Trade History: Stars in Bengals’ deals help team reach two Super Bowls
The Cincinnati Bengals have had their share of talented players don the orange and black tiger stripes through the years. They have also traded away stars such as linebacker Bill Bergey, wide receiver Charlie Joiner, running back Pete Johnson, and former NFL MVP quarterback Boomer Esiason. However, Johnson and Esiason, as well as trade acquisitions Ross Browner and James Brooks, played key roles in Cincinnati’s two Super Bowl appearances.
1. July 10, 1974:
Bengals acquired: First-round picks in 1977 and ’78, as well as a second-round pick in 1978
Eagles acquired: LB Bill Bergey
Bergey was an energetic linebacker who set records at Arkansas State and had his number retired by the university. He was drafted by Cincinnati in the second round of the 1969 NFL Draft and played in the AFL All-Star Game as a rookie. Bergey posted nine interceptions and six fumble recoveries in five seasons with the Bengals, but his time with the team would come to an abrupt end. After the 1973 season, the upstart World Football League began signing established NFL players to futures contracts so they would be able to draw in fans when they began to play the following year. Bergey signed a two-year deal with the Florida Blazers, which was set to coincide with his current contract running out with Cincinnati. The Bengals sued Bergey for breach of contract, but the team lost in court. However, the damage was done and the star linebacker was traded to Philadelphia.
The first of the three picks were Wilson Whitley, a defensive tackle from the University of Houston. In 1976, Whitley was an All-American who won the Lombardi Award as college football’s best lineman. He started six seasons on Cincinnati’s defensive line, recording five fumble recoveries. Whitley’s final NFL game was Super Bowl XVI, where he started and made one tackle in a 26-21 loss to San Francisco at the end of the strike-shortened 1982 season. He died of an apparent heart attack at age 37 in 1992. Whitely was drafted with the eighth pick in 1977 and fellow defensive line standout Ross Browner was selected at that same spot the following year. Browner won the Outland Trophy as the best interior lineman in 1976, was the Lombardi Award the next year, and earned All-American honors both seasons. He made the All-Rookie Team in 1978 and totaled 29½ sacks in nine years with Cincinnati. Browner started next to Whitley in Super Bowl XVI, posting eight tackles and a sack in a losing effort. He signed with the Packers in 1987 and played one season before retiring. The 1978 second-round pick was used to select Ray Griffin, a cornerback from Ohio State. Griffin played seven NFL seasons, but was best known for an interception that set up a game-winning touchdown (scored by future Bengals teammate Pete Johnson) in the 1975 Ohio State-Michigan rivalry game that sent the Buckeyes to the Rose Bowl. Griffin had 11 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries before retiring after the 1984 season.
Bergey never played with the Blazers, since the team folded after the 1974 season and the WFL itself ceased operations the following year. Bergey proved to be quite an asset in his new home, earning four Pro Bowl and two All-Pro selections in seven years with Philadelphia. He totaled 18 interceptions and 15 fumble recoveries, including a league-high six in 1975. The Eagles made the playoffs three straight years from 1978-80, but Bergey missed most of the 1979 season after suffering a knee injury. He posted five tackles in a 27-10 Philadelphia loss to the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV in what turned out to be his final game.
Assessment: Everyone involved in this trade appeared in a Super Bowl and Browner became a solid NFL starter, but Bergey’s individual accolades make the difference. EAGLES
2. March 31, 1976:
Bengals acquired: DE Coy Bacon
Chargers acquired: WR Charlie Joiner
Bacon was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cowboys in 1967, but was traded to the Rams the following year. He played five seasons in Los Angeles, making the Pro Bowl in 1972 and joining the Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, and Roger Brown on the “Fearsome Foursome” defensive line after Lamar Lundy retired in 1970. Bacon was traded to the Chargers in 1973 and spent three years in San Diego before being moved to Cincinnati. Although sacks were not an official statistic until 1982, Bacon set an unofficial team record with 22 in 1976. He lasted just two seasons with the Bengals, but made the Pro Bowl both years. Bacon was traded a fourth time in 1978, this time to Washington, where he spent the final four years of his NFL career. After a year away from football, he played with the Washington Federals of the United States Football League in 1983 before retiring.
