When the Indianapolis Colts sent a package that included two first-round picks to the New York Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner at last season’s trade deadline, the Colts likely expected the 2027 selection to be of modest value. With Indianapolis sitting at 2-7, the Jets could now receive one of the 2027 draft’s top picks via the second of the two first-rounders obtained from Indy, according to league officials.
Protected picks — common in the NBA — are seldom used in the NFL. The practice is not banned, but league officials say structural differences make protections difficult to implement. In the NBA, teams can trade picks up to seven years in advance; in the NFL, picks may be exchanged only three years ahead. “It’s just really hard to pull off,” one NFL executive said.
The time horizon matters because protected-pick arrangements can take many years to resolve. The 2020 deal that sent Al Horford and other assets from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Oklahoma City Thunder included a first-rounder that was top-six protected in 2025. The sequence of events stretched over six years: the 76ers ultimately landed the No. 3 pick in 2025 and used it on VJ Edgecombe, while the Thunder ended up with the 17th pick in 2026, which was later traded on draft night. Edgecombe was averaging 13.2 points entering Tuesday night, according to the source.
Executives also point to differing draft values. Applying NBA draft logic to the NFL is problematic, one executive said, because even a late first-round NFL choice retains strong value; pick 20 in the NFL is still considered significant. Another executive added that greater activity in the NFL trade market gives teams more alternatives, reducing the need to accept protected selections.
Protected picks did surface briefly in high-profile NFL discussions. A league source said protections were discussed during trade talks that produced this year’s Myles Garrett deal between the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns, but the provision did not appear in the final agreement. Conditional language remains common: the Rams-Browns trade reportedly includes a clause that would convert a 2029 third-round pick owed by the Rams into a first-round selection under specified terms.
