Trade History: Giants top deals Center around Quarterbacks
The Giants have a long and storied history that began in 1925. New York has been to a league championship game 20 times and won eight titles, including four Super Bowls. While the Giants are known for their “Big Blue Wrecking Crew” defense that terrorized opposing offenses in the 1980s, half of the trades on this list involved quarterbacks. One of the team’s most recent deals involves the team’s most prolific passer and a two-time Super Bowl MVP.
For more on the most memorable trades in Giants history, check out this story.
1. January 20, 1948:
Giants acquired: QB Charlie Conerly
Redskins acquired: RB/CB Howie Livingston and FB Pete Stout
Conerly was drafted by the Redskins in the 13th round of the 1945 NFL Draft, but never played for Washington. He served with the U.S. Marines in the South Pacific during World War II and returned to Mississippi in 1946. After two All-American seasons with the Rebels, the Redskins traded Conerly’s rights to the Giants. He spent his entire 14-year career in the Big Apple, leading New York to four NFL Championship Games. Conerly was named to the Pro Bowl twice, including 1956, a season in which he was the team’s top passer but Don Heinrich started every game. He ended the campaign by throwing two touchdowns in a 47-7 win over the Bears to win the NFL Championship. Conerly ranks third in Giants history with 19,488 yards and 173 scoring passes. He retired in 1961 and later gained fame doing cigarette ads as the “Marlboro Man.” Conerly died in 1996 at age 74.
Livingston was a Cal State-Fullerton product who started on both sides of the ball during his four seasons with the Giants. He totaled 11 touchdowns, 547 rushing, and 571 receiving yards, and he also had 24 interceptions, including a league-high nine in 1944. Livingston played in two title games (1944 and ’46), but New York lost both. He converted to defense full-time after the trade, playing 23 games at cornerback with the Redskins. Livingston split the 1950 season between Washington and San Francisco and ended his career with the Bears in 1953. Stout was a fifth-round pick by the Giants in 1946, but like Conerly, he never played for the team that drafted him. Stout produced 298 rushing yards, 117 receiving yards, and six total scores in two seasons with the Redskins before retiring in 1950.
Assessment: Livingston had a better career with the Giants before the trade and Stout only played two seasons. Conerly became a team leader, helping New York win a title even though he wasn’t the starter in the game. GIANTS
2. (Part One) July 29, 1956:
Giants acquired: DE Andy Robustelli
Rams acquired: A first-round pick in the 1957 NFL Draft
(Part Two) August 28, 1961:
Giants acquired: WR Del Shofner
Rams acquired: A first-round pick in the 1962 NFL Draft
Robustelli was well-traveled by the time he reached the NFL. He served in the Navy during World War II and played both baseball and football at Arnold College, a small school in Connecticut that merged with the University of Bridgeport in 1953 (two years after he graduated). The Rams drafted Robustelli in the 19th round in 1951, and he quickly developed into a star defensive end. He was a two-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro in five seasons with Los Angeles, and he had two sacks and a fumble recovery as a rookie in a win over the Browns in the NFL Championship Game. Robustelli played in six title games during his nine-year stay in New York, but the team won just once, in 1956. He added five more Pro Bowl and four more All-Pro selections as a member of the Giants, but ironically not in 1962, when he won the Bert Bell Award as the NFL’s Player of the Year. Robustelli missed just one game in his 14-year career, and his 22 fumble recoveries were the most in league history when he retired in 1964 (now tied for 19th among defensive players). After his playing career, the 1971 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee owned a travel company and a sports marketing business, and he served as Giants director of operations from 1973-78. Robustelli died from complications following gallbladder surgery in 2011.
The Giants sent the Rams the 11th overall pick in 1957, which was used on Del Shofner, a Baylor product who played 11 years in the NFL. After playing cornerback as a rookie, Shofner switched to wide receiver in 1958 and earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors after leading the league with 1,097 yards. He earned both honors again the following year and totaled 2,155 yards and 16 touchdowns in four years with Los Angeles. Shofner started his Giants tenure with three straight 1,000-yard seasons, earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections in each campaign. Those years all ended with Giants losses in the NFL Championship Game. Shofner’s production fell off over his final four seasons due to ulcers and leg injuries, and he retired in 1967. He finished his Giants career with 239 receptions, 4,315 yards, and 35 touchdowns (tied for sixth in team history). Shofner died on March 11, 2020 at age 85.
