Next New England Trade Down The year was 1985, and the New England Patriots were a million miles from the football juggernaut they are today. Long before their first Super Bowl triumph, the Patriots were in dire need of some inspiration and talent on the field, but they wanted to build depth more. Hence, when the ’85 NFL Draft came around, they decided to shop the 16th overall pick, hoping to receive some good value. In the end, they managed to trade down, picking up the 28th overall pick and a second-round selection as part of the deal. They also swapped third rounders with their trade partners But who was the team they traded the 16th overall pick to? It was the San Francisco 49ers, who drafted a receiver from Mississippi State Valley named Jerry Rice.

Previous Next Elway's Power Move Long before he was the face of the Denver front office. John Elway was the quarterback in the Mile High City, and a damn fine one too. But, really, that should never have been the case. Elway was drafted in 1984, but not by the franchise where he spent the entirety of his NFL career. In fact, he was drafted by the Colts – a team in desperate need of a franchise passer. They thought they’d struck gold with the Stanford QB, until he told them, unequivocally, that he would not play for the team. Elway demanded an immediate trade and, due to the position he was in, the Colts had no choice but to oblige and send him to Denver. Three years previous, Elway had been drafted by the New York Yankees after a successful stint in college baseball. If the Colts didn’t trade the first overall pick, Elway would leave the sport and play baseball in the MLB. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, the Colts struck a deal with the Broncos, and John Elway went on to have a legendary 16-year career in Denver. The Colts didn’t find their franchise quarterback until Peyton Manning arrived in Indianapolis, 14 years later.

Previous Next Favre Heads North Brett Favre is one of the NFL’s most recognisable quarterbacks of all-time. A Hall of Famer who played in the league for two decades. he’s a certified legend of the game. So it’s rather surprising how many people don’t know about his Pro Football origins. Coming out of Southern Mississippi, Favre was drafted in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft. But, it wasn’t the Packers who selected him. In fact, Favre spent the first year of his professional career in Atlanta, where he attempted just four passes all season, none of them completed. The quarterback’s stats from the 1991 season are like something from a horror flick. The man who later became known as “The Gunslinger” took five snaps in which he was intercepted twice and sacked for an 11-yard loss. His very first pass in the league was a pick six. Following Favre’s car crash of a rookie season, however, Green Bay decided to take a shot on the young passer as they were struggling and in need of a spark under centre. Mike Holmgren had scouted Favre while he was in college, and he was sure that he could deliver in Wisconsin. The Packers handed the Falcons their 1992 first rounder, and what followed became football history.

Previous Next Minnesota Help To Build A Dynasty Herschel Walker was a great running back. He was a game-changer on his day, and would have improved any team in the NFL in the late-1980’s, but no one has ever been deserved of the trade package that the Minnesota Vikings sent to Dallas in exchange for his services. In 1989, the Vikings’ front office lost the plot. In an effort to bring the impressive Walker to Minneapolis, the Vikes sent five players AND eight draft picks to Texas, including their next three first-round selections. The move was supposed to bring about Minnesota’s push for a Lombardi Trophy as Walker was deemed the missing piece of the Vikings’ jigsaw but, in reality, it had a different effect. Walker only lasted two seasons in Minnesota, and he didn’t even rack up 1000 yards in either of them. The Cowboys went on to be the dominant force in the NFL, as a direct result of one of the most uneven trades ever. The draft picks they attained allowed Dallas to pick up legends such as Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson, players that would lead them to three Super Bowl victories.