The 2026 NFL trade deadline has come and gone, and while it was a relatively busy one throughout the league, there wasn’t a ton of movement within the NFC South. The Bucs, Panthers, Saints and Falcons – all very much alive in the NFC South race – didn’t make any headlines as buyers. And only two of the four teams did anything at all.

Tampa Bay’s only moves on deadline day involved releasing wide receiver David Sills V and making a move within the practice squad, dropping running back Barika Kpeenu and re-signing guard/tackle Luke Haggard. Outside of that, the Bucs weren’t buyers – not that they were expected to be – but they also weren’t sellers despite having some potential trade candidates.

Like the Bucs, the Panthers also stood pat at the trade deadline with no incomings or outgoings. The reigning NFC South champions are currently atop the division with the Saints at 3-5, though it’s Carolina who has the better divisional record right now and officially has the lead via tiebreaker.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles and Panthers HC Dave Canales – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Bob Donnan

The other two teams in the NFC South, on the other hand, made some moves. The Saints, who won Sunday to improve to 3-5 and get themselves into a tie with the Panthers at the top of the division, traded defensive tackle Davon Godchaux to the Jaguars for a 2028 sixth-round pick.

Godchaux had played in all eight games for New Orleans this season, making five starts and recording 15 tackles (five solo) and a tackle for loss. He’s set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2027, so the Saints went ahead and got a Day 3 pick in 2028 for him.

The bigger moves were made at the bottom of the NFC South. The Falcons, who are 3-6 like the Bucs but 1-2 within the division and losers of back-to-back games with the Chiefs on deck, traded two starters away. The first move was the bigger one, as they sent playmaking safety Jessie Bates III to the Jaguars for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder.

Bates, who is in the final year of a four-year, $64 million contract, has been one of the Falcons’ best defensive players for years. He has 60 tackles (35 solo), an interception, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in nine games this season while playing alongside young playmaking safety Xavier Watts. Over three and a half seasons in Atlanta, Bates tallied 392 tackles (243 solo), a sack, six tackles for loss, 14 interceptions, 31 passes defensed, 11 forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries over 60 games (all starts).

Falcons FS Jessie Bates III – Photo by: USA Today

Bates had tormented the Bucs even dating back to his early days with the Bengals. In eight career games against Tampa Bay, he has 36 tackles (21 solo), two interceptions (including a pick-six), four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. So, while Atlanta did well to get a Day 2027 Day 2 pick and a 2028 Day 3 pick for him given his expiring contract, Tampa Bay’s offense wouldn’t have been sad to learn that it won’t be seeing him again when it makes the trip to Atlanta in Week 16.

And just before Tuesday’s trade deadline, the Falcons made another move. They sent starting center Ryan Neuzil to the Ravens in exchange for guard Andrew Vorhees and a 2028 sixth-round pick. Neuzil was also in the final year of his contract, but he had started all nine games for Atlanta this season and had graded out relatively well. He has a 65.1 overall grade from PFF with a 62.4 run blocking grade and a pass blocking mark of 66.3, with nine pressures allowed this season and only one sack.

Without Neuzil, the Falcons are likely to lean on Corey Levin at center. He has been listed as Atlanta’s backup center throughout the season. He has seven career starts since being drafted by the Titans in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Outside The NFC South, How Active Was The Rest Of The NFC?

The Bucs are 3-6, but they’re only a half-game out of first place in the NFC South and with their 2-0 record against divisional opponents, they currently have the best odds to win the division. With that would come the No. 4 seed in the NFC playoff picture and a home playoff game against the top Wild Card team – the No. 5 overall seed – on Wild Card Weekend.

So, through that lens, there were some moves elsewhere in the NFC that could potentially impact the Bucs should they finish strong and win the division.

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield, Jr. and QB Kirk Cousins – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Perhaps the biggest move on deadline day involved the 6-2 Vikings, who currently hold the No. 6 seed in the NFC heading into Week 10. Their elite defense had carried them to a 6-1 start, but after an all-time bad performance by Carson Wentz in Monday night’s loss to the Bills and given Kyler Murray’s struggles this season, they decided to pull the trigger on a trade. And the target they honed in on and ultimately acquired is a familiar face both to Minnesota and – for more frustrating reasons – Tampa Bay.

The Vikings sent a 2027 third-round pick to the Raiders for Kirk Cousins, who returns to the organization he he played for from 2018-2023. After going 4-5 as Las Vegas’ starter this season with 2,340 yards and 20 touchdowns to eight interceptions, he’s back with Minnesota in hopes of getting more out of Kevin O’Connell’s offense and giving the Vikings a chance to win the NFC North.

Of course, if that doesn’t come to fruition, they still may find their way into the playoffs as a Wild Card team. And while they currently hold the No. 6 seed, a move up to the No. 5 seed could potentially set up a first-round matchup with the Bucs. While Todd Bowles’ defense is playing at another level this season, it has struggled with Cousins over the years.

Even excluding the “You Like That?!” game in 2015 when he was with Washington – a game that saw him go 33-of-40 for 317 yards and three touchdowns while leading his team back from a 24-0 deficit to win 31-30 – Cousins has seen Bowles’ Bucs defense five times since 2020. In those five games, he has thrown for 300+ yards three times and thrown for 3+ passing touchdowns three times. That includes a 509-yard, four-touchdown night against the Bucs in a 2024 Falcons win and a 373-yard, three-touchdown night against them on Thursday Night Football last December.

Falcons QB Kirk Cousins – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Outside of the Vikings re-acquiring Cousins, there were a few more moves made by other NFC teams the Bucs could potentially see in the playoffs. One of them involved the opponent they’ll see in Week 11, as the Lions traded a 2028 sixth-round pick to the Jets for safety Andre Cisco.

Outside of that move, the 49ers traded a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Colts for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and also sent a 2027 sixth-rounder to the Colts for wide receiver Keenan Allen.

The defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks, who are 5-4 and just on the outside of the NFC Wild Card picture, traded a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder to the Colts for veteran guard Quenton Nelson, an eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time First Team All-Pro selection.