The pick the Rams got for sending Shofner to the Giants was the second overall selection, which resulted in Los Angeles drafting Roman Gabriel, a two-time All-American, and a two-time ACC Player of the Year at North Carolina State. Gabriel spent 11 seasons with the Rams, earning three Pro Bowl selections. In 1969, he was named NFL MVP and earned his only All-Pro selection after passing for 2,549 yards and a league-high 24 touchdowns. Despite going 11-3, the Rams lost 23-20 to the Vikings in the Division Round. Gabriel’s 154 touchdowns are the most in franchise history, and his 22,223 yards rank third. He was traded to the Eagles in 1973 and earned his final Pro Bowl selection that season after leading the NFL with 23 touchdowns and posting a career-high 3,219 yards. Gabriel retired in 1977 and, after two years as an analyst, he became the head coach at Cal Poly Pomona. He also served as an actor during and after his playing career. His final coaching appointment was in 1991 with the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks in the World League of American Football (later called NFL Europe).
Assessment: Gabriel won an MVP award, but Robustelli was a Hall of Famer and one of the most intimidating defensive players of his era. Shofner had better years with the Giants than the Rams, and New York was also the more successful team during the 1950s and ’60s. GIANTS
3. August 18, 1961:
Giants acquired: QB Y. A. Tittle
49ers acquired: OL/DL Lou Cordileone
Tittle converted from running back to quarterback at LSU, but he, like many players in the early days of football, played on both sides of the ball. In 1947, LSU was playing Mississippi, and Tittle intercepted future Giants teammate Charlie Conerly late in the game. Tittle broke a tackle, but had his belt buckle ripped off in the process. He held the ball in one hand and held his pants up with the other as he ran down the field. Tittle tried to switch the ball to the other hand to stiff-arm a defender, but his pants fell and he was tackled at the 20. Conerly and Mississippi went on to win, 20-18.
Tittle played three years with the Baltimore Colts, including two while they were still in the All-America Football Conference. He spent the majority of his career with the 49ers, earning four Pro Bowl selections in 10 years with San Francisco and being named an All-Pro in 1957. After the trade, he took over the starting spot from Conerly in New York and led the Giants to three straight NFL Championship Games. Tittle earned three Pro Bowl and two All-Pro selections with New York and led the NFL in touchdowns twice. One of those times was 1963, when he was named NFL MVP after passing for 3,145 yards and a then-record 36 touchdowns. Tittle retired the following season, and he was immortalized by an image in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper that showed him down after taking a big hit. In addition to the single-season scoring pass record, he held the NFL’s career yards (29,339) and touchdown (212) marks, and was also the league’s all-time leader in games played (176), which earned him the nickname “Old Reliable.” During his career, Tittle worked as an insurance agent in the offseason and he started his own company after he retired. The 1971 Pro Football Hall of Famer suffered from dementia later in his life and died in 2017.
Cordileone was a journeyman lineman who played in college at Clemson. He played one year each as a reserve with the Giants and 49ers and split the 1962 season between the Rams and Steelers. Cordileone started all 14 games with Pittsburgh in 1963, then took three years off. He came back and played with the Saints during their first two seasons before retiring for good in 1968. Cordileone was a cast member on Forever Young, a 2013 TV Land series that featured 10 people trying to bridge a generation gap.
