5 Worst trades in NFL history
NFL teams often use the trade market in an attempt to improve their rosters. While it's important to be aggressive in the pursuit of superstar players, it can, sometimes, backfire in a big way. There have been many times in NFL history where a team has overpaid in a trade that ended up being a disaster for them in the end. Here are the five worst ones of all time.
5 Worst NFL trades of all time
#5 - San Diego Chargers trade up one spot to draft Ryan Leaf
The San Diego Chargers decided they needed a quarterback in the 1998 NFL Draft. They were the third pick in a draft that featured Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf, two highly-rated quarterback prospects. To make sure they can get one of them, the Chargers traded away three draft picks and two players to the Arizona Cardinals to move up one spot in the draft.
The move ended up being a disaster as Ryan Leaf turned out to be one of the biggest draft busts of all time. He posted just a 4-17 career record with 14 touchdowns and 36 interceptions.
#4 - Houston Texans trade DeAndre Hopkins for David Johnson
General manager and head coach Bill O'Brien made many questionable decisions during his time in charge of the Houston Texans. None of them were as bad as the trade he made during the 2020 NFL season that made no sense from the very moment it happened.
Breaking down the #Texans trade of DeAndre Hopkins to the #Cardinals from yesterday Afternoon. https://t.co/QBZ8dW7Ufl
O'Brien sent superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, one of the best players in the entire league at the time, to the Arizona Cardinals for aging running back David Johnson, who had been on the decline for several years. The trade was one of the final moves O'Brien made before being fired.