2011 NFL Trade Rumors: 20 Biggest Blockbuster Trades in NFL History
Chad Johnson is back to his original name, but things are still not looking up for the superstar wide receiver in Cincinnati.
Head coach Marvin Lewis has been having some unpleasant words for his star, most notably when he said Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is smarter than to trade for Johnson.
Over the past few days, Johnson has been the subject of many articles regarding NFL trade rumors.
Johnson’s quarterback, Carson Palmer, has joined him over the past week. Palmer has been adamant about wanting out of Cincinnati. He has requested a trade and threatened to retire if he does not get one. Bengals owner Mike Brown spoke out that the team will not trade Palmer.
Needless to say, this is going to be an interesting and juicy offseason for the Bengals, who were one of the most disappointing teams in the league in 2010.
It remains to be seen if either will be traded, but it still got us looking back at the top 20 biggest blockbuster trades in NFL history.
20. Buffalo Bills Trade First-Round Draft Pick for Drew Bledsoe, 2002
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After sixth-round draft pick Tom Brady filled in for the injured Drew Bledsoe to guide the Patriots to a Super Bowl XXXVI victory in the 2001-02 season, head coach Bill Belichick essentially declared Bledsoe dispensable.
He was right.
Bledsoe’s career was winding down while Tom Brady was ready to sky rocket to elite status and define himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
Brady would lead the Patriots to three more Super Bowls, winning two, and an undefeated 2007 regular season with an MVP award.
I’d say things worked out quite well for New England, who was able to draft defensive lineman Ty Warren with the Bills' first-round draft pick.
Suckers.
19. Miami Dolphins Trade Wes Welker to New England Patriots, 2007
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Welker was a solid return man in Miami. That was his extent.
The Patriots saw far more in the slot receiver.
Wes Welker would go on to become one of the most dominant wide receivers in the game, catching passes from elite QB Tom Brady in the Patriots' offensive scheme.
The Patriots only gave up second and seventh round draft picks for a receiver who caught just about everything thrown his way ever since coming to New England, as he opened his Patriots career with three straight seasons catching over 110 passes.
18. Eagles Trade QB Donovan McNabb to Division Rival Washington Redskins, 2010
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Everyone scratched their heads after picking up their jaws from off the floor when they found out the Philadelphia Eagles traded franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb to their division rival Washington Redskins.
Philadelphia received a 2010 second-round draft pick and a 2011 fourth-round draft pick.
This left the Eagles with Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick as their quarterbacks while the Redskins finally landed their decorated, franchise quarterback.
In 2010, Washington was disappointed yet again as they missed out on the playoffs and McNabb was actually benched the remaining three games of the tumultuous season.
Philadelphia went on to win the NFC East led by Michael Vick, who was one of the leading candidates for MVP throughout the season.
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17. Ollie Matson Traded for 9 Los Angeles Rams Players, 1959
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Chicago Cardinals running back Ollie Matson was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for nine players in one of the biggest trades in NFL history.
The Cardinals received tackles Frank Fuller and Ken Panfil, defensive end Glenn Holtzman, defensive tackle Art Hauser, John Tracey, full back Larry Hickman, running back Don Brown, 1960 second-round draft pick and another player who was expected to be declared during the 1959 training camp.
16. San Francisco 49ers Trade Terrell Owens to Philadelphia Eagles, 2004
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Philadelphia finally brought in a top-notch wide receiver for Donovan McNabb in 2004.
T.O. would become arguably the most dominant receiver that season and helped the Eagles get over their NFC Championship hump.
Although the Eagles lost in the Super Bowl, Owens displayed incredible heroics by returning early from a broken leg to put together an amazing performance against the Patriots that game.
Things may have ended poorly in Philly for T.O., but his first season with the team was remarkable.
15. Oakland Raiders Trade Head Coach To Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2002
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The Oakland Raiders decided to trade head coach Jon Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two first-round draft picks, two second-round draft picks and $8 million.
Sound like a lot, right?
Oddly enough, Oakland and Tampa Bay went on to meet in the Super Bowl that same season.
Tampa Bay won.
14. Mike Ditka, New Orleans Saints, Trade Draft To Washington, 1999
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Mike Ditka broke the bank to acquire running back Ricky Williams during the 1999 draft with Washington’s No. 5 overall pick.