Assessment: Even though Tittle was on the downside of his career, he led New York to three NFL title games and put together an MVP season as a 42-year-old. Cordileone played just one season with San Francisco. GIANTS
4. April 10, 1964:
Giants acquired: DE Andy Stynchula, RB Dick James, and a fifth-round pick in the 1965 NFL Draft
Redskins acquired: LB Sam Huff and G/DT George Seals
Stynchula was a defensive lineman at Penn State who was selected by the Redskins in the third round of the 1960 NFL Draft. He started 53 games in four seasons with Washington and 28 more with New York, but he lasted just two seasons with the Giants. Stynchula was traded to the Colts in 1966 and played just 21 games in two years with Baltimore. He signed with the Cowboys but played just five games before retiring after the 1968 season. Stynchula died in a car accident while on vacation in the Bahamas in 1985. James was an Oregon product who was drafted in the eighth round in 1956. He spent his first eight years with Washington, posting 1,741 rushing yards, 1,568 receiving yards, and 30 total touchdowns. James also ranks fourth in team history with 3,949 kickoff return yards. The 1961 Pro Bowler’s best game was the final contest of that season, when he ran for 146 yards and three touchdowns, and also caught a scoring pass in a Redskins victory over the Cowboys. James spent just one year with the Giants, totaling 958 yards (515 on kick returns, 189 rushing, 153 on punt returns, and 101 receiving) along with three touchdowns on the ground. He played four games with the Vikings in 1965 then retired. James passed away in 2000. The 1965 pick was Frank Lambert, a Mississippi punter who never played for the Giants. He led the league in punts and yards as a rookie with the Steelers, but played just two seasons before retiring.
Huff was an All-American linebacker at West Virginia in 1955 and was drafted by the Giants in the third round the following year. He spent his first eight seasons with New York, helping the Giants reach the NFL Championship Game six times in that span. Huff was a part of the 1956 title team as a rookie, but New York lost the other games, including an overtime thriller to the Colts in 1958 that became known as the “Greatest Game Ever Played.” The next season, he became the first NFL player to grace the cover of Time magazine. Overall, Huff was a four-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro with the Giants, and he amassed 18 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries in 102 games. After the trade, he made the Pro Bowl in his first season with Washington in 1964. Two years later, Huff was a starter when the Redskins defeated the Giants, 72-41, in the highest-scoring game in NFL history. He retired after the 1967 season, but returned when Vince Lombardi, the former Packers head coach and Giants offensive coordinator, took over as Washington’s head coach. After his playing career, Huff was a broadcaster, horse breeder, and hotel vice president. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982.
Seals was a Missouri product who was drafted by the Giants in the fourth round but was traded before playing a game with New York. He spent just one season in Washington, starting five games at left tackle with the Redskins as a rookie. Seals spent the next seven years with the Bears, playing in 98 games while earning time as a starter both at guard and defensive tackle. He played two years with the Chiefs before retiring in 1973.
Assessment: Four of the players spent two years or fewer with their new teams after this trade. The lone exception was Huff, who was one of the best linebackers in the NFL with New York and earned one more Pro Bowl selection with Washington. REDSKINS
5. (Part One) March 6, 1967:
Giants acquired: QB Fran Tarkenton
Vikings acquired: First- and second-round picks in the 1967 NFL Draft, plus a first-round pick in 1968 and a second-rounder in 1969
(Part Two) January 27, 1972:
Giants acquired: QB Norm Snead, WR Bob Grim, FB Vince Clements, along with a first-round pick in the 1972 NFL Draft and a second-rounder in 1973
Vikings acquired: QB Fran Tarkenton
Tarkenton was a two-time All-SEC quarterback with Georgia who came into the Vikings’ first game as a replacement for George Shaw and led Minnesota to a 37-13 comeback victory over the Bears. He made two Pro Bowls during his first six-year stint with the Vikings while earning the nickname “The Scrambler” for his running ability and elusiveness. In five years with the Giants, Tarkenton made the Pro Bowl four times. He had his best season in 1970, when he threw for 2,777 yards and led New York to a 9-5 record. Although the Giants missed the playoffs by a game, it was the closest they came to postseason play during a 17-year drought from 1964-80. Tarkenton totaled 13,905 yards and 103 touchdowns with New York before he was sent back to Minnesota in 1972. He spent seven more years with the Vikings, leading the team to three Super Bowl appearances while earning three Pro Bowl selections. Tarkenton earned NFL MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, and All-Pro honors after passing for 2,994 yards and a league-leading 25 touchdowns in 1975. He led the NFL with 3,468 yards in 1978 and retired after the season. His 47,003 passing yards were the most in NFL history until Dan Marino passed him in 1995. After his playing career, Tarkenton became an author, invested in software companies, and was inducted into the 1986 Pro Football Hall in 1996.
