The final weeks of the regular season have been, and will likely continue to be, affected by the record-breaking action undertaken during this year’s trade deadline. That immediately led some teams to inquire about the possibility of pushing back the increasingly-important date, something which could happen in the near future. 
Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report that “there seems to be momentum building” around the NFL for the trade deadline being moved back one or two weeks. It has landed on the Tuesday following Week 8 for the past decade, a span in which in-season trades have become more common, and involved high-profile players.
That became true to an unprecedented extent last month, with 10 trades taking place. Swaps included the likes of tight end T.J. Hockenson and edge rusher Bradley Chubb, in moves aimed at helping the Vikings and Dolphins, respectively, with their runs to the postseason. They, in turn, came not long after the 49ers’ acquisition of running back Christian McCaffrey. Should the deadline be moved back slightly, the line separating buyers and sellers could become more well-defined, thus opening the door to more trades taking place.
That was the motivation behind the initial desire shown last month, but Rapoport and Pelissero note that the league’s competition committee could take pause with the idea of furthering the league’s imbalance between elite and non-contending teams. They add, however, that further discussion on the matter will take place over the course of the coming months.
If sufficient support emerges, a vote pushing the deadline back could take place in March or May 2023. 24 of 32 owners would need to approve the move for it to take effect, something which, if it were to happen, could further alter the NFL’s in-season landscape for years to come if the trend of recent seasons were to continue.
I think the CFL has it’s trade deadline with just four weeks remaining in the regular season. There are both advantages and disadvantages to moving it back. One advantage is that GMs under pressure will have more time to sort things out before having to pull the trigger on a deal to save their jobs. On the downside, acquired players will have less time to familiarize themselves with schemes run by their new coach.
Considering the magnificent way the NFL manages to garner interest throughout the offseason, it’s always seemed curious that the league doesn’t do more to encourage in-season player movement. Even if the trades don’t work out, it creates excitement amongst fans and media. In baseball, the area between the all star game and trade deadline is the sports equivalent to Thanksgiving and Christmas. After week 10 seems like a sweet spot
GMs know that a couple of bad trades can easily cost them their job which is why they’re resistant to more transaction activity. Fans and media find deadline deals exciting because it’s like watching a GM play Russian Roulette.
60% through an 18-week season would be end of week 11.