Trade History: Acquired stars (and coach) led Buccaneers to Their Only Title
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the middle of their 45th season, and they have lost at least 10 games a total of 26 times, including 12 straight from 1983-94). Despite their history of futility, the Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII over the Raiders. Leading the way was head coach Jon Gruden, as well as players Mike Alstott, Keyshawn Johnson, Warren Sapp, and Derrick Brooks, who all played key roles in the championship after being acquired via trades. The Buccaneers also brought in offensive stars Jimmie Giles, Warrick Dunn, and Doug Martin, as well as current star linebacker Lavonte David.
However, Tampa Bay also gave away more than its fair share of great players. The Oilers used the top pick in the 1978 NFL Draft on Earl Campbell, who won an MVP Award. The Buccaneers also traded away quarterback Steve Young, who was an MVP twice in the regular season and once in the Super Bowl. Future Hall of Fame tackle Walter Jones was selected by the Seahawks after a 1997 deal and the Jets obtained top-notch defensive linemen John Abraham and Sheldon Richardson in separate trades with the Buccaneers.
Visit this site for more background on the trades from this list (and others).
1. September 8, 1976:
Buccaneers acquired: LB Richard Wood
Jets acquired: A seventh-round pick in the 1977 NFL Draft
Wood was a three-time All-American linebacker who was also a starter on two USC National Championship teams in the early 1970s. He was taken by the Jets in the third round in 1975, but after a disappointing rookie season, he was reunited with John McKay, his coach with the Trojans who had recently been named the first coach of the expansion Buccaneers. Wood was stellar in Tampa Bay’s 3-4 defensive set, posting nine career interceptions, and the man nicknamed “Batman” was captain of the team when it reached the 1979 NFC Championship Game (a 9-0 loss to the Rams). After the Buccaneers lost their first 26 games, Wood’s 10-yard interception return on December 11, 1977, helped seal the team’s 33-14 victory over the Saints. Although tackles were not kept by the NFL until 1994, by all accounts, Wood was a tackle machine in the franchise’s early days. According to the Buccaneers’ media guide, he made 815 stops from 1976-81, with a high of 168 in 1978. Wood was cut by Tampa Bay after the 1984 season, and he retired after playing with the United States Football League’s Jacksonville Bulls in 1985. He was a defensive assistant coach with the Buccaneers for three years and spent time coaching teams in The Netherlands and Germany before he began working with high school teams. Wood led Wharton High School in Tampa in the early 2000s.
The Jets used the pick on Charlie White, a running back from Bethune-Cookman. White had 151 yards rushing and two total touchdowns (one rushing and one receiving) with New York in 1977. He signed with Tampa Bay and had 73 total yards before retiring after the season.
Assessment: White had almost no impact in his brief career, while Wood had a profound impact on a young team in Tampa Bay. He found a favorable situation once his old college coach came to the NFL, and he became a highly productive player and a leader in the locker room. His play deteriorated at the end of his career, but he had a six-year stretch that any modern player would be proud to put on his resume. BUCCANEERS
2. April 24, 1978:
Buccaneers acquired: TE Jimmie Giles, first- and second-round picks in the 1978 NFL Draft, as well as third- and fifth-round picks in 1979
Oilers acquired: The top overall pick in the 1978 NFL Draft
The Buccaneers were bad their first few years in the league. So bad, in fact, that they had the first pick in the NFL Draft three straight years. Oklahoma defensive end LeeRoy Selmon was the first player Tampa Bay ever drafted, and while he developed into a Hall of Fame player, the team lost its first 26 games. In 1977, the Buccaneers selected USC running back Ricky Bell first overall instead of Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett. The following year, another Heisman-winning running back, Earl Campbell, was expected to be the top pick, but with Bell already entrenched, Tampa Bay traded the coveted selection and got tight end Jimmie Giles, as well as four picks, in return. Giles was an Alcorn State product who was used sparingly in Houston. He blossomed with the Buccaneers, earning four Pro Bowl selections and setting a team record with four touchdowns in a 1985 game against the Dolphins (Doug Martin tied the mark in a 2012 contest against the Raiders). Overall, Giles ranks second in team history with 34 receiving touchdowns, fifth with 4,300 yards, and ninth with 279 catches. He was traded to the Lions in the middle of the 1986 season, and Detroit moved him to Philadelphia during the following campaign. Giles retired in 1989 and will be inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
Ironically, the first-round pick from this deal was a key force in getting that prestigious institution started. Doug Williams was a four-year starting quarterback and went 36-7 at Grambling State under legendary coach Eddie Robinson. Williams made the All-Rookie Team in 1978, and he helped turn a team that had been a perennial loser into one that made the playoffs three times in four years and came within a game of the Super Bowl in 1979. Despite this fact, Hugh Culverson, the Buccaneers’ tightwad owner, was only paying Williams $120,000 a year in 1983, the lowest salary for a starting quarterback by far. In addition to turning down Williams’ request for a raise to $600,000, Culverson also tried to swindle him into investing in the “TampaSphere” real estate project that was never built. Instead, Williams left the NFL and signed with the USFL’s Outlaws franchise, which started in Oklahoma and moved to Arizona.