The Giants received three players and two picks when they sent Tarkenton back to the Vikings. Snead was a former Wake Forest quarterback who was selected to a pair of Pro Bowls in his first three seasons with the Redskins. He spent seven years with the Eagles, earning another Pro Bowl invite in 1965. Snead was the backup to Gary Cuozzo during his lone season in Minnesota. After the trade, he spent 2½ seasons with the Giants, earning his fourth and final Pro Bowl selection in 1972. He was traded to the 49ers in 1974, but returned to New York for one final season before retiring in 1976. Grim played three years with the Giants, totaling 1,126 yards and five touchdowns. He spent 1975 with the Bears, then went to the Vikings for two seasons. Grim played in a Super Bowl XI loss to the Raiders and retired after the 1977 season. Clements was a former Connecticut back who didn’t play with the Vikings after they drafted him in the fourth round in 1971. He spent two years with the Giants, posting 435 rushing yards, 247 receiving yards, and a pair of touchdowns before retiring in 1973.
The Giants used the first-round pick to select defensive lineman Larry Jacobson, who was an All-American and Outland Trophy winner in 1971, and also was a member of two Nebraska National Championship teams. Jacobson’s NFL career spanned just three seasons and 33 games before he retired in 1974. The 1973 second-rounder had a much better career for the Giants. Brad Van Pelt was a two-time All-American at Michigan State who also won the Maxwell Award as college football’s best all-around player in 1972. He spent 11 years with New York, amassing 18 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries while starting 135 games. Van Pelt made five straight Pro Bowls and was part of the Giants’ “Crunch Bunch” linebacker corps in the early 1980s that also included Harry Carson, Brian Kelley, and Lawrence Taylor. Van Pelt played two years with the Raiders and one with the Browns before retiring in 1986.
The Giants sent four picks to the Vikings for Tarkenton in 1967. With the second overall selection, Minnesota took Clint Jones, a two-time All-American running back and member of the 1965 National Championship team at Michigan State. Jones had 2,008 yards and 19 touchdowns in six years with the Vikings. He played one season with the Chargers before retiring in 1973. The Vikings used the 1967 second-round pick on Bob Grim, a wide receiver from Oregon State. Grim spent five seasons with Minnesota, earning a Pro Bowl selection in 1971. Both Jones and Grim were reserves in Super Bowl IV.
Things got even better for Minnesota in 1968, as the pick from New York ended up being the draft’s first selection. The Vikings made Ron Yary the first offensive tackle taken with the top pick. A two-time All-American and 1967 Outland Trophy winner (best lineman) at USC, Yary played in four Super Bowls, earned seven Pro Bowl selections, and was a six-time All-Pro in 14 years with Minnesota. He left the Vikings and played one season with the Rams in 1982 before retiring. Yary was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001. The 1969 second-round pick was used on Ed White, an All-American guard at Cal. White was a three-time Pro Bowler who spent nine seasons with the Vikings, starting alongside Yary on a team that went to four Super Bowls in eight years. He was traded to San Diego in 1975, went to the Pro Bowl for the fourth and final time in 1979, and retired in 1985. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
Assessment: Tarkenton had five solid seasons in New York and Van Pelt turned into a star. However, Tarkenton spent most of his Hall of Fame career with Minnesota and two of the others acquired, Yary and White, were stalwarts on the offensive line for the better part of a decade. VIKINGS
6. October 22, 1974:
Giants acquired: QB Craig Morton
Cowboys acquired: A first-round pick in the 1975 NFL Draft and a second-rounder in 1976
Morton was a 1964 All-American at Cal who was taken by Dallas with the fifth overall pick. He spent most of his Cowboys career as a backup, first behind Don Meredith and then Roger Staubach. He was the full-time starter in 1969-70 and again in ’72 when Staubach separated his shoulder in the preseason. After more than nine years in Dallas, including a run to Super Bowl V, Morton was sent to the Giants, where he had an 8-25 record in 2½ seasons. He posted a 41-23 record after being traded to Denver in 1977 and led the Broncos to the playoffs three times. However, the Cowboys picked him apart in Super Bowl XII. Morton was the 1977 Comeback Player of the Year and he retired after the 1982 season.
