NFL Trade Deadline 2023: Can an NFL player refuse a trade?

The 2023 NFL trade deadline is in ten days, and franchises are hurriedly wrapping up their team-altering deals. We have already seen the Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, and Miami Dolphins dip their hands into the market and acquire solid pieces. But don't be surprised if your favorite franchise has a few tricks up its sleeve.

So, can an NFL player refuse a trade after his parent team has dealt him to another franchise? Yes, a player can refuse a trade, however, there's a catch.

The only way that a player can do this is if his agent negotiated a no-trade clause into his standard player contract’s special provision portion. Thus, the parent franchise will have to acquire the player's permission to move him to a new team.

Anything other than that will mean that the player remains on the team till the expiry of his contract, or such a player gets waived.

When is the 2023 NFL Trade Deadline?

The 2023 NFL trade deadline is on October 31, precisely at 4 p.m. ET. Once it happens, teams cannot trade players until the offseason.

The trade market is a vital part of the NFL as teams acquire players to plug gaps in their rosters. Some teams rebuild their franchises almost exclusively via trade, while others trade in pieces to become more competitive.

Perhaps most notably, the Super Bowl LVI-winning Los Angeles Rams traded away all of their first-round picks for a couple of years to stack up the talent that earned them their Super Bowl win.

When the trade market is used properly, it can be a brilliant chess move for sustained excellence. However, just like in any organized sporting activity, some limitations govern it.

How long is the trade market open?

According to the NFL rule book, the trade market opens when the new league year begins with the start of the first day of free agency.

Franchises then have about seven months to take advantage of the trade window in order to get their teams right. You can expect the trade season to peak during the first weeks of the season when disgruntled stars want a change of scenery after not getting the play time that they desired.