Will NFL move the trade deadline? Browns GM Andrew Berry reveals proposal for major change

Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry has proposed a rule change for the NFL trade deadline, suggesting an extension for the closing period.

The culmination of the trade period usually falls on the first Tuesday after Week 8 of each season. However, Berry has suggested that the trade deadline for the league be pushed back, as all teams complete their business even before 50% of all regular-season games are completed.

He said at the Scouting Combine on Tuesday:

“We wanted to retroactively correct the fact that the trade deadline never moved when the season was expanded to 17 games. If, at some point in the future, the regular season expands to 18 games, we wanted to be proactive in terms of the positioning for the trade deadline."

"If you look at us compared to the other major sports leagues, if you look at the season through calendar days or games played, baseball and basketball have their trade deadlines at when 65% of the games are played. Hockey’s at 78%. Currently, we’re at 45%. Our proposal would move it to about 55% of games played.” Berry added.

Berry's proposal suggests that the trade deadline in the NFL could be moved back by two weeks.

That would mean that the deadline would be extended till after Week 10 of the season. The potential move would also give teams more time to decide where they are in the playoff hunt.

Nonetheless, any change in the NFL trade deadline would require the approval of at least 24 teams in the league. There might be a clearer idea of whether that's a possibility when the proposal is brought up at the next league meeting, which is scheduled between Mar. 24-27 in Orlando.

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When is the 2024 NFL Trade Deadline?

As things stand, the 2024 NFL trade deadline will open at 4 p.m. ET on Mar. 13, 2024.

It will run until the first Tuesday after Week 8 of the season. However, the cut-off date for the deadline could be extended if most teams vote for the proposal put forward by the Cleveland Browns.