Joiner was drafted by the Oilers as a defensive back out of Grambling State in 1969, but converted to wide receiver as a rookie. He was traded to Cincinnati during the 1972 season, where he spent 3½ years before being sent to San Diego. Although he was a starter for most of his career to that point, Joiner really started producing at a high level once he was placed into the Chargers’ high-powered offense that was created by head coach Don “Air” Coryell and led by quarterback Dan Fouts. With San Diego, Joiner posted four 1,000-yard seasons, earned three Pro Bowl selections and was named an All-Pro in 1980. Joiner and the Chargers made the playoffs four straight years, including back-to-back AFC Championship Games in 1980 and ’81 (he had six catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns in a 1980 loss to the Raiders, but was held in check by his former team, the Bengals, the following year). He ranks second in Chargers history with 586 receptions, third with 9,203 yards and fourth with 47 touchdowns. Joiner was the last NFL player to appear in the AFL, and he retired in 1986 as the all-time leader with 750 catches and 12,146 receiving yards (now 24th in yards and tied for 40th in receptions). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.
Assessment: Bacon set a team record for sacks, but was with Cincinnati for a short time. Joiner had longevity and production in San Diego while setting league records and helping his team reach the AFC Championship Game twice. CHARGERS
3. May 29, 1984:
Bengals acquired: RB James Brooks
Chargers acquired: RB Pete Johnson
Brooks was selected by San Diego in the first round in 1981. He was traded to Cincinnati after three seasons as a backup with the Chargers. Brooks became a dual-threat with the Bengals, rushing for 1,000 yards in a season three times and averaging 37 catches a year out of the backfield. He ranks second in team history with 6,447 yards and fourth with 37 touchdowns. Despite his regular-season success, was held in check during the playoffs. In three games during the 1988 postseason, he totaled 102 yards, including just 24 in a 20-16 loss to the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIII. After eight years in Cincinnati, the four-time Pro Bowler was traded to Cleveland in 1992, but he lasted just four games before being sent to Tampa Bay. Brooks retired after the season.
Johnson was a big, bruising back who made the Pro Bowl and posted his only 1,000-yard season in 1981. He is the all-time Bengals leader with 64 touchdowns and ranks fourth with 5,421 yards. Johnson’s most memorable game was arguably the 1981 AFC Championship Game, when he ran for 80 yards and a score in Cincinnati’s 27-7 win over Brooks and the Chargers. The game was known as the “Freezer Bowl” due to the minus-9 temperature and a wind chill that reached 32 degrees below zero. Johnson had struggled with weight during his later years with Cincinnati, and there were rumors that he packed on the pounds so the Bengals would trade him. He lasted just three games with San Diego before being traded again, this time to Miami. Johnson appeared in two playoff games, but was not on the Dolphins’ roster for their loss to the 49ers in Super Bowl XIX. Johnson was arrested on drug-related charges in 1987, but was found not guilty. He was convicted of writing a bad check to buy a truck in 2008.
Assessment: Cincinnati got the best years out of both players and reached two Super Bowls on the backs of these runners. This may be the most favorable trade in the team’s history. BENGALS
4. March 17, 1993:
Bengals acquired: A third-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft and a 1994 conditional pick based on performance (not exercised)
Jets acquired: QB Norman (Boomer) Esiason
The pick Cincinnati acquired was used on Ohio State linebacker Steve Tovar, who was named Big Ten co-Defensive Player of the Year (along with Purdue star and future Rams defensive tackle Jeff Zgonina) in 1992. He spent five years with the Bengals, amassing seven sacks, seven interceptions, and 436 tackles, including a career-high 122 in 1994. The 1993 All-Rookie Team member spent one season with the Panthers (1999) sandwiched in between two with the Chargers before he retired in 2000. The 1994 pick was based on three conditions. Esiason needed to perform in half the Jets plays and make at least eight starts in 1993 (both met when he started all 16 games). He also needed to have a quarterback rating of 89. Despite being selected to the Pro Bowl, Esiason only posted an 84.5 rating, therefore the pick stayed with the Jets.
Esiason’s best season was 1988, when he earned MVP, All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors after throwing for 3,572 yards and 28 touchdowns. He culminated the year by leading the Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII, where they narrowly lost to the 49ers. Esiason had six straight 3,000-yard seasons with Cincinnati from 1985-90 and made three Pro Bowls in 10 years. Boomer ranks third in team history with 27,149 yards and 187 touchdown passes. With the Jets, he made the Pro Bowl for the first time in four years after throwing for 3,421 yards in 1993. Esiason won the NFL Man of the Year Award in 1995, but posted a less-than-stellar 15-27 record with New York. After one year with the Cardinals, Esiason returned for one final season with the Bengals before retiring in 1998. He was a longtime studio analyst for the NFL on CBS and hosts a radio show on WFAN in New York called Boomer and Gio. Esiason started a foundation to fight a lung and intestinal disorder called cystic fibrosis after he found out his son had the condition.
