On Sunday afternoon, Chicago Bears star pass rusher, Khalil Mack, joined elite company by becoming the first player since former Indianapolis Colts standout Robert Mathis to record a sack and forced fumble in four consecutive games.
The 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year notably held out of the 2018 preseason in search of a lucrative, multi-year contract from the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders elected to trade Mack to the Bears for draft picks in lieu of ponying up the cash, and he quickly inked a record-setting six-year, $141 million deal.
The Mack effect is extremely clear as the Raiders’ depleted pass rush has suffered this season, whereas the Bears have one of the most frightening defenses in the league. In fact, Mack alone and the entire Raiders defense have the same number of sacks (five) through four games.
Although it is too early to tell if Raiders head coach Jon Gruden’s blunder with Mack is one of the worst trades in NFL history, it got us thinking about the worst moves in league history.
Here are the 10 worst we came up with (with a couple honorable mentions).
Honorable Mentions:
New England Patriots trade fifth-round pick for Albert Haynesworth
Haynesworth was an absolute monster for the Tennessee Titans, getting sent to two Pro Bowls and earning two All-Pro nods before signing a seven-year, $100 million contract with the Washington Redskins. The troubled defensive tackle only lasted two seasons with the Redskins before being traded to the Pats prior to the 2011 NFL season.
His tumultuous career in New England consisted of infrequent participation in training camp, preseason games and practices, and he lasted just six regular season games before the Pats released him.
Miami Dolphins trade Wes Welker to Patriots for a second and seventh-round pick
On a brighter note, the Patriots stole Welker from their division rival, then signed him to a five-year, $18 million extension.
Over the course of the slot-receiver’s five Pro Bowl seasons donning navy blue and white, he would haul in at least 111 receptions four times and was a two-time All-Pro. To make matters worse for the Fins, they would not have a receiver crack 100-plus receptions over the span Welker was in New England.
10. Redskins give up massive haul to trade up for Robert Griffin III
The Redskins metaphorically gutted the farm system by giving up three first-round picks and a second-round pick to the St. Louis Rams to trade up to the No. 2 spot in the 2012 NFL Draft to select the former Heisman-winning quarterback.
Initially, the massive payout worked out as RG3 led the ‘Skins to the playoffs in 2012 and earned a spot on the Pro Bowl team, while also earning 2012 NFL AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. The wheels would quickly fall off as injuries would derail the Baylor product’s career, and he would only spend three seasons in Washington.
9. Indianapolis Colts trade John Elway to Denver Broncos for Chris Hinton, Mark Herrmann and first-round pick
This trade is tricky. You can find it much higher up on other lists, but the fact that Elway refused to play for the Colts lowers it a few spots on this list. The move worked out for the Broncos with Elway as he helped lead them to two Super Bowl wins en-route to a spot in Canton for himself.
The Colts also benefitted from the trade as 1981 No. 4 overall pick Herrmann actually would have a productive career in Indy, making the Pro Bowl in six of his seven seasons rocking the blue and white.
8. Colts trade Marshall Faulk for pennies on the dollar to the St. Louis Rams
The Colts make another appearance on this list as they traded another future Hall of Famer. Indy was fed up Faulk and wanted to move on, so they traded the star running back before the 1999 NFL season for just a second and fifth-round pick.
The 2000 NFL AP MVP and Super Bowl Champion would go on to star in the “Greatest Show on Turf” for the remainder of his career, where he was a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro before making the call to the Hall. It was speculated the Colts would take Heisman-winning running back Ricky Williams to replace Faulk, but they balked at the idea and took Edgerrin James instead.
7. Rams trade running back Jerome Bettis to Pittsburgh Steelers for second- and fourth-Round picks
Before the Rams hit the ball out of the park by trading for Faulk, they made a mistake of their own trading future Hall of Famer, Jerome Bettis, to the Steelers with a minimal return. The Rams selected Bettis with the No. 10 overall pick in 1993 and only invested three years in the Notre Dame product before sending him off to the Burgh.
