Trade History: Deals bring Falcons top overall draft pick twice
The NFL Draft is the most notable off-field event in the league, especially because of the unpredictability surrounding the selections and trades. Deals involving high-level picks can improve a franchise in a hurry, or set one back for years. The Atlanta Falcons have made more trades involving top-five selections than most teams, and have benefited from many of those moves.
1. January 28, 1975:
Falcons received: No. 1 overall pick and a sixth-round pick in the 1975 Draft
Baltimore Colts received: T George Kunz and No. 3 overall pick in the 1975 Draft
Most expansion teams do not have immediate success, and the Falcons were no different. They won just six games in their first three seasons and had not made the playoffs in their first nine years of existence before making this trade for the top pick in the 1975 NFL Draft. Atlanta selected quarterback Steve Bartkowski, a 1974 All-American from the University of California. Bartkowski was a two-time Pro Bowler who threw for 3,000 or more yards three times and led the NFL with 31 touchdowns in 1980. He led the Falcons to a 12-4 mark that season, which stood as a team record for victories until 1998, and the season resulted in the second of Atlanta’s three postseason berths during his tenure. By the time he signed with the Rams for one final season in 1986, Bartkowski held team records for the Rams with 23,470 yards and 154 touchdowns (both marks have since been passed by Matt Ryan). The sixth-round pick turned into UCLA linebacker Fulton Kuykendall. Although he never was selected to a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team, Kuykendall was a solid player who appeared in 123 games in 10 seasons with Atlanta. His physical, and even reckless, style of play earned him the nickname “Kaptain Krazy.”
Kunz had been selected to the Pro Bowl five times in six seasons with the Falcons at the time of the trade, and he continued that high level of play with the Colts. He was a Pro Bowler in his first three years with Baltimore, and earned All-Pro honors in 1975. Kunz injured his back and missed 13 games in 1978 and all of the following season before returning to play nine games in 1980 and then retiring. The Colts used the third overall pick on guard Ken Huff, who played 102 games in eight years with Baltimore, then spent his final three as part of the Redskins’ “Hogs” offensive line in the mid-1980s.
Assessment: Kunz and Huff helped the Colts reach the playoffs three straight years from 1975-77, but the team went downhill fast afterward. The spiral culminated in 1983 first overall pick John Elway refusing to play in Baltimore, and the team moved to Indianapolis the following year. Although Bartkowski had fewer individual awards than Kunz after the trade, he was the main reason Atlanta went from bottom-dweller to respectable in the NFC. FALCONS
2. April 30, 1985:
Falcons received: No. 2 overall pick in the 1985 NFL Draft
Vikings received: No. 4 overall pick and a third-round selection in the 1985 NFL Draft
The Vikings originally held the No. 3 pick in 1985, but swapped spots with the Oilers to move up on April 9, also trading a second-rounder to Houston. Minnesota moved the selection to Atlanta three weeks later, and the Falcons were very happy with their choice of Bill Fralic, a two-time All-American guard from the University of Pittsburgh. Fralic spent the next eight seasons in Atlanta, starting 131 games and earning four Pro Bowls and two All-Pro selections. Although the Falcons made the playoffs just once during Fralic’s tenure, they defeated the Saints in the 1991 Wild Card round for just their second postseason win in franchise history. He signed with the Lions for one final season in 1993 before retiring. He died from cancer in December 2018.
Minnesota used the fourth pick on a future star as well, drafting defensive end Chris Doleman, who was Fralic’s teammate at Pitt. Doleman spent his first nine seasons with the Vikings, earning six Pro Bowl and two All-Pro selections. He was the franchise’s all-time sacks leader with 96½ (since passed by John Randle) and led the league with 21 in 1989. Doleman was traded to the Falcons in 1994 and had 16 sacks in two seasons before signing with the 49ers. He spent three years in San Francisco before returning for one final season in Minnesota in 1999. A 2012 Pro Football Hall of Famer, Doleman died from brain cancer in January 2020. The third-round pick was used to select Tim Meamber, a linebacker out of the University of Washington. His pro career lasted just four games with the Vikings in 1985. Meamber has dealt with drug abuse, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and Parkinson’s disease after his football career.