After the USFL folded, Williams signed with the Redskins, who were now coached by the former Tampa Bay offensive coordinator, Joe Gibbs. After coming off the bench for most of his first two seasons in Washington, Williams took over for an injured Jay Schroeder in 1987 and led the team through the NFC playoffs. He threw for 340 yards and a record four second-quarter touchdowns in a 42-10 win over the Broncos in Super Bowl XXII. Williams became the first African-American quarter to both leads a team to a championship and win the Super Bowl MVP award. He became the backup to Mark Rypien in 1989 and retired at the end of the season. After his playing career, Williams turned to coaching, most notably taking over for Robinson at Grambling State and serving two stints as Tigers coach (1998-2003 and 2011-13). Williams has also worked on the executive side of the game. He was hired by the Redskins in 2014 and is now Washington’s senior vice president of player development. Williams, along with another former Grambling State quarterback, James Harris, founded the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
Tampa Bay’s other three picks from this trade became Brett Moritz, Reggie Lewis, and Chuck Fusina. Moritz was a guard who transferred from Army to Nebraska in college. He played six games with the Buccaneers as a rookie for his only NFL action. Lewis was a defensive lineman from North Texas who played 22 games in two seasons with Tampa Bay before retiring in 1980. Fusina was a quarterback who was an All-American and the Maxwell Award winner (best all-around player) with Penn State in 1978. He threw just five passes in three seasons behind Williams in Tampa Bay before he became a star in the USFL. Fusina was a two-time USFL champion with the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars, and he earned All-Star, Most Outstanding Quarterback, Sporting News Player of the Year, and Championship Game MVP honors in 1984. After the USFL folded, he played seven games with the Packers in 1986 before retiring.
The top pick in 1978 was Earl Campbell, a two-time All-American running back who won the Heisman Trophy after leading the nation with 1,744 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior. Campbell was ridiculously good with the Oilers, earning Offensive Player of the Year honors and also leading the NFL in rushing in each of his first three seasons, while topping the league in touchdowns twice. The “Tyler Rose” earned the Offensive Rookie of the Year awards after rushing for a then-rookie record 1,450 yards and 13 touchdowns (the rookie yards mark lasted until Eric Dickerson set the current record with 1,808 in 1983). Campbell was named NFL MVP in 1979 after he increased his totals to 1,697 yards and 19 scores, which were both league-bests. He earned his third straight Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections in 1980 after leading the NFL and setting a career-high mark with 1,934 yards along with 13 touchdowns. Campbell had two more Pro Bowl seasons with Houston in which he had double-digit scoring totals despite “only” eclipsing 1,300 yards.
Despite Campbell’s efforts, the Oilers were a bad team in the mid-1980s, falling to 2-14 in 1983, and the star back demanded a trade. After an 0-6 start in 1984, he was sent to the Saints, where he was united with Bum Phillips, the coach for his first three seasons in Houston. Campbell joined fellow Heisman winner George Rogers in the New Orleans backfield, but the punishment he had taken during his career began to wear him down. After 1½ years with the Saints, Campbell retired before the 1986 season. He is the all-time leader for the Houston/Tennessee franchise with 73 touchdowns, and his 8,574 yards rank second behind Eddie George with 10,009. Campbell was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991 and was named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019. He has had knee and back issues since his playing career ended, and he overcame an addiction to painkillers to deal with the ailments.
Assessment: Among Tampa Bay’s picks, Moritz and Lewis were out of the league within two years, Fusina was a star in the USFL but did next to nothing in the NFL and Williams led the Buccaneers to the NFC Championship Game, but his greatest moment came with the Redskins. Giles was a four-time Pro Bowler who ranks in the top-10 in several receiving statistics for Tampa Bay. Campbell’s list of accolades includes an MVP, three Offensive Player of the Year awards, five Pro Bowls, and three All-Pro selections. Although he fell off after his first three seasons, those honors or more than enough to give Houston the win in this trade. OILERS
3. April 24, 1987:
Buccaneers acquired: Second- and fourth-round picks in the 1987 NFL Draft
49ers acquired: QB Steve Young
Tampa Bay selected Winston Moss late in the second round. Moss was a University of Miami linebacker who had 10½ sacks in four seasons with the Buccaneers. He signed with the Raiders in 1991 and, after four seasons in Los Angeles, he played his final three seasons in Seattle, ending his career in 1997 with 20½ sacks. After his playing career, Young spent five years as linebackers coach with the Saints from 2001-05, and he was the head coach and general manager of the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats in 2020.