Dallas acquired the second overall pick in the 1975 Draft in this trade and used it to select Randy White, a Maryland defensive tackle who was a two-time All-American and earned both the Outland Trophy (best interior lineman) and Lombardi Award (best all-around player) in 1974. White spent the next 14 seasons in Dallas, earning nine straight Pro Bowl and seven All-Pro selections from 1977-85. He played in three Super Bowls in his first four seasons, even earning game co-MVP honors (with Harvey Martin) after posting a sack in a Super Bowl XII win over Morton and the Broncos. White amassed 52 sacks before retiring in 1988, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994. The second-rounder in 1976 was Jim Jensen, an Iowa product who was mostly used on special teams as a rookie. The Cowboys selected Tony Dorsett in 1977, so they traded Jensen to Denver. He spent three years with the Broncos, and played against his former team in Super Bowl XII. He finished his career with two seasons in Green Bay before retiring in 1982.
Assessment: Morton could not save a pitiful Giants team, but they got better once they finally focused on defense after he was traded. White became one of the all-time great defensive linemen and helped Dallas reach three Super Bowls. COWBOYS
7. October 8, 1986:
Giants acquired: RB Ottis Anderson
Cardinals acquired: Second- and seventh-round picks in the 1987 NFL Draft
Anderson was a University of Miami star who set a Hurricanes record with 3,331 rushing yards (a mark broken by Duke Johnson in 2014). Anderson earned Pro Bowl, All-Pro, and Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 1979 after rushing for a career-high 1,605 yards to go along with eight touchdowns. He ended his 7½-year run as the Cardinals’ all-time leader with 7,999 yards and 46 scores. Although he scored for the Giants in Super Bowl XXI, Anderson found himself behind Joe Morris on New York’s depth chart his first three seasons in New York. He took over the starting spot in 1989 and earned Comeback Player of the Year honors after rushing for 1,023 yards and 14 touchdowns. Anderson capped the 1990 season with an MVP performance in Super Bowl XXV, running for 102 yards and a score in a 20-19 victory over the Bills. He is one of four players to rush for touchdowns in two Super Bowls and win game MVP honors (along with Franco Harris, John Riggins, and Emmitt Smith). Anderson lost his starting spot to Rodney Hampton in 1991 and retired the following year. The two-time champion and two-time Pro Bowler is currently a motivational speaker.
The Cardinals traded the 1987 second-round pick to the Dolphins for two selections that became Colin Scotts and John Bruno. Scotts was a Hawaii product who became just the second Australian to ever appear in an NFL game. The former rugby player had two sacks in seven games with the Cardinals in his only professional season. Bruno also played just one year in the NFL. The punter during Penn State’s 1986 National Championship season played three games with the Steelers in 1987. Bruno died from skin cancer in 1992. The Cardinals used the seventh-round pick on William Harris, a tight end from Texas. Harris had one catch in 10 games with St. Louis as a rookie. After a year away from the NFL, he signed with Tampa Bay in 1989 and scored his only touchdown. He retired after spending the following season with the Packers. Harris passed away in 2014.