Assessment: Although both Fralic and Doleman became stars, the Vikings went to the postseason six times during Doleman’s tenure, including a run to the NFC Championship Game in 1991, giving the slight edge in this trade to Minnesota. VIKINGS
3. April 19, 1990:
Falcons received: WR Andre Rison, T Chris Hinton, a fifth-round pick in the 1990 NFL Draft and a first-rounder in 1991
Colts received: The No. 1 overall pick and a fourth-rounder in the 1990 NFL Draft
Rison was coming off a rookie season in which he amassed 820 yards and four touchdowns with Indianapolis. In Atlanta, he went to the Pro Bowl in his first four seasons, was an All-Pro in 1990 and led the NFL with 15 scores in 1993. “Bad Moon” was fourth in team history with 423 receptions and 56 touchdowns, and was fifth with 5,633 yards. Rison retired in 2000 after splitting the previous six seasons between five teams, making the Pro Bowl once in 1997 with the Chiefs. Hinton is no stranger to being a part of Draft Day trades. After being selected fourth overall in 1983, he was sent to the Colts in the deal that brought John Elway to the Broncos. Hinton went to six Pro Bowls in his first seven seasons before the trade to Atlanta, and he earned a Pro Bowl selection in 1991 and an All-Pro nod two years later with the Falcons. He signed with the Vikings in 1994 and spent his final two seasons in Minnesota.
Atlanta’s fifth-round pick in 1990 was Reggie Redding, a tackle from Cal State-Fullerton who played 13 games with the Falcons in 1991 and started 14 with the Patriots the following year before retiring. The 1991 first-rounder turned out to be Colorado wide receiver Mike Pritchard, who totaled 2,187 yards and 14 touchdowns in three seasons with Atlanta. He was traded to the Broncos in 1994 and, after two seasons in Denver, spent the final four years of his career in Seattle before retiring in 1999.
The player everyone coveted in the 1990 NFL Draft, and the Colts’ first overall selection, was quarterback Jeff George, a high school All-American who starred at Illinois. George never lived up to the hype with Indianapolis. He threw for 9,551 yards in four years with the Colts, but his 41-46 touchdown-to-interception ratio and 14-35 record as a starter left much to be desired. He also expressed a desire to hold out in 1993 until Colts owner Jim Irsay threatened him with heavy fines if he did not report to training camp. The fourth-round pick was used on Florida wide receiver Stacey Simmons, who was decent as a kick returner but caught just four passes in the 1990 season, his only year in the NFL.
Assessment: Hinton did not earn the same recognitions he did as a Colt, Pritchard only lasted three seasons in Atlanta and Redding was a backup with the Falcons. However, Rison’s production, plus not having to deal with George initially (more on that in a minute), makes Atlanta the big winners. FALCONS
4. March 24, 1994:
Falcons received: QB Jeff George
Colts received: First- and fourth-round picks in the 1994 NFL Draft and a first-rounder in 1996
Atlanta must not have seen all Indianapolis went through with George, because the franchise decided to trade for him after four not-so-productive seasons. George threw for 4,143 yards and 24 touchdowns in 1995 while leading the Falcons to the playoffs, but a nationally-televised sideline argument with coach June Jones resulted in George being suspended for the final 13 games of the season his trade to the Raiders. He threw 29 scoring passes and led the NFL with 3,917 yards with Oakland in 1997, but his play slowly deteriorated. He last played with the Redskins in 2001, although he had failed tryouts with the Seahawks (in 2002), Bears (2004), and Raiders (2006).
The Colts traded both picks from the 1994 Draft to the Rams for the fifth overall selection. First-rounder Bryant Young became a four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle who spent 14 seasons with the 49ers. The fourth-round selection was Auburn running back James Bostic, who did not appear in an NFL game during his first four seasons. Bostic played in 11 contests in two years with the Eagles (1998-99), totaling just 19 yards rushing and eight receiving. The trade with the Rams netted Indianapolis Trev Alberts, an All-American from Nebraska who played just 29 games over three NFL seasons due to injury.
