2026 NFL Draft class is fueling aggressive trade market. Let GMs explain | Opinion

If you're like me, searching for answers about what is fueling this extremely active NFL trade market, perhaps there's no better source to tap than Les Snead.

I mean, the Los Angeles Rams GM, who pulled off the blockbuster trade in March to land all-pro cornerback Trent McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs, is well suited to host an NFL version of Let's Make a Deal."

According to his track record, Snead is not shy about picking up the phone and making a pitch. Or taking a call, running the numbers and coming back with a counteroffer. That he actually has a first-round pick for the NFL draft that kicks off Thursday night - at least he doesat the moment- has a Ripley's, Believe it or Not!" flavor.

Over the past 10 drafts, including this one, Snead traded his first-round pick nine times. The one he kept, in 2024, he used on edge rusher Jared Verse, who only became NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after being picked 19thoverall - more proof of Snead's chops as a talent evaluator. Of course, the first-round pick he's holding now, 14thoverall, came in a trade last year with the Falcons, while L.A.'s own first-round pick for '26 was sent to K.C. in the McDuffie deal. All told, these are the markings of a man who likes the action.

Then there was that classic moment at the Super Bowl 56 championship parade that was enabled by the trades in 2021 that landed two key cogs to the title run - Matthew Stafford and Jalen Ramsey - with the combined cost including four first-round picks. Snead wore a T-shirt bearing his face on the front, along with a message: F--- them picks!"

So, why so many trades this year?

Maybe it's our fault. Maybe it's the Rams' fault," Snead, grinning, told USA TODAY Sports as we chatted in a breezeway during the recent NFL owners meetings.

Most active NFL trade market in a decade

Through Friday, NFL teams have executed 21 trades since the league year opened on March 11, which ranks as the second-most pre-draft deals since 2016.And another one came over the weekend, when the New York Giants dealt star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10thpick overall on Thursday night - giving the G-men two top-10 picks in the first round for new coach John Harbaugh's first draft.

More: 2026 NFL mock draft: What Dexter Lawrence trade might mean for Giants, first round

What a pattern. Per research from the NFL's player personnel department provided to USA TODAY Sports, the only year since 2016 with more pre-draft trades was 2018, with 26.

I'm not surprised that this is a year that's so active," Snead said. It just seems like we're becoming a more active league. And that could be because front offices, organizations are being more aggressive. Players may have a bit of a say, too, where things are, Hey, maybe I'd like a change of scenery, ... I'm at this stage of my career and y'all are at this stage of your window.' "

It's worth noting that there's been a tremendous turnover in recent years in the GM ranks, as 11 general managers (including Rob Brzezinski, interim for the Vikings) assumed their posts since 2024. Go back three more years, to 2021, and there are 18 new GMs during that span. Such a turnover rate may be typical for head coaches, but it's not common for GMs, who often stay on their jobs over multiple head coaches.

Maybe dots can be connected to an influx of younger, more aggressive GMs? Maybe not.

I think it just shows that people are wanting to be aggressive and they want to win, they want to change their teams," said Carolina Panthers GM Dan Morgan, who assumed his post in 2024. We do live in a time where you've got to win or the weight's going to come down on your back. So, maybe some people feel the pressure to do that."

Besides, the extremely active Snead has been on his job for 15 years. Howie Roseman, the Philadelphia Eagles' top shot-caller - and undoubtedly one to keep an eye on for dealing before and during the draft - is in his 17thyear as GM.

Tenure, or lack thereof, is hardly a defining factor. Yet times have clearly changed.

When I first started, the environment was a lot less aggressive in terms of trading and using draft capital," Snead said.

Why a high volume of trades are expected during 2026 NFL Draft

Now the aggressive environment - and the fact that the draft window is typically the most active trading period on the NFL calendar - sets the stage for a draft-themed continuation of the action prevalent during the past few weeks.

In other words, the forecast for the draft calls for strong trade winds.

I think that the fans will be in for a treat," Chiefs GM Brett Veach, who could be in the middle of the action with ammunition that includes two first-round picks (9th, 29thoverall), said during a video conference last week.

Veach expects activity could be influenced by close grades grouping tackles, defensive ends and receivers, which leads to variation of value from team to team.

I think the grades are so close that it'll come down to the scheme fit, the coach's analysis, the vision, the fit for these guys. I think it should be an entertaining night and there will probably be a lot of trades," Veach said. "And that's what I think with a draft like this, when you don't have two or three franchise quarterbacks and a Will Anderson, Jr., or a Myles Garrett, it does lend itself to open up to a lot of fun and a lot of excitement."

Of course, with rumors persisting all offseason that A.J. Brown was on the trade block, Roseman, naturally, repeated his standard response - A.J. Brown's an Eagle" - when the star receiver's name was brought up during Philadelphia's pre-draft presser.

More: Packers trade WR Dontayvion Wicks to Eagles, further clouding A.J. Brown's future

One name definitively crossed off the could-be-traded list: De'Von Achane. New Dolphins GM Jon Eric-Sullivan reiterated as much last week while putting a positive spin on negotiations for a contract extension for the dynamic running back.

Yet Sullivan, holding 11 picks as he tries to stock a roster overhaul, surely acknowledges the conditions attached to options that include maneuvering for higher slots or adding capital. Miami is one of six teams with multiple first-round picks, 11th and 30thoverall.

I'm always going to pick up the phone," said Sullivan, previously the Packers VP of player personnel. I think it probably is fair to say more likely to move back than move up. I mean, I think we need all 11 picks, but you never say never."

More: Dolphins' Waddle trade sets up rare top100 NFL draft haul. See the data

Sullivan characterized some of the phone calls between teams in the days leading up to the draft as superficial, although he realizes that checking the pulse of whether teams are open to trading is part of the due diligence.

Sure," he said of a typical reply. Let's talk on draft day."

The way the hot trade market has rolled so far this year, the phone lines will be burning up.

Contact Bell atjbell@usatoday.comor follow on X: @JarrettBell

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: GMs predict high trade volume during 2026 NFL Draft. Here's why