Random Worst NFL Trades (15 items)

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  (#10) John Elway

  • Quarterback

  In 1983, the Baltimore Colts traded John Elway to the Denver Broncos for Chris Hinton, Mark Herrmann, and a first-round pick. Elway made it clear he never wanted to play for the Colts, but they drafted him first overall anyways. The Colts were forced to trade him and ended up missing out on one of the all-time great quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. Elway won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004. 
  
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  (#6) Herschel Walker

  • Running back, Return specialist

  In the middle of the 1989 season, the Dallas Cowboys traded star running back Herschel Walker and four draft picks to the Minnesota Vikings for five players and eight draft picks. While Dallas didn't know what they would be getting, they knew they had the potential to hit on a lot of talent, and did they ever. From all the picks, the Cowboys ended up with future Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith and safety Darren Woodson. This led to Dallas winning multiple Super Bowls.

  On the other side of things, Walker ended up only playing two full seasons in Minnesota and never rushing for more than 850 yards. The Vikings gave up potentially their own dynasty for a star running back that never worked out.     
  
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  (#12) Ricky Williams

  • Running back

  In 1999, the New Orleans Saints traded eight draft picks to the Washington Redskins to move up from the 12th spot in the draft to the number five spot in order to draft Ricky Williams. Head coach Mike Ditka thought so highly of Williams he was willing to sacrifice all of his picks in order to grab one player. The Saints ultimately got Williams, and while he put up decent numbers in New Orleans, the team struggled mightily and Ditka was fired at the end of the year. By 2002, Williams was traded to the Miami Dolphins and the Saints gave up a whole years worth of draft picks for one player that ultimately did not work out. 
  
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  (#3) Jerry Rice

  • Wide receiver

  In 1985, the Patriots received three picks to move down in the draft, while the Niners moved up to draft Jerry Rice. This goes without saying, but the Patriots probably should've kept their pick and drafted the greatest receiver of all time. Rice went on to help lead the Niners to three Lombardi trophies and break almost every receiving record in the books. 
  
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  (#2) Steve Young

  • Quarterback

  In 1987, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded Steve Young to the 49ers for second- and fourth-round draft picks. Young was on the Bucs for only two seasons before they determined he wasn't the franchise quarterback for them. After joining the 49ers, Young led the team to a Super Bowl victory in 1994 and became a Hall of Fame quarterback.  
  
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  (#8) Randy Moss

  • Wide receiver

  In 2007, the Oakland Raiders traded Randy Moss to the New England Patriots for a fourth-round pick. The Raiders ended up with University of Cincinnati cornerback John Bowie while the Patriots gained one of the best wide receivers in the league. In his first season in New England, Moss caught 98 passes for 1,493 yards and 23 touchdowns and helped lead the Patriots to an undefeated regular season and an AFC Championship.    
  

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