Indianapolis used the 1996 first-round pick on Marvin Harrison, one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history. Harrison holds team records with 1,102 receptions, 14,580 yards, and 128 touchdowns. He was selected to eight straight Pro Bowls from 1999-2006 and also earned three All-Pro nods. Harrison led the NFL twice each in yards and receptions and set an NFL record with 143 catches in 2002 (broken by Saints star Michael Thomas in 2019). He was a part of the Colts’ victory over the Bears in Super Bowl XLI, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
Assessment: If this trade was based solely on the 1994 picks, Atlanta might have won this trade. However, Harrison makes Indianapolis the clear winner. COLTS
5. February 24, 1997:
Falcons received: QB Chris Chandler
Tennessee Oilers received: Fourth- and sixth-round picks in the 1997 NFL Draft
Although the Falcons and Seahawks made a trade sending the No. 3 overall pick (cornerback Shawn Springs) to Seattle in March, this deal involved stars on both ends of the trade. Before coming to Atlanta, Chandler was on his way to becoming an NFL journeyman. He spent time with the Colts, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Rams and Oilers in his first nine seasons, but found stability with the Falcons. Chandler made two Pro Bowls over five seasons in Atlanta, and posted career-highs with 3,154 yards and 25 touchdowns in 1998. He ranks fourth in team history with 13,268 yards and is tied for third with 87 scoring passes. Chandler led the Falcons to Super Bowl XXXIII, but threw three interceptions as the Broncos won their second straight title by a 34-19 margin. He signed with Chicago in 2002 and spent two seasons with the Bears and one with the Rams before retiring in 2004.
The Oilers were playing their first season in Tennessee in 1997 and the fourth-round pick they acquired in this deal turned out to be Michigan State wide receiver Derrick Mason, who earned two Pro Bowl selections and was an All-Pro in 2000. His tenure in Tennessee included four 1,000-yard seasons and an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIV, in which the Rams edged the Titans 23-16. Mason is fifth in franchise history with 453 receptions and sixth with 6,114 yards and 37 touchdowns. He signed with the Ravens in 2005 and went over the 1,000-yard mark four more times in six seasons, becoming Baltimore’s all-time leader with 5,777 yards. Mason split 2011 between the Texans and Jets before retiring. The Oilers traded their sixth-round pick (LSU tight end Nicky Savoie, who had one catch for 14 yards in his only NFL game with New Orleans in 1997) as part of a deal to move up in the fourth round and select Pratt Lyons, a defensive end from Troy State who had 4½ sacks in two seasons with Tennessee.
Assessment: While Chandler did lead the Falcons to the Super Bowl, it was the team’s only playoff appearance during his tenure. The Titans went to the postseason four times while Mason was on the team, and he also had more individual success. TITANS
6. April 17, 1999:
Falcons received: A second-round pick in the 1999 NFL Draft
Ravens received: A first-round pick (No. 5 overall) in the 2000 NFL Draft
The Falcons sacrificed the future for the present, and it backfired in a big way. Atlanta used the pick they acquired in 1999 on Mississippi State tight end Reggie Kelly, who primarily took on a blocking role throughout his 12-year NFL career. Kelly played four years in Atlanta, then signed with Cincinnati in 2003 and spent the next seven seasons with the Bengals. He returned to the Falcons for one final year in 2011, and ended his career with 1,767 yards and five touchdowns.
The Ravens ended up with the fifth overall pick in 2000 and used it to select running back Jamal Lewis, who was a member of Tennessee’s BCS National Championship team in 1998. Lewis was named to the All-Rookie Team after rushing for 1,364 yards in 2000, and he also ran for 102 yards and a score in Baltimore’s 34-7 win over the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. Lewis was unable to capitalize on his great rookie year, however, as he missed the entire following season after injuring his knee during training camp. He returned and ran for 1,000 or more yards in four of the next five years, including 2,066 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2003. Lewis earned Offensive Player of the Year, All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors while becoming the fifth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. He is Baltimore’s all-time leader with 7,801 yards and 45 scores. Lewis signed with the Browns in 2007, and had two straight 1,000-yard seasons. He retired after rushing for 500 yards in 2009.