Assessment: Although Anderson was a starter for only two of his seven seasons with New York, he was named game MVP in one Super Bowl and scored a touchdown in another. GIANTS
8. April 20, 2002:
Giants acquired: A first-round pick in the 2002 NFL Draft
Titans acquired: First- and fourth-round picks in 2002
New York sent a fourth-round pick to Tennessee in order to move up one spot and draft Jeremy Shockey, a tight end who was an All-American during the University of Miami’s National Championship season in 2001. The following year, Shockey was a Pro Bowler, an All-Pro, and a member of the All-Rookie Team after posting career highs with 74 receptions and 894 yards. He went to three more Pro Bowls during his six-year tenure with the Giants, but he missed the team’s victory in Super Bowl XLII after suffering a fractured fibula. When New York won the title with Kevin Boss at tight end, Shockey became disgruntled and was traded to the Saints before the 2008 season. He played three years in New Orleans and caught the go-ahead touchdown from Drew Brees in a 31-17 victory over Indianapolis in Super Bowl XLIV. Shockey retired after spending the 2011 season with the Panthers.
The Titans used the first-round pick on defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, a high school All-American who was a top run stopper at the University of Tennessee. Haynesworth played 90 games in seven seasons with the Titans and he earned both Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections in 2007 and ’08. However, his time in Tennessee was not without incident. Haynesworth was suspended five games in 2006 for stomping on the head of Dallas center Andre Gurode after his helmet came off when he was on the ground. The stomps narrowly missed Gurode’s eye and required 30 stitches.
Haynesworth signed a seven-year, $100 million contract with the Redskins, but he had just 53 tackles and 6½ sacks in two seasons, leading many analysts to say the deal was one of the worst in the decade. His tumultuous time in Washington ended when he was traded to New England in 2011, but the Patriots released him after just six games. Haynesworth finished the season with the Buccaneers and retired after he was released by Tampa Bay. In addition to his stomp on Gurode, Haynesworth has had several off-the-field incidents, including a 2008 two-car accident that resulted in the other driver being paralyzed.
Tennessee used the fourth-round selection on Wisconsin cornerback Mike Echols, who had 32 tackles in nine games over two seasons with the Titans. He spent time on the practice squad with the Colts, Vikings, and Lions. Echols ended his career with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2006 after returning an interception 94 yards for a touchdown that season.
Assessment: Both Shockey and Haynesworth were big-game players with even bigger personalities. Shockey was a four-time Pro Bowler who won a title and Haynesworth earned two All-Pro selections, but both were best known for their attitudes and off-field issues. PUSH
9. April 24, 2004:
Giants acquired: Top overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft
Chargers acquired: First- and third-round picks in the 2004 NFL Draft, along with first- and fifth-round picks in 2005
The centerpiece to the deal for the Giants was Eli Manning, who won the Maxwell (best all-around player) and Unitas (best senior quarterback) awards in 2003 at Mississippi. Manning holds all-time Giants records with 57,023 yards, 366 touchdowns, and 244 interceptions. The four-time Pro Bowler had seven 4,000-yard campaigns and threw 30 or more scores three times. Manning led the Giants to the playoffs six times and was the MVP of Super Bowl XLII and XLVI victories against the Patriots. He was also the co-winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award along with Larry Fitzgerald in 2016. Manning was supplanted by first-round pick, Daniel Jones, and he retired after the 2019 season.
The Chargers and general manager A. J. Smith knew that Manning, the consensus top pick of the 2004 NFL Draft, did not want to play for San Diego. Smith used that information to work out a deal that brought in a tremendous return. Philip Rivers was the ACC’s Player of the Year in 2003 at North Carolina State and the fourth overall selection at the draft. Despite spending his first two seasons as Drew Brees’ backup, Rivers set team records with 59,271 yards and 397 touchdowns, and he led the league in both categories once. The eight-time Pro Bowler hit the 4,000-yard mark 11 times. He threw 20 or more scores 14 times and had at least 30 in six seasons. Rivers also took his team to the playoffs six times, including a run to the AFC Championship Game in 2007. After 16 years with the Chargers, Rivers signed a one-year deal with the Colts in 2020. San Diego used the 2004 third-round pick to select Nate Kaeding, a two-time All-American kicker at Iowa. Kaeding is a two-time Pro Bowler who ranks third in franchise history with 889 points. His seven seasons with 100 or more points included a league-leading 146 in 2009, when he was named an All-Pro. He suffered a torn ACL and a groin injury later in his San Diego tenure and was released in 2012. After stints with the Dolphins and Buccaneers over the next two seasons, Kaeding retired.
