Where Does Russell Wilson Broncos Trade Rank Among Worst NFL Trades of Last 10 Years?
The Russell Wilson trade has not panned out well for the Denver Broncos.
Following a Week 5 double-digit home loss to the New York Jets, the Broncos are now 6-16 since acquiring Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks prior to the 2022 NFL season. They're 1-4 this year and falling out of contention, and it doesn't appear as though their soon-to-be 35-year-old quarterback has any answers.
That's far from ideal considering that in exchange for Wilson and a fourth-round pick, the Broncos gave up two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, quarterback Drew Lock, defensive lineman Shelby Harris and tight end Noah Fant.
There's room for change, but right now that looks like one of the worst trades in the last decade. Here's how it stacks up for the time being.
10. Minnesota Vikings Trade a 1st-Round Pick for Sam Bradford
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Sam Bradford wasn't inefficient and didn't exactly embarrass himself in one full season as a starter for the Minnesota Vikings, but he didn't last far beyond that because he really couldn't make enough plays to give Minnesota a chance to contend. The team won just seven of his 15 starts in 2018 before yet another of his many significant injuries paved the way for Case Keenum to replace him for much of the 2017 campaign.
He didn't win another NFL start after aggravating a knee injury in Week 5 of what would be his second and final season with the team.
And to think that Minnesota could have kept that first-rounder and been in the mix for Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson in the 2017 draft.
9. Jets Trade a 1st-round Pick and 3 2nds for the Right to Draft Sam Darnold
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In just three seasons with the New York Jets, Sam Darnold completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes and posted a sub-80 passer rating as Gang Green won just 13 of his 38 starts.
He was essentially a wasted No. 3 overall pick, while the Indianapolis Colts used New York's No. 6 overall selection on star guard Quenton Nelson and took another long-term starting offensive lineman, Braden Smith, with one of the second-rounders.
Strictly from a draft standpoint, the Jets could have stood pat and selected Josh Allen sixth overall without surrendering all of that Day 2 draft capital. It was a huge mistake that set the organization back several years.
8. Indianapolis Colts Trade a 1st-Round Pick for Trent Richardson
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You'd think the Indianapolis Colts would have seen red flags when the Cleveland Browns were prepared to bail on Trent Richardson just 17 months after drafting him third overall in 2012. But no, Indianapolis handed the Browns their 2014 first-round pick early in the 2013 season.
All so that Richardson could average a horrendous 3.1 yards per carry and score seven total touchdowns over the course of 29 games in 2013 and 2014 before never seeing an NFL rep again.
It was an embarrassing move for a team that was very much a contender and could have used that draft capital on something of substance.
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7. Indianapolis Colts Trade 1st- and 3rd-round Picks for Carson Wentz
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We're not done with the Colts, who in 2021 handed the Eagles their 2022 first-round pick and 2021 third-round in order to reunite Carson Wentz with Frank Reich. That year, the team also paid Wentz $21.3 million while he posted mediocre numbers.
They failed to make the playoffs and jettisoned Wentz to the Washington Commanders after just one season, but for a lot less draft capital than they coughed up to Philadelphia one year prior.
Wentz is now unemployed, and Reich is no longer the Colts head coach.
Oops.
6. Chicago Bears Trade 2 1st-round Picks and More Draft Capital for Khalil Mack
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Sure, Khalil Mack was a Pro Bowler in three of his four seasons with the Chicago Bears, but those were some damn expensive years and he registered double-digit sacks in only his maiden campaign with the team.
Even with the Raiders giving the Bears the second-rounder they'd use on tight end Cole Kmet, two first-rounders, a third and a sixth is a lot to pay considering that the team had just one winning season and won zero playoff games during that four-year stretch.
And during that period, the franchise handed Mack more than $90 million, according to Spotrac.
