The NFL has approved the Pittsburgh Steelers’ proposal to move the trade deadline back a week, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Instead of now ending after Week 8. it will be moved to Week 9 to correspond with the 17-game season. The Cleveland Browns proposed to move it back two weeks.
Multiple teams had expressed they believed the deadline was too early in the season with 17 games on the schedule. With the discussion of a potentially 18th game being added on top of that, it would be a near certainty that this rule could be revisited in a few years to push it back again. The Steelers were hit by the early trade deadline this year when multiple linebacker injuries hit them directly after the expiration of the trade deadline.
Theoretically, this should allow more time for teams to work out deals and protect against key injuries in the middle of the season. In the past, Pittsburgh has become active at the deadline, acquiring players such as Avery Williamson and William Jackson III in recent seasons at around that time.
It is often the last chance for teams to go out and acquire quality talent that could help them on a playoff or Super Bowl push, and so the league pushing it back makes plenty of sense with the season longer than ever.