When you look at certain NFL franchises that struggled for long periods of time, you can often trace it back to one ill-fated trade.
There have been so many instances where an NFL team completed a massive trade with the hope that it would lead them to a brighter future, only for it to set them back even further over the next few years.
Here are 10 all-time horrible NFL trades that ruined a franchise.
Vikings Give Up The World For Herschel Walker
You KNOW your NFL career didn’t go as planned when your name is on the losing end of perhaps the most lopsided trade in league history.
Georgia product and 1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker was a budding star at running back for the Dallas Cowboys in the final years of the Tom Landry era.
But with the Cowboys in rebuilding mode, Walker became expendable. And the NFC heavyweight Minnesota Vikings were convinced that he could help them get over the hump once and for all.
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During the 1989 season, Walker was traded to the Vikings in a three-way deal that also included the San Diego Chargers. The massive haul for Dallas included a trio of first-round picks and three second-rounders.
With all that draft capital, Dallas wound up coming away with future all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith, five-time Pro Bowl safety Darren Woodson, all-pro corner Kevin Smith and standout defensive tackle Russell Maryland. All four men played instrumental roles in helping the Cowboys build a dynasty that won three Super Bowls in the ‘90s.
Meanwhile, Walker lasted just three seasons in Minny and never once hit the 1,000-yard mark during his tenure there. The Vikings went one-and-done in the postseason after acquiring Walker, and they failed to even qualify for the playoffs in his two full seasons in Minny, in 1990 and ‘91.
You do the math and tell us which franchise was ruined by this trade?
Lions Give Away Bobby Layne To Steelers
The Detroit Lions were once a model NFL organization. That was in the ‘50s, when they were led by Hall of Fame quarterback Bobby Layne. The six-time Pro Bowler led Motown to NFL Championships in 1952, ‘53 and ‘57.
Lions’ head coach Buddy Parker left to coach the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1957. A year later, Parker was able to land Layne in a blockbuster trade with Detroit. The NFL legend would continue to play at a high level for a few more years in Steel City…whereas the Lions have NOT been the same since this trade.
Detroit has won literally ONE playoff game since trading away Layne – and that was back in the 1991 season. The Lions have, quite frankly, been one of America’s saddest and most dysfunctional sporting franchises in the Super Bowl era.
Maybe they should’ve kept Layne and looked to add to their dynasty? Little did the Lions know at the time that trading away Layne would set the stage for over six decades – and counting – of pain and misery.
Colts Draft Then Trade John Elway
The Baltimore Colts drafted Stanford signal-caller John Elway with the top selection in 1983. But the two-way athlete had no desire to play for a losing franchise, and he even threatened to pursue a career in Major League Baseball.
The Colts had no choice but to trade Elway. We understand that. But of course, they could have gotten a better return for a future league MVP and two-time Super Bowl champion.
Ultimately, the Colts dealt Elway to the Denver Broncos in exchange for backup QB Mark Herrman, a 1984 first-round pick and Pro Bowl offensive lineman Chris Hinton.
Now, Hinton and Ron Solt – the man Baltimore took with that 1984 first-rounder that they got from Denver – turned out to be studs on the o-line.
The problem was that the Elway trade saw the Colts burn through so many valuable picks after that, as they continued to search for a franchise quarterback. Jeff George and Steve Emtman–both of whom went first overall in 1990 and ‘92, respectively—were just two of the busts that the Colts wasted high-end picks on.
The team had to wait a decade and a half to finally find a true franchise QB – landing Peyton Manning with the top selection in 1998.
Texans Hand Cardinals DeAndre Hopkins For Pennies
Hopkins had five 1,000-yard seasons in Houston and helped them to four AFC South division titles. In 2019, he and Deshaun Watson helped the Texans get to the AFC Divisional Round, where Bill O’Brien’s disastrous play-calling saw them blow a 24-point lead to the Chiefs.
The 51-31 loss was embarrassing, no doubt. But the Texans at least had one of the league’s top QB-wide receiver duos that would keep them in contention for years to come… Or so we thought.