As a member of the Black and Yellow, the six-time Pro Bowler rushed for over 10,000 yards and helped lead the Steelers to getting crowned Super Bowl XL Champions.
6. Patriots pave the way for San Francisco 49ers to draft Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice commonly is referred to as the greatest receiver to ever play in the NFL. In the 1985 NFL Draft, the Patriots actually traded down from the No. 16 pick to the No. 28 pick, giving the 49ers the opportunity to draft their future superstar.
The Pats would trade their Nos. 16 and 75 picks for the 49ers’ picks 28th, 56th and 84th selections. New England ended up taking Trevor Matich, Ben Thomas and Audray McMillan with the three picks from San Francisco, and none would match the production of the Hall of Fame wide receiver.
5. Atlanta Falcons strike out on quarterback Brett Favre
People forget the longtime Packer actually was drafted by the Falcons and prior to the 1992 season was traded to the Green Bay Packers after just one year in Atlanta.
The Super Bowl XXXI-winning quarterback earned the starting job for the Pack in 1992, ultimately spending 16 seasons with the team and earning numerous honors including: NFL AP MVP from 1995-97, nine Pro Bowls and three first team All-Pro selections. The Falcons would use the first-round pick on running back/return specialist Tony Smith.
4. Raiders practically give Randy Moss to Patriots
Following a disappointing 2006 season, the Raiders dealt the star wide receiver to the Pats for a fourth-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.
The 1998 NFL AP Offensive Rookie of the Year was rejuvenated during his time in New England. His 23 reception touchdowns in 2007 would break the all-time NFL single-season receiving touchdown record en route to earning Moss a spot in the Pro Bowl and on the first team All-Pro squad. The Marshall product spent four seasons in New England wreaking havoc on opposing teams’ secondaries.
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3. San Diego Chargers trade three draft picks and two players to select Ryan Leaf
By now, you most likely have heard of Ryan Leaf … for all the wrong reasons. The big question entering the 1998 NFL Draft was who was going first overall: Peyton Manning or Leaf? The Colts eventually would settle for Manning, and with Leaf still on the board, the Chargers jumped at the opportunity. In order to move up and get him, they traded the Arizona Cardinals two first-round picks and one second-round pick to go along with running back Eric Metcalk and linebacker Patrick Sapp.
The move would not work out in San Diego’s favor, as the Washington State product went on to be arguably the biggest bust in NFL history, and was out of the league after three seasons.
2. New Orleans Saints cough up eight draft picks to select Ricky Williams
As mentioned earlier, it was speculated that the Colts would take Ricky Williams in the 1999 NFL Draft. After the Colts passed, Hall of Famer Mike Ditka and the Saints sent eight draft picks to the Redskins to select the Heisman-winning running back.
Williams would go on to have a very productive career, tallying 10,009 rushing yards and 74 touchdowns, but he only would spend the first three seasons of his career with the Saints. Although they paid a massive price, New Orleans would trade the running back to the Dolphins following the 2001 season.
1. Minnesota Vikings gut team to trade Dallas Cowboys for Herschel Walker
The 1989Â trade commonly referred to as “The Grade Trade Robbery” is one of the largest and most lopsided trades in NFL history. A total of 18 draft picks and players were involved in the deal, and the Vikings badly would come out on the losing end. The Vikings sent the Cowboys three first-round picks, three second-round picks, a third-round pick, a sixth-round pick and five players. The Cowboys sent star running back Herschel Walker, two third-round picks, a fifth-round pick and a 10th-round pick.
The Vikings initially believed they won the trade as they figured Walker would be the final piece needed for a Super Bowl run, but their dreams of a title would crumble fast. Walker only would be a Viking for parts of three seasons, and the deal paved the way for a Cowboys dynasty. Dallas was able to select Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith in the 1990 NFL Draft and also picked up All-Pro defensive back Darren Woodson in the 1992 draft.
The Cowboys would go on to win three Super Bowls in the 90’s and make the postseason eight times, whereas the Vikings, while also making the postseason eight times, never reached a Super Bowl.
Statistics Courtesy of Pro-Football Reference