With the fourth-round pick, the Buccaneers drafted Bruce Hill, a wide receiver from Arizona State. Hill spent his entire five-year career in Tampa Bay, totaling 2,942 yards and 23 touchdowns. His best season was 1988, when he set career highs with 58 catches, 1,040 yards, and nine scores while forming a solid receiving duo with Mark Carrier.
Young was a two-time WAC Offensive Player of the Year, as well as an All-American and the Heisman Trophy runner-up in 1983. He was set to be the top pick in the 1984 NFL Draft but, instead of going to the Bengals, he entered the United States Football League draft and signed a 10-year, $40 million contract with the Los Angeles Express. However, the team and league had financial issues, so Young bought out his contract and signed with the Buccaneers, who had selected him first in a supplemental draft of CFL and USFL players in 1984.
The left-handed quarterback had a 3-16 record, along with 11 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in Tampa Bay. Young became expendable after the Buccaneers took University of Miami quarterback Vinny Testaverde with the first pick in the 1987 NFL Draft, and he was sent to San Francisco. After the trade, he filled in sparingly for Montana over the next four years, compiling a 7-3 record and winning two titles with the 49ers. Young took over after Montana suffered an elbow injury in 1991, and he became the full-time starter the following year. He went to the Pro Bowl every year from 1992-98, was named to three All-Pro teams, and earned NFL MVP awards in 1992 and ’94 (he was also Offensive Player of the Year in ’92). Young led the league in completion percentage five times and touchdowns four times. He also led San Francisco to a title in Super Bowl XXIX and won game MVP honors with his 325-yard, six-touchdown performance.
Overall, Young ranks second in team history with 221 touchdown passes and third with 29.907 yards. He also is tied for fifth on the franchise list with 37 rushing scores and ninth with 3,581 yards. Young was plagued by concussions later in his career and retired after the 1999 season. He has been involved with ESPN’s NFL coverage since 2001 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
Assessment: While Hill had three decent seasons, Tampa Bay went nowhere as a team. Meanwhile, Young was a dual-threat quarterback who won two MVP awards, led San Francisco to a championship, and earned induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 49ERS
4. (Part One) April 22, 1995:
Buccaneers acquired: One first- and two second-round picks in the 1995 NFL Draft
Eagles acquired: First- and third-round picks in 1995
(Part Two) April 22, 1995:
Buccaneers acquired: A first-round pick in the 1995 NFL Draft
Cowboys acquired: Two second-round picks in 1995
The Buccaneers dropped five spots with this trade, but they ended up getting a much better player. Warren Sapp was a member of the University of Miami’s National Championship team as a freshman, and his 1994 season included several accolades: All-American, Big East Defensive Player of the Year, Lombardi (best all-around player) and Nagurski (best defensive player) awards, and he was also a Heisman Trophy finalist. Sapp was a member of the All-Rookie Team, and he became a dominant defensive tackle during his nine-year run in Tampa Bay. He was selected to seven Pro Bowls, was a four-time All-Pro and he is the all-time franchise leader with 77 sacks, including three seasons with 10 or more. Sapp was named Defensive Player of the year with 12½ sacks and four forced fumbles in 1999, and he added a career-high 16½ sacks the following year. He contributed two tackles and a sack in a 48-21 victory over the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. Sapp signed with Oakland in 2004 and registered 12 sacks in 2006. He spent his final four seasons with the Raiders before retiring in 2008. Sapp was selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
Although he appears to be jovial during interviews, Sapp has had a temper and other issues over the years. His blindside hit on Chad Clifton after an interception during a 2002 game left the Green Bay offensive lineman with a severe pelvic injury. To add insult, Sapp not only celebrated after the hit, but also instigated a fight with Packers coach Mike Sherman. Sapp was also charged with domestic battery in 2015 (the charges were dropped six weeks later) and he filed for bankruptcy due to back taxes and child support in 2012.
Tampa Bay used the earlier second-round selection on Melvin Johnson, a safety from Kentucky. Johnson had four interceptions and 157 tackles in three seasons with the Buccaneers. He made eight stops and registered his only career sack during his seven-game stint with the Chiefs in 1998. The later second-round pick was sent to Dallas in a move that will be explored in the next item.