Ditka gave Washington the No. 12 overall pick and the second, fourth, fifth and sixth-round picks in the 1999 draft. That’s not all. He also gave them first and third-round picks in 2000.
Whoa.
Take it easy, Mike.
Funny enough, New Orleans actually made out better in this deal because of Washington’s inept ability to draft successfully.
Although Ditka did not last much longer in New Orleans, Ricky Williams was an elite, Pro Bowl running back.
13. Denver Trades Clinton Portis to Washington for Champ Bailey, 2004
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In a rare player-for-player blockbuster swap, the Denver Broncos traded running back Clinton Portis to the Washington Redskins for a second-round draft pick and shutdown cornerback Champ Bailey.
The trade was heavily scrutinized as running backs are not as hard to find as a shutdown corner is in the NFL.
While both are seeing their careers winding down somewhat and found great success, the Broncos saw more team success with Bailey than the Redskins did with Portis.
12. Los Angeles Rams Trade Jerome Bettis to Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996
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Bettis was traded from the Los Angeles Rams to the Pittsburgh Steelers in April 1996 for a 1996 second-round pick and 1997 fourth-round pick. The Steelers also received a 1996 third-round pick.
The Bus went on to have a very successful career with the Steelers and was the 1996 Comeback Player of the Year.
He eventually helped Pittsburgh win the the Super Bowl in 2005-2006 over the Seattle Seahawks.
11. Oakland Raiders Trade Randy Moss to New England Patriots, 2007
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Many thought Randy Moss was down after he essentially seemed to quit on the Oakland Raiders.
People thought he was just going to be trouble for the rest of his career and had no desire left to play.
Bill Belichick was not one of those people.
Belichick brought in Moss, who went on to have one of the greatest seasons of any wide receiver in NFL history, helping the team go undefeated in the regular season before losing to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.
Moss caught 98 passes for 1,493 yards and 23 touchdowns, a single-season record.
All that for a measly fourth-round pick.
10. Halloween’s Trick-Or-Trade: Three-Team, 10 Player Trade, 1987
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On Halloween 1987, the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills completed a three-team blockbuster trade.
The Bills received the rights to linebacker Cornelius Bennett from the Colts.
The Rams received running back Owen Gill, a 1988 No. 1 draft pick, a 1988 No. 2 draft pick and a 1989 No. 2 draft pick from Indianapolis. They received running back Greg Bell, a 1988 No. 1 draft pick, a 1989 No. 1 draft pick and a 1989 No. 2 draft pick from Buffalo.
The Colts received running back Eric Dickerson from the Rams.
Who do you think made out the best?
9. San Diego Chargers and Atlanta Falcons Trade Draft Picks, 2001
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Both teams were in desperation mode to revive their franchises and draft a franchise player.
The Chargers traded the No. 1 overall pick to the Atlanta Falcons, who drafted Michael Vick.
Vick went on to become one of the most electrifying and dynamic playmakers in the game. He eventually found his way out of Atlanta and into jail for dog fighting before coming back to electrify once again with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Still, Vick was the face of Atlanta and the NFL during his tenure with the Falcons.
The Chargers received the No. 5 overall pick, wide receiver Tim Dwight and 2002 third and fifth-round draft picks.
The Chargers selected running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who became the face of the franchise and one of the greatest running backs in NFL history, changing the NFL record book in numerous ways, including setting the NFL single-season touchdown record with 31 in 2006.
Although neither player is with the team they started with nor won a Super Bowl, the players' franchises saw great success with them leading their respective teams.
8. San Diego Chargers Trade Eli Manning to New York Giants, 2004
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Eli Manning refused to play for the San Diego Chargers. He wanted to play for the New York Giants.
It seemed San Diego couldn’t care less as they still drafted Manning with the No. 1 overall pick.
Before the first round was even halfway through, the Chargers and Giants were able to reach an agreement.
San Diego traded Eli Manning to the Giants for No. 4 overall draft pick Philip Rivers, 2004 third-round draft pick and 2005 first and fifth-round draft picks.
The Giants went on to win a Super Bowl over the previously undefeated New England Patriots behind Manning while the Chargers have their franchise quarterback in Rivers, who has proved to be one of the better QBs in the game.