5. Seattle Seahawks Trade 1st-, 3rd- and 7th-Round Picks for Percy Harvin
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Yeah, Percy Harvin was a member of that 2013 Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks team. But that doesn't make this a good trade for the Seahawks, who really didn't need the lightning rod of a receiver/return man to capture that Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Harvin accumulated 80 total scrimmage yards in three appearances that season. One of which came in the Super Bowl when he returned a kick for an 87-yard touchdown, but the Seahawks won that game by 35 points.
Injuries and tumult followed Harvin out of town via trade the following fall, hardly a year after the Seahawks coughed up all of that draft capital to the Vikings and handed Harvin a six-year, $67 million deal.
4. Rams Trade 2 1sts, 2 2nds and 2 3rds for the Right to Draft Jared Goff
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Jared Goff may have quarterbacked a Super Bowl for the Los Angeles Rams, but his horrendous performance in that loss to the New England Patriots combined with his inability to step up consistently over a five-year period with plenty of support in L.A. makes this a pre-draft trade the Rams will forever regret.
For all intents and purposes, the Rams used all six of those aforementioned primo draft picks on Goff, who posted a mediocre 91.5 rating during his half-decade run with the team (and 79.9 in the playoffs). Eventually, when the Rams realized he wasn't likely the answer to get them a Lombardi Trophy, they sacrificed two more first-round picks just to ship him off to the Detroit Lions in exchange for Matthew Stafford (who indeed helped them win a Super Bowl right away).
Can't help but wonder how much more success the Rams could have had between 2017 and 2020 with more of a game-changer at quarterback.
3. Broncos Trade 2 1st-round Picks, 2 2nd-Round Picks and More for Russell Wilson
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There's some lingering benefit of the doubt here for Wilson, who deserves it based on an incredible, Hall of Fame-worthy tenure with the Seahawks before joining the Broncos. The team hasn't exactly made it easy on him either, with shabby defense and instability within the coaching staff.
That said, the aforementioned price tag—two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, Lock, Harris, and Fant—was huge, especially considering that Wilson is one of the highest-paid players in the game and the Broncos are financially handcuffed to him for several seasons to come.
Again, this story isn't necessarily over yet. Wilson's numbers have been much better this year than they were in 2022, even if he still hasn't looked right at all. But the Broncos put basically all of their eggs in Wilson's basket and they really could have used top-10 picks as well as their original second-rounders in each of the last two drafts.
2. Cleveland Browns Trade 3 1st-Round Picks and More for Deshaun Watson
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Few moves in NFL history have reeked of desperation quite as much as this one.
In hopes of finally securing a star franchise quarterback for the first time in centuries in the spring of 2022, the Browns looked at a quarterback who hadn't played since 2020 and was facing more than 20 civil lawsuits, many alleging sexual misconduct, and assault, and decided he was worth three consecutive first-round picks between 2022 and 2024, a pair of middle-round picks in 2022 and 2024, and a fully-guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.
Deshaun Watson was suspended for the majority of his first season with the team, and thus far in 2023 he ranks below the league median in passer rating and is now missing time due to a shoulder injury as the 2-2 Browns rank in the bottom 10 in terms of points per game.
At this point, it doesn't look as though Watson is likely to revive his career and get back on the awesome track he was riding early in his career with the Houston Texans, but there's little the Browns can do about it now.
1. 49ers Trade 3 1st-Round Picks and a 3rd for the Right to Draft Trey Lance
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STOP IT. Just stop trading up in the first round for quarterbacks. That's a message for everybody and anybody who will listen within NFL front offices.
The most extreme cautionary tale yet came just two years ago when the San Francisco 49ers became so obsessed with Trey Lance that they essentially used three first-round picks and a third-rounder on an FCS product with plenty to prove.
Less than 30 months later, the 49ers had already given up on Lance. He's now a member the Dallas Cowboys with just four career starts under his belt.
It's amazing the 49ers are still a prime contender, because as a result of that trade they haven't used a first-round pick on a player who is currently on the roster since 2020.
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