The 2005 first-round pick became Shawne Merriman, a former Maryland linebacker who earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors after posting 12 sacks. Merriman went to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons and was named an All-Pro after leading the league with 17 sacks in 2006. Despite the performance, he was not allowed to participate in the Pro Bowl after testing positive for steroids, which led to a four-game suspension. Merriman missed all but one game in 2008 due to surgery to repair a torn PCL and LCL in his knee, and was also out 13 games in 2010 thanks to an injured calf. He totaled 43½ sacks with San Diego, but just four came in the final three seasons. Merriman signed with Buffalo the following year, but he missed 11 games due to an Achilles injury. After one more season with the Bills, he retired in 2013. The fifth-rounder was traded to the Buccaneers for tackle Roman Oben, who started all 16 games his first season with the Chargers but lost playing time the following year to Marcus McNeill. Since his retirement in 2008, Oben has been an advocate for youth sports enrichment and educational opportunities for former players.
Assessment: Manning and Rivers both became legends during 16-year careers with their original teams. Kaeding was a solid kicker before injuries shortened his career. Merriman was a beast at tracking down opposing quarterbacks, but he faced injury issues and a steroid suspension. A 4-for-1 trade usually favors the team getting the bigger haul, but you can’t undervalue Manning’s leadership for two title teams. PUSH
10. March 13, 2019 (two separate trades):
Giants acquired: G Kevin Zeitler, S Jabrill Peppers, plus first- and third-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft
Browns acquired: WR Odell Beckham Jr. and DE/LB Olivier Vernon
This series of moves was technically two separate trades (Vernon for Zeitler and Beckham for Peppers and the picks), but they will be put together for the purpose of this list. Zeitler was an All-American guard at Wisconsin who was drafted late in the first round by the Bengals in 2012. The All-Rookie Team member started 72 games in five seasons with Cincinnati before he signed with interstate rival Cleveland in 2017. He played two years with the Browns and has started 18 games with the Giants since the trade. Peppers was an All-American at Michigan who was a first-round pick by the Browns in 2017. He started 29 games in two seasons and was also a kickoff and punt returner for Cleveland. With the Giants, Peppers returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown in 2019, but he missed five games due to a fractured vertebra in his back. New York received two draft picks that were used to select Dexter Lawrence and Oshane Ximines. Lawrence was a high school All-American and a defensive lineman on two National Championship teams with Clemson. He started all 16 games with the Giants in 2019, posting 38 tackles and 2½ sacks. Ximines, a former Old Dominion linebacker, was a third-round pick who had 4½ sacks as a rookie.
Beckham was an All-American wide receiver at LSU in 2013. He earned the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award the following year and was selected to the Pro Bowl in his first three seasons. He suffered an ankle injury that caused him to miss most of 2017, but signed a five-year, $75 million deal with the Giants a week before the start of the 2018 season. Although he still had 1,000 yards receiving for the fourth time in five seasons, Beckham missed the final four games with a quad injury. The vocal receiver was reunited with best friend and LSU teammate Jarvis Landry in Cleveland in 2019, and Beckham responded with 74 catches for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns. Vernon played at the University of Miami and was drafted by his hometown Dolphins in the third round in 2012. He had 29 sacks in four seasons with the Dolphins, including a career-high 11½ in 2013. Vernon signed with the Giants in 2016 and made his only Pro Bowl two years later after registering seven sacks. He has played just 11 games since the trade due to knee and abdominal injuries.
Assessment: Zeitler is a solid offensive line starter, Peppers could become one of the league’s better safeties and both Lawrence and Ximines may develop into solid role players in New York. Beckham hit the 1,000-yard mark in 2019, but he has struggled so far this season. Vernon can chase down opposing quarterbacks, but he has had injury issues since joining Cleveland. Until either team has any success in the win column, this trade is a …PUSH
All NFL statistics and awards courtesy of https://www.pro-football-reference.com/
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