FOR USE AS DESIRED
NFL-43 10/18/99
ON 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF BIGGEST NFL TRADE EVER,
GIL BRANDT CHOOSES TOP 10 ALL-TIME TRADES
NFL Trading Deadline Tuesday, Oct. 19
It was 10 years ago this month that the largest trade in NFL history took place – the "Herschel Walker" swap between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings on October 13, 1989. The trade involved a combination of 18 players and/or draft choices.
While no one expects a trade of that magnitude to transpire this year, an increase in trading might be expected in the next few days due to the end of the 1999 trading deadline next Tuesday, October 19, at 4:00 PM ET.
"What clubs do at this point in the season," says GIL BRANDT, "is get that legal pad out and start dialing the other clubs asking if there’s somebody they’re interested in trading, or somebody they’re interesting in trading for."
If anyone knows about personnel and how player movement works, it’s Gil Brandt, the former vice president of personnel development of the Dallas Cowboys. In his 29 years with the team (1960-88), Brandt helped direct the Cowboys to 20 winning seasons through shrewd player acquisition.
Whether by trading for players (MIKE RENFRO), drafting them (TONY DORSETT), or signing them as free agents (DREW PEARSON), Brandt was constantly evaluating players, and the best way to acquire them.
Now a consultant and the NFL’s Internet "draft guru" every April, Brandt is always ready with an opinion on the best ways to build a team.
So with the last trading deadline of the century approaching, the NFL asked Brandt to rate the top 10 trades in NFL history. He listed them chronologically – with commentary:
GIL BRANDT’S TOP 10 NFL TRADES
| 1957 – Packers Get Nitschke | 9/18/57: Green Bay trades DE John Martinkovic and T Dalton Truax to NY Giants for third-round selection. Packers choose future Hall of Fame LB Ray Nitschke. |
| 1960 – 49ers Get Jimmy Johnson | 4/11/60: San Francisco trades DB Dick Moegle to Pittsburgh for Steelers first-round selection. 49ers choose future Hall of Fame CB Jimmy Johnson. |
| 1964 – QBs Traded Between Rivals | 3/31/64: Philadelphia trades QB Sonny Jurgensen (and DB Jimmy Carr) to Eastern Conference-rival Washington for QB Norm Snead (and DB Claude Crabb). "It may be the only time in history two quarterbacks were traded between division rivals," says Brandt. "Both teams benefited. Philadelphia went from 2-10 in ’63 to 6-8. Washington went from 3-11 to 6-8." |
| 1967 – Raiders Trade for Willie Brown | 1/21/67: Oakland trades DE Rex Mirich to Denver for future Hall of Fame CB Willie Brown (and QB Mickey Slaughter). |
| 1977 – Cowboys Get Dorsett * | 5/3/77: Dallas trades WR Duke Fergerson, a first-round and three second-round choices to Seattle. Cowboys choose RB Tony Dorsett. |
| 1987 – 49ers Trade for Young | 4/27/87: San Francisco trades second- and fourth-round choices to Tampa Bay for QB Steve Young. "That’s why you make trades, hoping to get somebody who takes you to the Super Bowl," says Brandt. "That’s what the 49ers did." |
| 1987 – Dickerson/3-Way Trade | 10/31/87: Tied as fifth-largest trade in NFL history (10 players), LA Rams, Indianapolis and Buffalo partake in three-way trade. Believed to be the only three-way, in-season trade in history. Key players are future Hall of Fame RB Eric Dickerson going from the Rams to the Colts, and LB Cornelius Bennett from the Colts to the Bills. "Indianapolis wanted to go to the playoffs and they did (winning the division)," says Brandt. "Bennett paid long-term dividends to the Bills, helping them to four consecutive Super Bowls." |
| 1990 – Cowboys
Maneuver for Smith |
4/22/90: Dallas trades first-round selection it obtained in Herschel Walker trade (and a third-round choice from San Francisco) to Pittsburgh to move up to 17th overall pick. Cowboys choose RB Emmitt Smith. |
| 1992 – Packers Trade for Favre * | 2/10/92: Green Bay trades first-round selection to Atlanta for QB Brett Favre. "He threw five passes the year before and completed none," says Brandt. Favre played college ball at Southern Mississippi. Ironically, the player the Falcons took with the choice they got for Favre – RB Tony Smith – was also from Southern Miss. |
| 1995 – Jaguars Trade For Brunell | 4/22/95: Jacksonville trades third- and fifth-round selections to Green Bay for QB Mark Brunell. "He’s won 16 of his last 20 starts," says Brandt. |
* Brandt rates as one of two best trades in NFL history.
BRANDT COMMENTS ON TWO UNIQUE NFL TRADES
| 1967 – Tarkenton Traded | 3/21/67: Minnesota
trades future Hall of Fame QB Fran Tarkenton to NY Giants for four draft choices.
"The Giants motive was to get the guy who would put them over the top, get them to
the playoffs," says Brandt. New York went from 1-12 in ’66 to two 7-7 seasons,
but did not make the playoffs. An aside to the trade: With one of their selections for Tarkenton, the Vikings chose WR Bob Grim, who was traded to the Giants in 1972 when Tarkenton was traded back to the Vikings. |
| 1974 – QBs Traded in Season On Same Day | 10/22/74: Dallas
trades QB Craig Morton to NY Giants for first-round selection. Cowboys choose future Hall
of Fame DT Randy White. Morton’s first start for the Giants is against the Cowboys.
New York loses 21-7. 10/22/74: LA Rams trade QB John Hadl to Green Bay for five draft choices. "It may be the only time that two starting quarterbacks were traded on the same day in the middle of a season," says Brandt. |
THE "HERSCHEL WALKER" TRADE
(Largest trade in NFL history based on combination of 18 players and/or draft choices)
October 13, 1989 – The Dallas Cowboys trade RB HERSCHEL WALKER to the Minnesota Vikings. Dallas also trades its third-round choice in 1990, its 10th-round choice in 1990, and its third-round choice in 1991 to Minnesota.
Minnesota trades LB JESSE SOLOMON, LB DAVID HOWARD, CB ISSIAC HOLT and DE ALEX STEWART along with its first-round choice in 1990, its second-round choice in 1990, its sixth-round choice in 1990, its first-round choice in 1991, its second-round choice in 1991, its first-round choice in 1992, its second-round choice in 1992, and its third-round choice in 1992 to Dallas.
Minnesota trades RB DARRIN NELSON to Dallas, which trades Nelson to San Diego for the Chargers’ fifth-round choice in 1990, which Dallas then sends to Minnesota.
(Note: A list of the largest trades and other significant trades in NFL history is contained on page 255 of the 1999 NFL Record & Fact Book.)