Assessment: Neither team had very much success after the trade, but Esiason’s Pro Bowl selection gives New York a slight advantage. JETS
5. April 22, 1995:
Bengals acquired: First overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft
Panthers acquired: First- and second-round picks in 1995
Trading away the first pick in the NFL Draft is rare, but the results are fairly positive for the team making the move. Among the 13 players selected first overall when the pick was involved with a trade are four Hall of Famers (Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Earl Campbell, John Elway, and Orlando Pace), five multiple-time Pro Bowlers (Steve Bartkowski, Irving Fryar, Michael Vick, Eli Manning, and Jared Goff) and Russell Maryland, the top choice in 1991 who played on three Cowboys championship teams. The process of elimination leaves three former number one picks who are considered “busts.” There is Tom Cousineau, who was taken by the Bills as one of the picks they received for sending O. J. Simpson to the 49ers in 1979. He chose to play in Canada rather than Buffalo, but at least the Bills got a pick that they used on Jim Kelly when they sent Cousineau to the Browns five years later. Then we have Jeff George, who had a big arm but also a big ego. He was traded from the Falcons to the Colts in 1990, then back to Atlanta four years later. Finally, there is Ki-Jana Carter, an All-American running back at Penn State and the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 1994. After the Bengals selected him first in 1995, he tore his ACL and missed his rookie season. Although Carter showed flashes of stardom by rushing for 15 touchdowns over the next two seasons, he faced more than his share of serious injuries, including a torn rotator cuff, broken left wrist and dislocated kneecap that caused him to miss more games (44) than he played (35) in five seasons with Cincinnati.
The expansion Panthers received the fifth overall pick in 1995, which they used on Carter’s teammate with the Nittany Lions, quarterback Kerry Collins, who finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1994 (won by Colorado running back Rashaan Salaam). Collins made the Pro Bowl and led the Panthers to the NFC Championship Game in just their second year of existence in 1996, but struggled with alcohol issues and was waived two years later. The second-round pick was Louisiana-Monroe defensive end Shawn King, who missed all of the 1998 and 2000 seasons due to drug suspensions.
Assessment: Carter had his promising career ruined by one devastating injury after another. King was a non-factor, and although Collins had his own struggles, he led Carolina deep into the playoffs and also made the Pro Bowl in 1996. PANTHERS
6. February 26, 1998:
Bengals acquired: First- and third-round picks in the 1998 NFL Draft
Redskins acquired: DT Dan Wilkinson
The Bengals used the 1998 first-round pick on Brian Simmons, a linebacker who was an All-American at North Carolina in 1997. He had a productive nine-year career with the Bengals that included 23 sacks, 11 interceptions (with two returned for touchdowns), 13 forced fumbles, and 726 tackles. He missed 15 games in the 2000 season after tearing the lateral meniscus in his right knee. Despite never being selected to the Pro Bowl, Simmons started 115 games and was the heart of Cincinnati’s defense. He signed with the Saints for one final season in 2007 before retiring. The third-rounder was used to select Mike Goff, a guard from Iowa. After spending his first two years as a reserve, Goff started the next four at right guard beginning in 2000. He signed with the Chargers in 2004 and started all 80 games in his five years with San Diego. Goff signed with the Chiefs in 2009, but retired after being cut midway through the season. He is about to enter his third year as offensive line coach at Western Kentucky.
Wilkinson was a surprising top overall pick in 1994, with the Bengals selecting the 1993 All-American from Ohio State ahead of future NFL stars Marshall Faulk and Willie McGinest. “Big Daddy” spent four years with the Bengals, totaling 25 sacks, including eight in 1995. However, he clashed with owner Mike Brown and called Cincinnati a “racist” city after the team used the franchise tag on him in 1997, leading to the trade. After the move, Wilkinson had 23 sacks in five seasons with the Redskins and also returned an interception 88 yards for a touchdown in 1999. He spent three years with the Lions after signing with them in 2003 and ended his career with one season in Miami in 2006.