Most teams struggle to find two stars in one draft year. Tampa Bay found two in the first round in 1995, and both were acquired in trades. The Buccaneers gave two second-round picks to the Cowboys to move back up into the first round and selected Derrick Brooks, who was a high school All-American, a two-time recipient in college, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and also a member of Florida State’s National Championship team in 1993. Brooks was a start in the NFL as well. In 14 years with Tampa Bay, he earned 11 Pro Bowl selections, was a five-time All-Pro, and starred in the Super Bowl XXXVII victory over Oakland.
A member of the 1995 All-Rookie Team, Brooks was a tackle machine in Tampa Bay. He holds team records with 1,713 total tackles, 1,300 solo stops, and 24 forced fumbles. He had 100 or more tackles in 12 straight seasons, including a career-high and league-leading 158 in 1998. Brooks was named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2000 and he was named Defensive Player of the Year after registering 119 tackles, five interceptions, and four defensive touchdowns (three pick-sixes and a fumble return). In the Buccaneers title victory, he had seven tackles and returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Tampa Bay released Brooks on Feb. 25, 2009, the same day as two other players on this list, Warrick Dunn and Joey Galloway. Brooks officially retired in 2010 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
The Eagles used their first-round pick (seventh overall) to select Mike Mamula, a defensive end from Boston College. Mamula was known as a “workout warrior,” and he was one of the first players to train specifically with the NFL Combine in mind. Philadelphia pictured Mamula as the replacement for Reggie White, a superstar defensive end who signed with the Packers two years before. While Mamula is not as much of a draft bust as some experts say, his totals of 31½ sacks, 209 tackles, and 77 games played in his six-year NFL career did not match expectations. The 1995 All-Rookie Team member missed all of the 1998 season with a right knee injury, but he returned the following year to post a career-high 8½ sacks and return his only career interception 41 yards for a touchdown. Mamula retired after the 2000 season, and he now runs an employment screening company in New Jersey. Philadelphia selected another defensive end, Central Florida’s Greg Jefferson, in the third round. Jefferson played five seasons with the Eagles, producing 13½ sacks and 160 tackles in 57 games. He was released after the 1999 season and officially retired in 2001.
The Cowboys traded the earlier of the second-round picks to the Falcons for two selections that became Sherman Williams and Eric Bjornson. Williams was a running back who played in college at Alabama. He was a member of Dallas’ championship team in Super Bowl XXX, but he totaled 1,162 yards and four touchdowns as Emmitt Smith’s backup for five seasons. In 1999, he played with the Mobile Admirals of the Regional Football League, winning the MVP award in the league’s only season. Williams found himself on the wrong side of the law after his playing career. He was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison after arrests for conspiracy to distribute marijuana and passing counterfeit currency. After his release in 2014, he started an assistance program for disadvantaged children in Alabama. Bjornson was a tight end from the University of Washington who was also a member of the Cowboys’ roster for Super Bowl XXX. He totaled 127 receptions, 1,232 yards, and four touchdowns in five years with Dallas. Bjornson spent the 2000 season with the Patriots, but he retired after failing to make the Raiders the following year.
Dallas used the other second-round pick on Shane Hannah, a guard from Michigan State. Hannah missed his rookie year after tearing his meniscus and spraining his PCL in the Cowboys’ first preseason game. He returned the following year out of shape and overweight and decided to retire during training camp. Hannah decided to try again in 1997 after a year out of football. He was cut by the Cowboys in the preseason, spent a month on the Jets’ practice squad, and failed to make the Panthers before retiring the following year.