Apparently unhappy that Hopkins wanted a raise, O’Brien instead decided to trade the All-Pro wideout to the Arizona Cardinals in the 2022 offseason, along with a fourth-rounder, for past-his-prime running back David Johnson plus second and fourth-round picks.
The Texans completely collapsed from there. They won just four games in 2020 and it led to Watson requesting a trade. Franchise GOAT JJ Watt was released in the ensuing offseason as the Texans began a scorched-earth rebuild. And Watson was traded to the Cleveland Browns in a 2022 blockbuster deal.
Bill O’Brien made plenty of questionable calls during his time with the Texans. But this move will always be his worst, just because of how far it ended up setting this franchise back.
Al Davis Trades Coach Gruden To The Bucs
How about that? A coach trade makes the list!
This was no Micky Mouse coach trade, however. After going 8-and-8 in his first two seasons as the Oakland Raiders’ head coach, Jon Gruden proceeded to lead the team to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2000 and 2001.
But after losing the “Tuck Rule” game to the Patriots in the Divisional Round, Al Davis decided to trade Gruden to Tampa Bay during the 2002 offseason, in exchange for the Bucs’ first-round picks in 2002 and 2003, their second-round picks in 2002 and 2004, and $8-million in cash.
Davis was looking for a more vertical pass attack than the one Gruden installed. And he was also unwilling to pay “Chucky,” whose contract was set to expire following the 2002 season.
Initially, it looked like great deal for the Raiders. Not only did they get an abundance of draft picks, but they also made it all the way to Super Bowl 37 with new head coach Bill Callahan. However, that’s when the trade began to blow up in their face…
First, they were humiliated by an overly-prepared Gruden and his Tampa Bay Bucs in that Super Bowl, losing 48-to-21.
After that, the Raiders would hit a downward spiral, failing to win more than five games in any of their following seven seasons. They’ve also made the playoffs just twice since that Super Bowl loss, and they haven’t won a single playoff game.
It’s no wonder Al Davis spent all that money to bring Gruden back in 2018.
The Ricky Williams Trade
Ahead of the 1999 NFL Draft, then-New Orleans Saints head coach Mike Ditka badly wanted Texas’ Heisman Trophy winning running back, Ricky Williams.
How bad did Ditka want Williams? So much so that he was willing to give up his entire load of draft picks and more just so the Saints could move up and take him fifth overall.
Ditka gave up eight picks to Washington – six draft picks in 1999 plus 2000 first and third-rounders. It was a giant win for Washington, and a massive L for NOLA.
Now, Williams did record a pair of 1,000-yard seasons with the Saints. But as a running back, he didn’t move the needle much. Furthermore, the Saints traded him away to the Miami Dolphins after just three seasons.
Washington used their trade haul wisely, coming away with future Hall of Fame corner Champ Bailey and future Pro Bowl linebacker LaVar Arrington with the draft picks they acquired.
The Saints franchise would remain in disarray for a while longer, until Sean Payton and Drew Brees finally came along in 2006.
If Ditka realized at the time how easy it was to find a 1,000-yard running back, he wouldn’t have made that disastrous trade. And who knows? Maybe he would have remained New Orleans’ coach even longer.
Packers Go All-In For John Hadl
With the Bart Starr era in the rearview mirror, the Cheeseheads were desperate for a new franchise quarterback.
So the Packers sought AFL legend and Los Angeles Rams Pro Bowler John Hadl – who led the San Diego Chargers to an AFL Championship in 1963. During the 1974 season, Green Bay acquired Hadl from the Rams in a mega deal that netted LA two firsts, two seconds and a third-round pick.
Hadl turned out to be an awful fit in the Packers’ offense. He lasted just one and a half seasons there, going 7-and-12 as the starter with nine touchdowns against a whopping 29 interceptions.