Assessment: Although none of the players earned any individual awards and neither team made a deep playoff run, Simmons was the most productive player from this trade. BENGALS
7. (Part One) April 9, 2004:
Bengals acquired: CB Deltha O’Neal and first- and fourth-round picks in the 2004 NFL Draft
Broncos acquired: A first-round pick in 2004 (LB D. J. Williams)
(Part Two) April 24, 2004:
Bengals acquired: First- and fourth-round picks in the 2004 Draft (Pick 26)
Rams acquired: A first-round pick in 2004 #24-RB Steven Jackson)
O’Neal was a 1999 All-American cornerback at Cal before being drafted by the Broncos in the middle of the first round in 2000. He had 15 interceptions in four seasons with Denver, including nine in his 2001 Pro Bowl campaign. After the trade, he had 16 more interceptions with Cincinnati, including a league-leading and career-high 10 in 2005, when he again made the Pro Bowl. He spent 2008 with the Patriots and, after signing with the Texans the following year, he retired when he was released in the final round of preseason roster cuts. The original selection acquired from the Broncos (pick 24) was traded to the Rams for the 26th pick, as well as another fourth-rounder. Cincinnati selected Chris Perry, a Michigan running back who was a 2003 All-American and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Oklahoma quarterback Jason White, as well as two future NFL stars, Larry Fitzgerald and Eli Manning. Like Carter a decade before, Perry saw a promising career slowed by injuries. He suffered hamstring and hernia injuries as a rookie, then a dislocated ankle cost him the final month of the 2006 season, as well as all of 2007. Perry scored his only two rushing touchdowns the following year, but was cut due to inconsistent play.
The fourth-round pick from Denver was used to select Robert Geathers, a defensive end from Georgia. Geathers spent his entire 11-year career with the Bengals before retiring in 2015. Although he never made a Pro Bowl, he played in 152 games, amassing 326 tackles and 34 sacks, including a career-high 10½ in 2006. With the fourth-rounder from the Rams, the Bengals selected Stacy Andrews, and offensive lineman from Mississippi. Andrews spent five seasons with Cincinnati, starting the final two at right tackle. He played one season each with the Eagles (2009), Seahawks (2010), and Giants (2011). He missed the final month of the season, as well as New York’s run to the title in Super Bowl XLVI, due to blood clots in his lungs, and he retired after the season.
Denver selected linebacker D. J. Williams, who was a high school All-American in 1999 and a member of the University of Miami’s National Championship team two years later. He earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team after post 114 tackles and two sacks in 2004. Although he never made a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team, Williams played 127 games in nine years while amassing 20½ sacks and 826 tackles, with four seasons of 100 or more. He was suspended in 2012 for failing a drug test, as well as a conviction for driving while ability impaired, and was released after the season. Williams signed with the Bears and spent his final two years in Chicago before retiring in 2014.
The Rams moved up two spots in the first round to select Steven Jackson, a running back from Oregon State. Jackson spent his first nine NFL seasons with St. Louis, earning three Pro Bowls selections and posting eight straight 1,000-yard seasons. He is the team’s all-time leader with 10,138 yards and is tied for third with 56 touchdowns, including a career-high 13 in 2006. Jackson played two seasons with Atlanta and one with New England, helping the Patriots reach the AFC Championship Game in 2015. After three years out of football, he signed a one-day contract and officially retired with the Rams in 2019.
Assessment: All three teams received productivity from this trade. O’Neal and Geathers were solid starters for Cincinnati and Williams manned the middle linebacker spot in Denver for nearly a decade. However, Jackson was by far the most consistent player involved, setting a franchise rushing record while running for more than 11,000 career yards. RAMS
8. April 20, 2004:
Bengals acquired: A second-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft
Patriots acquired: RB Corey Dillon
The Bengals were certainly busy at the 2004 Draft, making 11 picks and three trades. One of those selections was Madieu Williams, a safety from Maryland. He had 103 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown as a rookie, but missed 12 games the following year due to a torn labrum in his shoulder. Williams spent two more years with the Bengals, totaling nine interceptions and 290 tackles in four seasons, before signing with the Vikings as a free agent in 2008. He played three years in Minnesota, but left as a free agent after winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2010. Williams played one year each with the 49ers and Redskins before retiring in 2012.