Assessment: Philadelphia had high hopes for Mamula after his Combine exploits, but he failed to meet lofty expectations and was slowed by injury. Despite his issues, Sapp was arguably the best defensive tackle in football for a decade. Maybe if the Dallas selections had been Ezekiel Elliott, Jason Witten, and Zack Martin, the Cowboys would have stood a chance of winning the second trade. Williams and Bjornson were backups and Hannah never played a game in the NFL. Brooks has so many accolades, but the fact that both he and Sapp are Hall of Famers make this an easy decision. BUCCANEERS
5. (Part One) May 20, 1995:
Buccaneers acquired: A second-round pick in the 1996 NFL Draft
Browns/Ravens acquired: TE Harold Bishop
(Part Two) April 19, 1997:
Buccaneers acquired: First- and third-round picks in the 1997 NFL Draft
Seahawks acquired: A first-round pick in 1997
The Buccaneers used the acquired second-round pick on Mike Alstott, who was an All-Big Ten fullback at Purdue in 1995. Unlike most teams in the mid-1990s, Tampa Bay utilized Alstott’s running and pass-catching abilities and used him as a major part of the offense. He was a three-time All-Pro and was also selected to six straight Pro Bowls from 1997-2002. During that stretch, “A-Train” averaged nearly 700 yards and seven touchdowns per season, and he also served as the lead blocker for the other half of the “WD40” backfield pairing, Warrick Dunn. Alstott played with the Buccaneers in their loss to the Rams in the 1999 NFC Championship Game, and he scored four touchdowns in three playoff contests in 2002. He had 43 yards receiving and 15 rushing, and he also scored on a three-yard run in the second quarter, as Tampa Bay trounced Oakland, 48-21, in Super Bowl XXXVII. Alstott sustained a neck injury that cost him most of the 2003 season and hampered him for the rest of his career. After spending all of 2007 on injured reserve, he retired after 12 seasons. Alstott’s 58 touchdowns are the most in Buccaneers history, and he ranks second with 5,088 rushing yards.
In the first round, the Buccaneers took Florida State running back Warrick Dunn, who ran for 1,000 yards three times in college and was part of the Seminoles’ National Championship season as a freshman in 1993. With Tampa Bay, Dunn was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned Pro Bowl honors after totaling 978 yards and four touchdowns rushing, along with 462 yards and three scores receiving in 1997. He was part of the “WD40” backfield with Mike Alstott in Tampa Bay, and he earned another Pro Bowl selection in 2000, while helping the team reach the NFC Championship Game. Dunn signed with the Falcons in 2002 and played in another NFC title game two years later. He had three more 1,000-yard seasons, giving him five for his career, and made his final Pro Bowl in 2005 after posting a career-high 1,416 yards. After the Falcons signed Michael Turner in 2008, Dunn returned to the Buccaneers and had 786 yards and two touchdowns in his final season. Dunn retired with 10,967 rushing yards, 4,339 receiving yards, and 64 scores (49 rushing, 15 receiving). The 2004 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year now runs two charities that help single-parent families with homeownership and repair issues.
Tampa Bay used the third-round pick on Frank Middleton, a guard from Arizona who made the All-Rookie Team in 1997. He played in 63 games in four seasons with the Buccaneers and appeared in 46 more with the Raiders after signing with them in 2001. He started the 2001 Division Round contest against the Patriots known as the “Tuck Rule Game,” as well as Super Bowl XXXVII, in which the Raiders lost to his former team, the Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay made the first trade with Cleveland before the 1995 season, and the franchise shifted to Baltimore and became the Ravens in February 1996. Bishop was an LSU product who played six games with the Buccaneers as a rookie in 1994. He had a career year with the Browns, posting 16 catches for 135 the following season, but he was used mostly as a blocker after the team moved to Baltimore. After a year off, Bishop played in the spring of 1998 with the NFL Europe’s Rhein Fire and appeared in seven games with the Steelers in the fall before retiring.
The Seahawks moved up five spots to select Walter Jones, a standout offensive tackle who was Dunn’s teammate for two seasons at Florida State. Jones joined Dunn and Middleton as a member of the All-Rookie Team, was selected to nine Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams, and he started in a Super Bowl XL loss to the Steelers. Jones suffered a knee injury during a Thanksgiving Day game against the Cowboys in 2008 that required microfracture surgery. He made two comeback attempts but ultimately never returned to an NFL game and retired in 2010. Jones was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014, one day before the Seahawks defeated the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII for their first title.
Assessment: Alstott and Dunn became a “thunder and lightning” tandem in Tampa Bay’s backfield. Both were dual-threat playmakers and Alstott also excelled at blocking. The two combined to make nine Pro Bowls, and Alstott also won a championship. Bishop had just 18 catches in two seasons with the Browns/Ravens franchise. Jones was a Hall of Famer who would have won the trade involving just Dunn. However, when you combine the deals, things get a lot closer. PUSH
6. (Part One) April 12, 2000:
Buccaneers acquired: WR Keyshawn Johnson
Jets acquired: Two first-round picks in the 2000 NFL Draft
(Part Two) March 22, 2004:
Buccaneers acquired: WR Joey Galloway
Cowboys acquired: WR Keyshawn Johnson
Johnson was an All-American wide receiver at USC in 1995. During his four-year stay in New York, he had 305 receptions, 4,108 yards, and 31 touchdowns. He had a pair of 1,000-yard seasons (1998-99) that both resulted in Pro Bowl selections, and he helped the Jets reach the 1998 AFC Championship Game (a loss to the Broncos). Johnson hit the 1,000-yard mark twice during his four-year stay in Tampa Bay, and he had six catches for 69 yards in a win over the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII.