Assessment: Although this series is in its infancy, this is easily the most lopsided trade so far. RAVENS
7. April 20, 2001:
Falcons received: No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft
Chargers received: No. 5 overall pick and second-rounder in 2001 NFL Draft and a second-round pick in 2002 48
When the 2001 Draft came around, the Chargers had Doug Flutie at quarterback, and 1999 Heisman Trophy finalist Michael Vick from Virginia Tech was the consensus top pick. San Diego traded the selection to Atlanta and instead drafted some guy named Drew Brees in the second round. The Falcons took Vick, who became a dual-threat star in his six seasons with Atlanta. The three-time Pro Bowler threw for at least 2,000 yards four times and ran for 1,039 yards in 2006, a single-season record by a quarterback until Lamar Jackson ran for 1,206 in 2019. Vick led the Falcons to the playoffs twice, including a loss to the Eagles in the 2005 NFC Championship Game. However, he missed the next two seasons after pleading guilty for running an illegal dogfighting ring. After his release from prison, he signed with the Eagles in 2009. He spent five years in Philadelphia, making the Pro Bowl in 2010. Vick played for the Jets in 2014 and the Steelers in 2015 before retiring.
With the fifth overall pick, the Chargers selected running back LaDainian Tomlinson, a 2000 All-American from TCU. “L.T.” ran for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first eight seasons, and he tops the franchise list with 12,490 yards and 138 touchdowns. The five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro led the league in yards and scores twice each. In 2006, he was the MVP and Offensive Player of the year after leading the NFL with 1,815 yards and setting a league record with 28 touchdowns. Tomlinson signed with the Jets in 2010 and spent his final two seasons in New York. San Diego used their third-round pick on Florida State cornerback Tay Cody, another 2000 All-American. Cody had two interceptions as a rookie in 2001, but played just five games over the next two seasons. He signed with the CFL in 2005 and spent one season with the Edmonton Eskimos and three with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats before retiring in 2008. The 2002 second-rounder was Reche Caldwell, a former Florida wide receiver who caught just 76 passes in four seasons with the Chargers but excelled on special teams. He had 16 receptions in three playoff games with the Patriots in 2006, but New England fell to Indianapolis in the AFC Championship Game. Caldwell saw his last NFL action with the Redskins in 2007. He is currently awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit health fraud in 2020.
Assessment: Had Vick stayed on the straight and narrow, this trade would be closer to even. However, Tomlinson is a future Hall of Famer while Vick lost two years in the prime of his career. CHARGERS
8. March 22, 2006:
Falcons received: DE John Abraham (from Jets), plus first- and third-round picks in the 2006 NFL Draft and a fourth-rounder in 2007 (from Broncos)
Broncos received: A first-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft (from Falcons)
Jets received: A first-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft (from Broncos)
Multiple-team deals are rare in the NFL, but this one ended up helping all three teams. Abraham went to three Pro Bowls in six seasons with the Jets, and he was an All-Pro in 2001 when he had 13 sacks and a league-leading six forced fumbles. Abraham spent seven seasons with Atlanta, setting team records with 68½ sacks and 24 forced fumbles. He was a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 2010 after another 13-sack season. His last appearance with the Falcons was a start in a loss to the 49ers in the 2012 NFC Championship Game. The picks the Falcons received in this deal were both traded. The 2006 third-rounder, eventually USC tight end Dominique Byrd, was traded first to the Packers and then the Rams.
The Broncos traded the pick acquired from the Falcons (No. 15) along with a third-rounder to the Rams for the 11th selection, which they used on Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler. He lasted just three seasons in Denver, but made his lone Pro Bowl in 2008 after throwing for 25 touchdowns and a career-high 4,526 yards with the Broncos. Cutler was traded to the Bears in 2009, and threw for at least 3,000 yards five times with Chicago. He only led the Bears to the playoffs once, but they reached the 2010 NFC Championship Game before losing to the Packers. Cutler signed with the Dolphins in 2017 and retired after the season.
Atlanta moved the late first-round pick they acquired from the Broncos to the Jets in exchange for Abraham. New York selected Nick Mangold, an All-American center from Ohio State. Mangold was a seven-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro, and he was a key piece on back-to-back Jets trips to the AFC Championship Game in 2009-10. He missed eight games in 2016 after injuring his ankle, and sat out the entire 2017 season before retiring the following year.
