The NFL trade deadline is behind us, and with that last flurry of moves, the stage is set for significant drama league-wide. Several contenders made bold swings, hoping to improve their Super Bowl odds in the second half. Less successful teams, meanwhile, tried to turn the desperation of contenders into long-term gains.

Football is unpredictable in nature, and we can't know for certain what the next few months have in store. That said, these NFL teams feel like the clear winners as of Nov. 10.

Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are home to the NFL's best defense and its second-worst offense in terms of efficiency. So far, the defense has won out — Minnesota started the campaign 6-0 — but there was significant pressure on the front office to improve their quarterback situation. Historically, bad offenses don't win Super Bowls, no matter the strength of the defense.

In the final hours, Minnesota was able to hammer out a deal for Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins spent six great years in Minnesota and is beloved among fans; he also spent two of his best seasons under Kevin O'Connell, serving as the rubric by which subsequent Vikings quarterbacks were graded.

Cousins is no longer in his prime at 38 years old, but to add a still league-average quarterback for the meager price of a third-round pick — even if it's a half-year rental — is a huge win. Time will tell if the Vikings can turn this offense around, but Brian Flores' stonewall defense provides Minnesota with a path to the Super Bowl. The NFC is wide open, and with Cousins, the Vikings now have hope of actually putting a championship-caliber product on the field.

He is surrounded by weapons new and old; his relationship with Justin Jefferson is especially exciting. If any quarterback can change Minnesota's fortunes midseason, it's the guy who knows the playbook in and out, and who has a track record of producing at the absolute highest level in an offense that has felt a little flat since Sam Darnold's unceremonious departure.

Fernando Mendoza and the Las Vegas Raiders

It's fair to quibble with the specifics of this trade for the Raiders. Cousins has been a productive, stabilizing force all season. There's reason to believe Fernando Mendoza would have benefitted from a full year as the understudy, plus a third-round pick feels like light compensation for an established, Pro Bowl-caliber QB — even with Cousins' age and injury concerns.

That said, Mendoza still got a solid six months under Cousins' wing. The Raiders paid about $650,000 in salary to Cousins, won a few big games, and eventually turned a nothingburger investment into a Day 2 draft pick. Mendoza is positioned far better for success now than he would've been as a Week 1 starter on a team with zero competitive track record. He got time to learn the system and watch Cousins on film, which should expedite his learning curve. This outcome far exceeds preseason expectations, as Cousins was never viewed as more than a temporary placeholder with a short leash.

James Gladstone and the Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars went completely new-age with the James Gladstone hire last summer; he's the youngest GM in football at 36 years old, and the first impressions are overwhelmingly positive. The Jags were a stealth contender last season. Now, Jacksonville is hoping to boost their profile and make a real run in the AFC.

Gladstone has done nothing but put his money where his mouth is as the Jaguars' chief executive. He traded two first-round picks and a second-round pick for Travis Hunter last April. Ahead of the deadline, he pulled off two blockbusters in quick succession, acquiring Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates from Atlanta and Super Bowl champ Jordan Davis from Philadelphia. The total sum cost: a first-round pick, two second-round picks and a fifth-round pick.

Bates elevates Jacksonville's already solid secondary, while Davis massively impacts their ability to stop the run. Many would argue that Jacksonville overpaid, and it's a reasonable statement, but there's something to be said for a front office with gumption. The Jags are going for it, and nothing eases concerns about future draft capital better than a Super Bowl run. Jacksonville is checking boxes on one of the deepest and most complete rosters in the NFL. Why can't this team go the distance?

Jeffery Simmons and the Chicago Bears

Speaking of going for it, the Chicago Bears made perhaps the boldest splash of any team. The Jeffery Simmons trade went down two weeks ago, so it's not technically a "deadline" move, but Chicago added an All-Pro pass rusher in the prime of his career. Simmons is up to six sacks and nine tackles for loss on the season. He addresses the weakest link on the Bears roster — and then some. If Chicago wants its explosive offense to lead a Super Bowl run, the defense needs to carry its weight.

It feels like the entire Bears organization became magically competent the moment Ben Johnson was hired as head coach. Ryan Poles has led Chicago's front office since 2022, and he was the subject of many a negative column before Johnson came in and infused the locker room with a real identity and purpose. Caleb Williams deserves credit for scaling the ladder to stardom as quickly as he did, but the Bears were dead in the water a couple years ago. Now, this team is pulling out all the stops, and it's not hard to envision a path to the mountaintop.

Simmons is a game-changer, through and through. The Bears, much like the Jaguars, are a team with youth, depth and a palpable sense of ambition. It's too soon to proclaim the Bears as favorites in the NFC, especially when their own division is so crowded, but Chicago has the quarterback, the coach, the clutch gene and now, the defensive stalwart to help bring it home.