Thus far, things worked out very nicely for both franchises.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Trade Steve Young to San Francisco 49ers, 1987
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After two unsuccessful years in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers deemed Young a bust and drafted Vinny Testaverde No. 1 overall.
During the 1987 draft, San Francisco decided they would trade second and fourth-round draft picks to acquire Young to backup Joe Montana.
Wow. What a move.
When Montana went down due to injury in 1991, Young stepped in and did great for the 49ers, just missing out on the playoffs with a 10-6 record.
Young eventually took control of the team and would become one of the best quarterbacks in history, leading the 49ers to a Super Bowl victory.
6. First Round Draft Picks Swapped, Greatest of All Time Locked, 1985
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The New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers decided to swap picks during the 1985 draft.
Wrong move, New England.
While the Patriots received San Francisco’s first, second and third-round draft picks, the 49ers were able to move up to No. 16 overall and draft wide receiver Jerry Rice.
We all know about Jerry Rice.
5. Baltimore Colts Trade John Elway to Denver Broncos, 1983
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Baltimore really didn’t have a choice.
John Elway refused to play for the franchise and threatened to play baseball instead.
Hey, good news for Broncos nation, right!?
Elway went on to become one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and led the Broncos to two Super Bowl Championship before retiring.
The Colts received quarterback Mark Hermann, tackle Chris Hinton and wide receiver Andre Rison.
Talk about lopsided…
4. New England Patriots Trade for Head Coach, 2000
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Bill Belichick was set to become the New York Jets head coach..until he wrote his resignation.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft decided to trade a No. 1 draft pick for the head coach. He felt comfortable in doing so as he believed Belichick was more of a sure thing than any player.
He was right.
While the Jets drafted defensive end Shaun Ellis with their pick and have been to the playoffs several times, Belichick has been to four Super Bowls with the New England Patriots this decade and won three of them.
3. Brett Favre Traded from Atlanta Falcons to Green Bay Packers, 1992
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In 1992, Packers general manager Ron Wolf traded a 1992 first-round pick for Atlanta quarterback Brett Favre.
Wolf wanted Favre in the 1991 draft but he was taken before he had the chance to select the gunslinger.
Really, the rest is history.
Favre went on to become one of the all-time greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Some would say he is No. 1. He is the single greatest warrior of all time. He holds the records for most career touchdown passes, most career passing yards, most career pass completions, most career pass attempts, most career interceptions thrown, most consecutive starts, most consecutive starts by a QB, most career victories as a starting quarterback, most sacked and most fumbles.
He is a three-time MVP and Super Bowl winning quarterback.
It’s difficult to have asked for more.
2. The Franchise Flippity-Flop, 1972
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In 1972, Baltimore Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom traded the entire franchise to Robert Irsay for the Los Angeles Rams.
Ya don’t say?
Both teams would eventually relocate to the midwest, as the Colts went to Indianapolis and the Rams went to St. Louis.
Both franchises have seen remarkable success.
1. Dallas Cowboys Trade Herschel Walker to Minnesota Vikings, 1989
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In one of the biggest NFL history-changing blockbuster trades, the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys completed the biggest trade in NFL history by swapping 18 players.
This is the trade that essentially vaulted the Cowboys dynasty of the 1990’s, leading them to become “America’s Team.”
The Vikings received running back Herschel Walker, 1990 and 1991 third-round draft picks and a 1990 tenth-round draft pick.
The Cowboys received linebackers Jesse Solomon and David Howard, cornerback Isaac Holt, running back Darrin Nelson, defensive end Alex Stewart, 1990 first, second and sixth-round draft picks, 1991 first and second-round draft picks and 1992 first, second and third-round draft picks.
Minnesota also received a 1990 San Diego Chargers fifth-round draft pick after Dallas traded running back Darrin Nelson for it.
Wow. Okay, now that we sorted that out…
Herschel Walker lasted two more seasons in Minnesota and eventually found his way back to Dallas, funny enough.
Dallas meanwhile, with a slew of selections, drafted running back Emmitt Smith and safety Darren Woodson, both of whom were among the best of their positions and helped lead the Cowboys to their dynasty.
Emmitt Smith, as we all know, is arguably the greatest running back of all time.
Good one, Minnesota.
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