A word to the wise: If you’re getting your hopes up for any serious action at this afternoon’s NFL Trade Deadline, stop right now. Unlike the NHL and NBA deadlines, the NFL version has been sorely lacking in even minor deals for many years.
Sure, historically there have been some major moves on the final day teams could move players, but you have to go way back to find them.
For your reading pleasure, we’ve collected the top five deadline deals of all time and added a couple notes on their significance—when it applies, that is.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
San Francisco trades Vernon Davis and a seventh-round pick to Denver for sixth- and seventh-round picks, 2015
Davis did nothing in Denver (20 receptions, 201 yards, 0 TDs), but still got a Super Bowl ring out of the deal.
Cleveland trades Trent Richardson to Indianapolis for a first-round pick
Richardson was massively disappointing for the Colts and hasn’t played since 2014—which means this should’ve easily been a rare win for Cleveland. But in the most Browns move ever, the team used the first-round pick it got from Indy to draft Johnny Manziel…
THE TOP FIVE
5. Tampa Bay trades Keenan McCardell to San Diego for third- and sixth-round picks, 2004
Nearing the end of what had been a solid career with Cleveland, Jacksonville and Tampa (where he won a Super Bowl in 2002), McCardell held out in hopes of a new contract with the Bucs, eventually earning a ticket out of town. After the trade, McCardell contributed just one solid season in San Diego: He was the team’s second-leading receiver in 2005 with 917 yards and nine TDs. His performance diminished the next year, eventually leading to his release in March 2007. He retired after the 2007 season.
4. Tampa Bay trades Aqib Talib and a seventh-round pick to New England for a fourth-round pick
After a suspension for Adderall at the beginning of the 2012 season, Talib was shipped to the Patriots following four standout seasons on a disappointing Tamba Bay team. Talib was worth what New England gave up for him, starting 18 games with five interceptions, a TD and 65 total tackles. However, the Pats failed to re-sign him after the 2013 season and the corner joined the Broncos, winning a Super Bowl in 2015.
3. Cincinnati trades Carson Palmer to the Raiders for first- and second-round picks, 2011
After a lengthy dispute with Bengals owner Mike Brown and a short retirement, Palmer was dealt to the Raiders at the 2011 deadline after rookie Andy Dalton led the team to a 6-2 record. Palmer struggled with Oakland, winning just four of nine games in his first season and four of 11 in his second before being shipped to Arizona where he’s had significantly more success. The Bengals, on the other hand, turned the picks into Dre Kirkpatrick and Giovani Bernard.
2. L.A. Rams trade Eric Dickerson to Indianapolis for Greg Bell, Owen Gill, three first-round picks and three second-round picks, 1987
At the time it was made, the deal that sent the NFL’s only 2,100-yard rusher to Indy was the most stunning the league had seen. Despite only playing nine games, Dickerson helped the Colts to the playoffs with a 9-6 record in 1987—the team’s first winning season in a decade—and led the league in rushing in 1988 with nearly 1,700 yards. But Indy made the post-season only once with Dickerson on the roster, eventually trading him to the L.A. Raiders in 1992.
1. Dallas trades Herschel Walker, two third-round picks, a fifth-round pick and a 10th-round pick to Minnesota for Jesse Solomon, David Howard, Issiac Holt, Darrin Nelson, Alex Stewart, three first-round picks, three second-round picks, a third-round pick and a sixth-round pick, 1989
Not only is this the NFL’s most significant trade deadline deal, it changed the face of the entire league. The Cowboys used the picks they got for Walker to draft Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson, catapulting them to three Super Bowl titles from 1992–95. The Vikings, on the other hand, missed the playoffs in two of the three seasons Walker was in Minnesota and the deal is now referred to as the “Great Trade Robbery.” With good reason.