Dillon was an All-American at Washington in 1996 before the Bengals drafted him in the second round the following year. He made the All-Rookie Team after rushing for the first of seven straight 1,000-yard seasons. Dillon is Cincinnati’s all-time leader with 8,061 yards and ranks third in team history with 45 touchdowns. The three-time Bengals Pro Bowler set a franchise record with 1,435 yards in 2000 (a mark passed by Rudi Johnson in both 2004 and ’05). After the trade, Dillon earned another Pro Bowl selection after setting a career-high and a Patriots team record with 1,635 yards in 2004. He ran for 37 touchdowns in three seasons with New England and had 75 yards and a score in a 24-21 win over Philadelphia in Super Bowl XXXIX.
Assessment: Williams was a decent player, but lasted just four years in Cincinnati. While Dillon spent only three years in New England, he had double-digit touchdowns each season and helped his new team win a title. PATRIOTS
9. October 18, 2011: Bengals acquired:
A first-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and a second-rounder in 2013
Raiders acquired: QB Carson Palmer
Cincinnati used the first-round pick to select cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, a high school All-American who was a part of Alabama’s National Championship teams in 2010 and ’12. Kirkpatrick spent eight seasons with the Bengals before he was released in early 2020. He played 99 games and posted 10 interceptions, three sacks and 302 tackles with Cincinnati. The Bengals took North Carolina running back Giovani Bernard with the second-rounder in 2013. Bernard was a member of the All-Rookie Team but has not reached the 1,000-yard mark in any of his seven NFL seasons. Although Bernard has 3,281 career yards, he has been behind Jeremy Hill and Joe Mixon on the team’s depth chart throughout his career.
The Bengals selected Palmer, the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner, and All-American, with the top pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. Palmer was selected to a pair of Pro Bowls with Cincinnati. He threw for 3,000 yards five times in seven seasons with the Bengals and topped 4,000 twice. After the 2010 season, Palmer asked to be traded, owner Mike Brown declined and Palmer suggested that he would retire. In response, the Bengals selected TCU quarterback Andy Dalton in the second round and put Palmer on the reserve list. Midway through the season, the Raiders lost starter Jason Campbell to a collarbone injury, leading to Oakland head coach and former Cincinnati assistant Hue Jackson brokering a deal for the disgruntled quarterback. Palmer played two seasons with the Raiders, posting an 8-16 record, before being traded to the Cardinals in 2013. He made the Pro Bowl and helped Arizona reach the NFC Championship Game two years later after posting career highs and team records with 4,671 yards and 35 touchdowns. Palmer retired in 2018.
Assessment: Although Palmer is the bigger household name, he struggled in his two seasons in Oakland, while Cincinnati received consistent and, at times, solid production from Kirkpatrick and Bernard. BENGALS
10. April 28, 2017:
Bengals acquired: Second- and fourth-round picks in the 2017 NFL Draft
Vikings acquired: Second-round pick in 2017
The Bengals used the second-round pick on running back Joe Mixon, a high school All-American who played at Oklahoma. He began his career splitting carries with Giovani Bernard as a rookie but soon took over the starting role in Cincinnati. Mixon has run for more than 1,100 yards in each of the past two seasons and has totals of 2,931 yards and 17 touchdowns in his three-year career. The fourth-rounder was Josh Malone, a wide receiver from the University of Tennessee. Malone got caught in a crowded Bengals receiving corps that included A. J. Green, Tyler Boyd, Brandon LaFell, and Cody Core. He caught just seven passes in two seasons before signing with the Jets in 2019. Malone was on New York’s practice squad for most of the season before playing the final two games.
Minnesota used its acquired pick on running back Dalvin Cook, a two-time All-American at Florida State who, like Mixon, was a high school All-American. Cook got off to a strong start in the NFL, rushing for 354 yards in his first four games before tearing his ACL and missing the rest of the 2017 season. He missed five games the following year with a hamstring injury before finally getting on track in 2019. Despite finishing two yards behind Mixon (1,137 to 1,135), Cook made the Pro Bowl last year thanks to 13 touchdowns, which were the fourth-most in the NFL.
Assessment: Here is another recent trade that is difficult to judge. Mixon and Cook could become two of the top running backs in the league very soon, but the slight edge goes to Cook for his ability to reach the end zone. VIKINGS
All NFL statistics and awards courtesy of https://www.pro-football-reference.com/
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