Assessment: Cutler had a decent career but spent only three seasons in Denver. Abraham set Atlanta records in two defensive categories. However, Mangold’s individual and team accomplishments give New York the edge. JETS
9. April 23, 2009:
Falcons received: TE Tony Gonzalez
Chiefs received: A second-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft
Gonzalez spent 12 seasons with Kansas City, earning 10 Pro Bowl and five All-Pro selections and setting team records with 916 catches, 10,940 yards, and 76 touchdowns. With Atlanta, he made the Pro Bowl four times and was selected as an All-Pro in 2012. Although he did not reach 1,000 yards in any one season with the Falcons (he hit the mark four times with the Chiefs), Gonzalez totaled 4,187 yards and 35 scores in five seasons. He retired in 2013, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
The second-round pick Kansas City acquired was cornerback Javier Arenas, a 2009 All-American and a member of Alabama’s 2010 National Championship team. Arenas had four sacks and two interceptions in three seasons with the Chiefs, as well as 1,075 kickoff and 1,029 punt return yards in Kansas City. Arenas had one sack after being traded to the Cardinals in 2013 and played six games with the Falcons the following season. He had failed tryouts with the Jets, Bills, and CFL’s Ottawa Redblacks before retiring in 2017.
Assessment: On one side of the trade, we have a future Hall of Fame tight end who went to four Pro Bowls in five seasons. On the other is a cornerback who lasted five seasons in the NFL and had more success on special teams than on defense. Hmmm… FALCONS
10. April 28, 2011:
Falcons received: No. 6 overall pick in 2011 NFL Draft
Browns received: A first-, second- and two fourth-round picks in the 2011 NFL Draft and a first-rounder in 2012
The Falcons used the sixth pick on Julio Jones, a high school All-American and member of Alabama’s National Championship team in 2009. Jones has been racking up the accolades at the professional level as well: All-Rookie Team in 2011, seven Pro Bowl and two All-Pro selections, seven 1,000-yard seasons, led the NFL in yards twice (1,871 in 2015 and 1,677 in 2018) and 2010s All-Decade Team member. He tops the team’s all-time list with 12,125 yards, ranks second with 797 catches, and is tied for second with 57 touchdowns. Jones had nine receptions for 180 yards and two scores in a win over the Packers in the 2016 NFC Championship Game and four catches for 87 yards in a Super Bowl LI loss to the Patriots.
The 2011 first-round pick for the Browns was originally at 27, but turned out to be the 26th pick after the Ravens failed to make their selection in time. Cleveland traded the pick to Kansas City, who selected Pitt wide receiver (and draft bust) Jonathan Baldwin. The Browns got the 21st selection in that deal and took Baylor defensive tackle Phil Taylor, who had just seven sacks in four seasons before being released. He signed with the Broncos in 2016 but missed the season due to a knee injury. A quad injury kept Taylor out in 2017 after he signed with the Redskins, and he finally retired in 2019 after being out of the NFL for four years. Instead of Jones, the Browns selected North Carolina wide receiver Greg Little in the second round. Little totaled 1,356 yards and six touchdowns in his first two seasons, but he was not able to continue at that level and Cleveland released him in 2013. He spent one uneventful season with the Bengals and failed to make the Bills in 2016 and Cardinals in 2018 before retiring. The Browns traded the first of the fourth-round picks to the Chiefs, who used it to select Colorado cornerback Jalil Brown. Cleveland took Stanford’s All-Pac-10 tight end Owen Marecic with the second fourth-rounder. The Browns converted Marecic to fullback and he was Peyton Hillis’ lead blocker for two seasons. After retiring in 2013, he worked at a Stanford medical research lab and is a candidate for the university’s School of Medicine. The 2012 first-round pick was used on Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden, who threw for 3,385 yards and 14 touchdowns as a rookie but never came close to those numbers for the rest of his career. He had a 5-15 record with the Browns before signing with the Cowboys in 2014. Weeden signed with Houston after Dallas waived him in 2015, and he played just two games over the next two seasons. He served as the third-string quarterback with the Titans in 2017 and appeared for one kneel-down with the Texans in 2018 before retiring.
Assessment: Other than two seasons from Little and one from Weeden, the Browns received almost no production from this trade. Meanwhile, Jones has become arguably the best receiver in the NFL. FALCONS
All NFL statistics and awards courtesy of https://www.pro-football-reference.com/
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