Significant NFL Trade Deadline Deals

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Oct 20, 2011

Significant NFL Trade Deadline Deals

Carson Palmer

Oct. 18, 2011: Oakland Raiders acquire QB Carson Palmer, Cincinnati acquires Oakland's first-round draft pick in 2012, conditional draft pick in 2013. Two days after Raiders' quarterback Jason Campbell was declared out indefinitely with a broken collarbone, the Oakland front office maneuvered a trade for Carson Palmer, the disgruntled Bengals who threatened to retire before the 2011 season. The stunning move -- which sends two draft picks to Cincinnati in return -- could have major implications for both franchises, each off to surprising 4-2 starts.

Braylon Edwards

Oct. 7, 2009: New York Jets acquire WR Braylon Edwards; Cleveland acquires WR Chansi Stuckey, LB Jason Trusnik and undisclosed draft choices. The Browns shipped Edwards to the Jets just days after the former first-round pick allegedly punched a friend of Cavaliers' star LeBron James -- the latest in a long string of off-the-field incidents. The Jets, off to a surprising 3-1 start under first-year coach Rex Ryan, hoped Edwards could fill the void left by Laveranues Coles, who left the team in free agency during the offseason.

Roy Williams

Oct. 14, 2008: Dallas acquires WR Roy Williams and a 7th round pick; Detroit acquires Dallas's first, third and sixth round picks in 2009. With Tony Romo out, and Troy Aikman saying the club needs to right its ship fast, the Cowboys pulled the trigger on the biggest deal of the trade deadline, acquiring Roy Williams from Detroit. The speedy Williams will provide instant spark for Dallas, and is, at the very least, a spot of good news for the franchise. The deal also marks a new (but entirely familiar) beginning in Detroit, as the Lions once again begin the process of rebuilding by stockpiling draft picks.

Chris Chambers

Oct. 16, 2007: San Diego acquires WR Chris Chambers; Dolphins acquire second-round draft pick. After getting off to a somewhat disappointing 3-3 start, the Chargers added Chambers to provide a vertical threat. San Diego's offense was far too reliant on running back LaDainian Tomlinson and tight end Antonio Gates. Defenses had started to sneak more defenders into the box to concentrate on slowing the Chargers' rushing attack. The speedy Chambers is instantly San Diego's top deep threat. Meanwhile, at 0-6, the Dolphins were ready to look ahead and see if first-round draft pick Ted Ginn Jr. could take over at receiver.

Anthony McFarland

Oct. 17, 2006: Indianapolis acquires DT Anthony ''Booger'' McFarland; Tampa Bay acquires a second-round draft pick. Most Tampa Bay supporters seemed to think McFarland's skills had been in decline for some time -- and few seemed overly disappointed when management shipped the nine-year veteran to Indy. But McFarland's reunion with one of his former coaches, Tony Dungy, was fruitful: the eventual Super Bowl champs landed a veteran leader and line anchor whose presence helped bolster a much-maligned run defense.

Keenan McCardell

Oct. 19, 2004: San Diego acquires WR Keenan McCardell; Tampa Bay acquires two draft picks. After holding out throughout training camp, McCardell vowed to sit out the season if the Bucs didn't raise his $2.5 million salary. Tampa Bay instead dealt the former Pro Bowl wideout to San Diego for third- and sixth-round draft picks in '05. The move came just two days after the Chargers lost leading wideout Reche Caldwell for the season with a knee injury. The 34-year-old McCardell brought maturity to a young receiving corps. He had a career-high nine touchdown receptions the following season.

Antonio Bryant

Oct. 19, 2004: Cleveland acquires WR Antonio Bryant; Dallas acquires WR Quincy Morgan. Bryant's famously heated 2004 exchange with Bill Parcells during training camp greased the skids for his exit from Big D. Just months after his tirade -- an outburst punctuated with Bryant throwing his jersey to the ground and getting escorted from the premises by security -- the Cowboys shipped the disgruntled wideout to Cleveland.

Jerry Rice

Oct. 19, 2004: Seattle acquires WR Jerry Rice; Oakland acquires seventh-round draft pick. One year after leading the Raiders with 63 catches for 869 yards -- at the tender age of 41 -- the greatest wide receiver in NFL history had become disenchanted with his increasingly marginalized role in the Oakland offense. After quietly requesting a trade from team owner Al Davis, the 13-time Pro Bowl selection was sent to the Seahawks in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick. The deal reunited Rice with Seattle coach Mike Holmgren, who had overseen the wideout's development into a superstar while serving as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator with San Francisco from 1986 through 1991.

Karim Abdul-Jabbar

Oct. 19, 1999: Cleveland acquires RB Karim Abdul-Jabbar; Miami acquires third-round draft pick. Before gaining notoriety for his trademark infringement courtroom battle with unrelated NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the running back currently known as Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar enjoyed a briefly successful stint with the Dolphins. Abdul-Jabbar established a number of franchise rookie rushing records, paced the NFL in total touchdowns during the '97 season (with 16 scores) and departed Miami with the second-highest touchdown total in team history (33) behind Larry Czonka. But his productivity floundered with the Browns and Colts before his 2000 retirement.

Herschel Walker

Oct. 12, 1989: Minnesota acquires RB Herschel Walker and four draft picks; Dallas acquires five players, six conditional draft selections and a 1992 first-round selection. With the largest player trade in NFL history, the cellar-dwelling Cowboys laid the groundwork for their '90s dynasty in one fell swoop. Dallas drafted future Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith and Pro Bowl safety Darren Woodson with two of the selections while dealing another to the Patriots for the No. 1 pick in the '91 draft: stout defensive tackle Russell Maryland. Jimmy Johnson would use the others to wheel and deal throughout the decade, trimming and pruning his juggernaut. Meanwhile, Walker never managed a 1,000-yard rushing season with the Vikings and the team failed to win a postseason game during his tenure in the backfield.

Napoleon McCallum

Oct. 12, 1988: San Diego acquires RB Napoleon McCallum; L.A. Raiders acquire OT Jim Lachey. The Chargers traded for McCallum in the middle of the Navy grad's five-year military obligation as a lieutenant junior grade assigned to a naval vessel. One year after establishing the Division I-A record for career all-purpose yardage with the Midshipmen, McCallum had played part-time for the Raiders in '86 while stationed aboard a ship harbored in nearby Long Beach. But by the time his service was fulfilled in 1990, the Chargers had already returned his rights to the Raiders -- for whom McCallum scored five touchdowns in a pair of AFC playoff games before a gruesome knee injury prematurely ended his career in the '94 regular-season opener.

Eric Dickerson

Oct. 30, 1987: Indianapolis acquires RB Eric Dickerson; Buffalo acquires LB Cornelius Bennett; L.A. Rams acquire RB Greg Bell and draft picks. Everybody came away a winner in the three-team Halloween megadeal that has become known as the Eric Dickerson trade. The recently rebranded Indianapolis Colts got a superstar running back and immediate sense of identity with the prolific Dickerson. The Bills landed Bennett, the bedrock of a defense that would help Buffalo advance to four straight Super Bowls. And the Rams picked up three first-round picks along with Bell -- a steady veteran who would twice lead the NFL in touchdowns, with 16 scores in '88 and 15 more in '89.