall pick Tom Brady.
Over the years he has been involved in more trades than a concession stallholder at Times Square.