Galloway had three 1,000-yard seasons with the Seahawks, but lost eight games in 1999 due to a contract dispute. He tore his ACL in his first game after being traded to Dallas in 2000, but rebounded to post decent totals in his other three years with the Cowboys, including a league-leading 19.8 yards per catch in 2003. After his trade to the Buccaneers in 2004, Galloway hit the 1,000-yard mark three times in five years. He spent one season each with the Patriots and Redskins before retiring in 2010.
The Jets traded away their star receiver, for two first-round picks that they used to select John Abraham and Anthony Becht. Abraham is third on the team’s all-time list with 53½ sacks, and he also ranks second with 19 forced fumbles. He went to three Pro Bowls with the Jets and was an All-Pro in 2001 after posting 13 sacks. Abraham was traded to the Falcons in 2006 and amassed four more double-digit sack seasons. He earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors with Atlanta in 2010 and was also selected to the Pro Bowl with Arizona in 2013. He suffered a concussion the following year and retired shortly afterward. Becht was a former West Virginia tight end who spent 11 years in the NFL. The 2000 All-Rookie Team member had 1,164 yards and 17 touchdowns in five seasons with the Jets and also spent time with four other teams before retiring in 2011. He was a tight ends coach for the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football in 2019.
Johnson failed to reach 1,000 yards in his two seasons with the Cowboys, but totaled 1,820 yards and 12 touchdowns. He signed a four-year deal with Carolina in 2006, but the Panthers released him after just one season. Johnson retired in 2007 and is currently an analyst with ESPN.
Assessment: Johnson and Galloway both had productive stints in Tampa Bay, but neither went to a Pro Bowl while they called central Florida home. Becht was mostly a blocking tight end, but Abraham became an elite pass rusher who went to three Pro Bowls in New York. JETS
7. February 18, 2002:
Buccaneers received: Head coach Jon Gruden
Raiders received: First- and second-round picks in the 2002 NFL Draft, plus a first-round selection in 2003, a second-rounder in 2004, and $8 million in cash
NFL head coaches being involved in trades has not been common through the years. However, the three most notable ones (Bill Parcells from the Patriots to the Jets in 1997, Bill Belichick from the Jets to the Patriots in 2000, and this deal involving Gruden) all occurred within a six-year span.
Despite the Buccaneers making the playoffs five times in six years, including a trip to the NFC Championship Game in 1999, Tony Dungy was fired after a loss to the Eagles in the Wild Card round. The Raiders were coming off a disappointing loss as well. The Gruden-led club lost to the Patriots in overtime at snowy Foxboro Stadium in a contest that would be known thanks to the infamous “Tuck Rule.” After all of Tampa Bay’s early choices for head coach (Nick Sabin, Marvin Lewis, Mike Mularkey and Parcells), owner Malcolm Glazer worked out a deal with Oakland’s Al Davis for the offensive-minded 39-year-old Gruden.
The move paid immediate dividends. Gruden took an offense led by quarterback Brad Johnson, running back Michael Pittman, fullback Mike Alstott, and wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, and turned them into a contending team. The defense was loaded with stars such as Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice on the line, along with linebacker Derrick Brooks, cornerback Ronde Barber, and hard-hitting safety John Lynch. After going 12-4 in the regular season, Tampa Bay shut down San Francisco and Philadelphia in the NFC playoffs and ran over Gruden’s former team the Raiders, 48-21, in Super Bowl XXXVII. Although the Buccaneers went 57-55 in seven years under Gruden, they did not win another playoff game during his tenure. He was fired in 2009 but spent the next nine years working for ESPN, primarily as a color analyst on Monday Night Football broadcasts. He returned for a second stint as head coach with the Raiders in 2018 and led the team to an 11-21 mark over the past two seasons. Oakland’s four picks became Phillip Buchanon, Langston Walker, Tyler Brayton, and Jake Grove. Buchanon was an All-American cornerback and a member of the University of Miami’s National Championship team in 2001. He had his best years with the Raiders, amassing 124 tackles and 11 interceptions, with four returned for touchdowns, from 2002-04. He joined the Texans in 2005 and played with four teams over the next seven years. Buchanon retired after the 2011 season, and he has since written a book and developed a board game designed to teach about money management. Walker was a tackle from Cal who played 120 games in the NFL, including 88 in seven years with the Raiders. He spent his first five seasons with Oakland, and he returned in 2009 after two years in Buffalo. Walker retired in 2011.
