Ranking the top 5 NFL head coaching trades feat. Bill Belichick
Trading for a head coach doesn't guarantee a rise to relevance, but for teams like Bill Belichick's New England Patriots, the move has ended up paying dividends decades later.
The Denver Broncos are the latest team to fork over draft capital to get a non-player as they bring in Sean Payton to take over the reigns.
However, plenty of past examples exist to prove that the move wasn't a jump-the-shark moment for the franchise.
Here are the five best coach trades in NFL history in order of success using info from Pro Football Reference.
#1 Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick was obtained by the New England Patriots from division rival New York Jets for a decent haul. New England traded their first-, fourth-, and fifth-round selections to get Belichick in 2000.
While the team hasn't been up to par in recent years, the move still draws returns 23 years later.
Both Bill Belichick and #Patriots OC Bill O'Brien spent an extensive amount of time with UCLA QB and Vegas native Dorian Thompson-Robinson at Shrine Bowl practice today.
DTR calling their coaching "super intense, but super helpful."
@DoriansTweets @wbzsports @BishopGormanFB https://t.co/tBRjrho8F0
By default, that is an impressive return on investment. Since the trade, Belichick's team has gone on to win six Super Bowls and reach several more.
Tom Brady's effect on the Patriots cannot be understated. However, there is no guarantee the team would have reached or won as many with a "free" head coach as they did with Bill Belichick.
#2 Don Shula
Don Shula was one of the main architects of the Miami Dolphins' run of dominance in the 1970s, early 1980s, and even some of the 1990s.
The team originally tried to get Shula for free in 1970. However, the league ruled that Miami's methods had violated rules regarding tampering and thus charged the team a first-round pick to be sent to the Baltimore Ravens.
Will it bother you if Bill Belichick surpasses Don Shula as the winningest NFL coach of all-time for another team?
The head coach went on to be a force in the 1970s and then with Bob Griese and Dan Marino in the 1980s and 1990s. The team reached three consecutive Super Bowls and won two in the first three years of Shula's tenure. During the run, they also accomplished one of the only perfect regular-season records in NFL history.
After a few down years, the Dolphins kicked off the 1980s with a bang. With a mix of David Woodley and Dan Marino, Shula made it to two more Super Bowls and a Conference Championship from 1982 to 1985. Even in the mid 1990s, he found a way to remain relevant as a playoff contender.
#3 Bruce Arians
After Belichick and Shula, the drop-off in returns for Bruce Arians was severe but still well worth the price of admission.
Arians was traded from the Arizona Cardinals to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a sixth-round pick in 2019. Of course, anyone who has watched football in recent years knows how that turned out.
The team was able to lure over Tom Brady, and won a Super Bowl a year later in 2020 before Arians retired from coaching after the 2021 season. Overall, it was a short but strong run for the coach.
After his exit, the team's fall to a 8-9 record with mostly his absence to point to, which adds a post-retirement boost to Arians' legacy with the team.
#4 Jon Gruden
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded two first-round picks, two second-round picks and $8 million to the Raiders for their head coach Jon Gruden in 2002.
The price was high but the return was nearly instant. The Buccaneers won the Super Bowl in his first year and also made the playoffs two more times before his final season in 2008.
Gruden notably faced the team that traded him in his Super Bowl win. Many have since argued that he would not have won had he not played a team that he already knew inside and out. However, a Super Bowl win is worth almost any trade, and the team got what they paid for.
#5 Mike Holmgren
The Seattle Seahawks traded a second-round pick to the Green Bay Packers for Mike Holmgren and offered him general manager duties in addition to a big contract. The move worked, but it took a while.
In his debut season with the team in 1999, he got them to their first Wild Card appearance since 1988. After a lack of playoff berths over the next three years, the coach made up for it over the next five seasons.
From 2003 to 2007, he reached the playoffs five times and even made the Super Bowl. While the team came up short, the ride with Holmgren was memorable.