Green Bay only made the playoffs ONCE from 1974 to ‘92, so yeah…that Hadl trade hurt them big time. Fortunately for Green Bay, they ended up being on the opposite side of another franchise-ruining trade, which helped them find their next great quarterback…
Packers Steal Brett Favre From The Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons selected “The Gunslinger” with the No. 33 selection in the 1991 draft. Favre, however, barely saw any playing time as a Falcon.
He attempted only four pass attempts in his rookie year – and two of them went for picks. In a surprise move, the Falcons quickly decided to give up on Favre and sent him to the Green Bay Packers for a first-round pick in the upcoming ‘92 draft.
That pick eventually led to Atlanta taking Southern Mississippi running back Tony Smith 19th overall. Smith lasted just three seasons in Atlanta and had 329 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
All Favre did for Green Bay was turn them into an NFL juggernaut. They won back-to-back NFC title games in 1996 and 1997, winning Super Bowl 31 over the New England Patriots. Favre was a three-time MVP winner who also retired as the NFL’s all-time passing yards and passing touchdowns leader.
Favre took Green Bay to the postseason 11 times in his 16 years there. Other than a fluke run to Super Bowl 33 in 1998, the Falcons were mostly an afterthought until Michael Vick turned them into a playoff contender in 2002.
As good as Vick and his successor, Matt Ryan, were in Atlanta, there’s no telling how much better this football team could have been with Favre. We wouldn’t doubt at least one Super Bowl championship there…perhaps even more?
Buccaneers Give Away Joe Cool’s Successor To 49ers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Steve Young with the top selection in the 1984 Supplemental Draft, which was made up of USFL and CFL players.
Young’s size, dual-threat ability and poise in the pocket made him a potential franchise-changer for the sad Tampa Bay franchise. But Young struggled to get it going with a lackluster supporting cast, going 3-and-16 as the starter with 11 touchdowns and 21 picks over two seasons.
49ers’ head coach Bill Walsh, however, saw something special in Young. In 1987, the 49ers acquired the lefty for the low price of a second and fourth-round pick. Because San Fran had Joe Montana at the time, the deal wasn’t exactly noteworthy.
Young was Montana’s understudy on the 49ers’ 1988 and ‘89 Super Bowl championship teams. However, an elbow injury forced Montana to miss the entire 1991 season – opening the door for Young to start.
Young had a superb ‘91 campaign and played well enough to retain the starting job over Montana and win the NFL MVP award. The 49ers’ dynasty was kept alive with Young’s prolific play, and he led the franchise to a Super Bowl 29 championship in the 1994 season. Montana would get traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993, and he spent his final two seasons there.
Oh, and the Buccaneers continued to be a mess for the remainder of the ‘80s and the first half of the ‘90s, until Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy came aboard in 1996.
Sure, the ‘02 Bucs broke through with a Super Bowl 37 championship…but if they kept Young and properly built around him? Who knows how much better Tampa could have been?
Washington Trades Up For RG3
Washington was desperate for one of the two elite quarterback prospects in the 2012 draft – Stanford’s Andrew Luck and Baylor’s Robert Griffin III.
Before the draft, Washington acquired the No. 2 pick from the St. Louis Rams in exchange for three first-rounders and a 2012 second-round pick. After the Indianapolis Colts took Luck first overall, Washington happily settled on RG3.
Griffin had an electrifying rookie season, leading Washington to an unexpected NFC East division crown while earning himself Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Unfortunately, a plethora of injuries quickly began to derail Griffin’s career – though you should direct all the blame towards Dan Snyder and the dysfunctional coaching staff that had RG3 play through a brutal knee injury that only made matters worse.
Griffin was released in 2016 after four seasons. Though Kirk Cousins proved to be a steady replacement for Griffin, he later joined the Vikings in 2018 free agency.
Ever since Cousins left, Washington has been left scrambling for different answers at quarterback. It makes ya think, if they didn’t trade up for RG3, maybe they come away with someone like Russell Wilson later in the 2012 draft? Or maybe a few more years of tanking leads them to another future star quarterback?
We’ll never know for sure, because Washington showed zero regard for RG3’s health and well-being, which resulted in the franchise being set WAY back by this blockbuster deal.