Brayton, a defensive end from Colorado, made the All-Rookie Team after posting 61 tackles and 2½ sacks in 2003. He played five seasons with the Raiders and three with the Panthers before ending his career with the Colts in 2011. Grove was an All-American center with Virginia Tech in 2003. He was a part-time starter in Oakland, playing 54 games in five seasons. Grove signed a big contract with the Dolphins in 2009, but he was released after a year due to knee and shoulder injuries. He worked out with the Raiders among other teams, but he did not sign and retired in 2011.
Assessment: Buchanan showed promise early in his career, but all four players Oakland drafted were best served as reserves or in a platoon. Although Gruden’s overall record isn’t earth-shattering, he led Tampa Bay to its only Super Bowl championship. BUCCANEERS
8. (Part One) April 26, 2012:
Buccaneers acquired: First- and fourth-round picks in the 2012 NFL Draft
Broncos acquired: Second- and fourth-round picks in 2012
(Part Two) April 27, 2012:
Buccaneers acquired: Second- and seventh-round picks in the 2012 NFL Draft
Texans acquired: Third- and fourth-round picks in 2012
The Buccaneers made a trade with Jacksonville and selected safety Mark Barron seventh overall. Tampa Bay hopped up five spots with this deal, moving back into the first round to select Doug Martin, a running back from Boise State. While in college, he was nicknamed “Muscle Hamster” (which he despises) by his teammates due to his weightlifting strength despite his small size. Martin was a Pro Bowler and a member of the All-Rookie Team after rushing for a career-high 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2012, but he did not receive a single vote for Offensive Rookie of the Year since he was up against Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson and the winner of the award, Robert Griffin III. Martin missed 10 games with a torn labrum in his shoulder in 2013, and he had an off-year the following season. He returned to his peak form in 2015, earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors after amassing 1,402 yards and six scores. Martin’s production declined the next two seasons. He was also suspended four games for violating the NFL’s drug policy and voluntarily entered a treatment facility to work on his Adderall dependency. Martin signed with the Raiders in 2018, and after one season, he was released with an injury settlement due to his shoulder. In six seasons with Tampa Bay, he totaled 4,633 yards (fourth in team history) and 26 touchdowns (third). The fourth-round pick was moved to the Texans, which will be broken down next.
The Buccaneers selected Lavonte David, a two-time All-American linebacker at Nebraska. David has registered at least 100 tackles in seven of his eight seasons, and his 1,008 career stops rank third in team history. The 2013 All-Pro and 2015 Pro Bowler also has 22½ sacks, 21 forced fumbles, 14 fumble recoveries, and 11 interceptions. Tampa Bay drafted Northwestern tight end Drake Dunsmore in the seventh round. Dunsmore spent the season on the practice squad and retired the following year.
Early in the second round, the Broncos took Derek Wolfe, a defensive end from the University of Cincinnati. Wolfe spent his first eight NFL seasons in Denver, amassing 33 sacks and 299 tackles in 108 games. He suffered a seizure while waiting to board a team flight for a game in Kansas City in 2013, and he was out of action for three months, including a Broncos loss to the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII. Two years later, he had five tackles and half a sack in Denver’s 24-10 victory over Carolina in Super Bowl 50. After posting a career-high seven sacks in 2019, Wolfe left the Broncos and signed with the Ravens. In the fourth round, Denver selected Arizona State safety Omar Bolden, who played 56 games primarily on special teams and as a kick returner. Bolden played in Super Bowl XLVIII against Seattle, but he was out with a torn PCL for Denver’s victory two years later. He signed with the Bears in 2016, but he was later released before training camp. After a year out of the NFL spotlight, Bolden retired in 2017.
Houston used the third-round pick on DeVier Posey, a wide receiver from Ohio State. Posey caught just 22 passes for 272 yards in three seasons with the Texans. He scored in the Division round loss to the Patriots in 2012, but he also ruptured his Achilles tendon. Posey was traded to the Jets in 2015, but he failed to gain a roster spot both in New York and Denver over the next two seasons. He spent two years in Canada, earning MVP honors in the Toronto Argonauts’ Grey Cup victory in 2017. After failing to make the Ravens the following year, Posey went back to Canada, playing one year apiece with the BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes. He signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in February 2020, but he did not get to play since the CFL shut down operations for the year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Texans selected Nebraska’s Jared Crick in the fourth round. Crick played defensive end and linebacker during his four years with Houston, posting 146 tackles and 5½ sacks. He started 15 games and had five sacks after signing with the Broncos in 2016, but had surgery on a disc in his back and retired in 2017.
Assessment: In the first trade, Wolfe was a starter in a Super Bowl and Bolden also has a championship ring, but Martin (despite his nickname) was selected to a pair of Pro Bowls and ranks high on Tampa Bay’s all-time rushing list. Concerning the second deal, Crick was just a part-time starter and Posey’s better years were in Canada. David has been a tackle machine and is still arguably Tampa Bay’s best defensive player. BUCCANEERS
9. April 22, 2013:
Buccaneers acquired: CB Darrelle Revis
Jets acquired: A first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft and a fourth-rounder in 2014
Revis was a University of Pittsburgh cornerback who earned five Pro Bowl and three All-Pro selections in eight seasons with the Jets. He was given the nickname “Revis Island” for his ability to shut down the other team’s best receiver. Revis helped New York reach back-to-back AFC Championship Games in 2009-10. His 112 passes defensed are the most in franchise history, and his 25 interceptions rank third. Revis spent just one season with the Buccaneers after the trade, but he made the Pro Bowl. He signed with the Patriots the following year and won a title with New England in Super Bowl XLIX while also earning All-Pro honors. Revis returned to the Jets for two years and spent one with the Chiefs before he retired in 2018.
The Jets used the two picks to select Sheldon Richardson and Jalen Saunders. Richardson was a star defensive tackle at Missouri, and he posted 78 tackles and 3½ sacks to win Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. He made his lone Pro Bowl the following season after amassing a career-high eight sacks. Richardson played his first four seasons with the Jets before being traded to Seattle in 2017. He spent one year each with the Seahawks and Vikings, and he is in his second season with the Browns in 2020. Saunders was a wide receiver from Oklahoma who has bounced around football ever since he was drafted in the fourth round in 2014. He was used solely as a kick and punt returner in his lone NFL season, which was split among four teams. Saunders spent 2015 on practice squads with the Patriots and Bears and went unsigned the following year after a 10-game substance abuse policy suspension. Saunders played two seasons with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He also had stints with the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks and Ottawa Redblacks, but both leagues were forced to suspend play due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Assessment: Revis was one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL when he was in New York, but he only played one season with Tampa Bay after the trade. Like Abraham earlier in this list, Richardson became a solid defensive lineman who spent four seasons in the Big Apple and earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. JETS
10. August 26, 2014:
Buccaneers acquired: G Logan Mankins
Patriots acquired: TE Tim Wright and a fourth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft
Mankins was an All-Western Athletic Conference guard at Fresno State in 2004, and he was selected by the Patriots with the final pick of the first round the following year. The 2005 All-Rookie Team member earned six Pro Bowl selections with New England and was named an All-Pro in 2010, despite holding out for the first seven games. He played most of the next season with a torn ACL and even started in Super Bowl XLVI, but he missed all of 2012 after having surgery. Mankins was traded to Tampa Bay after the Buccaneers decided to change all five starters on their offensive line. He started 31 games in two seasons and made the Pro Bowl in 2015, which would be his final NFL game. Mankins played in five AFC Championship Games and two Super Bowls (both losses to the Giants). He retired early in 2016 and was named to the 2010s All-Decade Team.
Wright was a former Rutgers tight end who was signed by the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He scored five touchdowns as a rookie and set career highs with 54 receptions and 571 yards. After the trade, his overall stats declined with New England, but with Tom Brady throwing him passes instead of Mike Glennon, he had six scores and also won a title when the Patriots defeated the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. Wright signed back with Tampa Bay in 2015, but he was traded to Detroit at the end of training camp. He had nine catches and two touchdowns that season, but that was his last NFL action. Wright tore his ACL and missed all of the 2016 season, and he was released and went unsigned in 2017. He was with the Chiefs the following year, but he was released at the end of the preseason.
New England used the fourth-round pick to select Trey Flowers, a defensive end from Arkansas. Flowers had 21 sacks and 164 tackles in four seasons with the Patriots, and he played in three straight Super Bowls. He had six tackles and 2½ sacks in New England’s overtime win against Atlanta in Super Bowl LI. Flowers followed that with five tackles in a loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LII and three the next year in a win over the Rams. He signed a five-year, $90 million deal with the Lions in 2019, joining former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who was now the head coach in Detroit. Flowers posted seven sacks and 51 tackles in 15 games in his first season with the Lions.
Assessment: Wright and Flowers both won championships as role players, something Mankins never accomplished. However, the guard had more individual accolades, including a Pro Bowl with Tampa Bay after the trade. However, he only lasted two years, making this trade a PUSH
All NFL statistics and awards courtesy of profootballreference.com
Next: Tennessee Titans
Writer
-By: Kevin Rakas