Welcome to our new weekly column where we look at all things NFL from our regular NFL tipster and Rugby League raconteur Nick Tedeschi. He will look at the good, the bad and the ugly of the NFL, holding back no punches.
The Five Worst Trades in NFL History
Following the worst trade in NBA history when the Mavs gave away one of the best players in the NBA in his prime for virtually nothing, here are the five worst trades in NFL history:
5. Denver give up five picks and three players for Russell Wilson
Denver were desperate for stability at QB after mediocrity at the position for a decade following Peyton Manning’s retirement. He went 11-19 as a starter, helped get a rookie coach fired and was released after two seasons.
4. Vikings give up eight picks and five players for Herschel Walker
The Dallas Cowboys dynasty of the early 1990s came about solely because of this trade. The Vikings were desperate to bring in Walker, who had been very good in three years with Dallas following a USFL career for the ages. The Vikings got their man and four latter-round draft picks – and gave up four players, three first round picks, three second round picks, a third and a sixth. Emmitt Smith was amongst the many stars the Cowboys selected, setting them up for three Super Bowl wins in the next six seasons. Coach Jimmy Johnson, who called the trade ‘The Great Train Robbery’ would be at the helm for two. Walker would play just two-and-a-half seasons for the Vikings with Minnesota missing the playoffs in his two full seasons.
3. Texans trade DeAndre Hopkins for David Johnson
Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien was inexplicably given GM powers and the result was O’Brien ridiculously trading one of the best wide receivers in the game for a mediocre running back. Johnson started just 16 games in two seasons for Houston, scoring just nine touchdowns. Hopkins continued to perform for the Cardinals. And O’Brien survived four games of the trade before he was sacked.
2. Saints trade ‘99 draft and first and third rounder in 2000 for Ricky Williams
Mike Ditka may well be a legend in Chicago but his standing in New Orleans is somewhat different. Ditka traded the team’s entire 1999 draft and their top two picks in the 2000 draft to move up and select Texas running back Ricky Williams. The Redskins selected three future All-Pros including Hall of Famer Champ Bailey. Williams played just three years for the Saints, scoring just 18 touchdowns. Ditka was fired after Williams’ debut season.
1. Browns trade three first round picks and three more picks for DeShaun Watson
The Browns sold the farm after the 2021 season to sign DeShaun Watson from the Houston Texans despite the QB being under investigation and dealing with numerous civil lawsuits related to inappropriate behaviour with 22 massage therapists. Watson was given a $230m guaranteed contract. He is 9-10 as a starter, throwing for ust 177.1 yards per game with an anemic 4.76 net yards per attempt.
The Pro Bowl Is The Dumbest Event in Sport
There is absolutely no reason for the Pro Bowl to exist and this persistence with it in its current format is embarrassing, it is degrading, it is unedifying. The NFL is the biggest sporting league on the planet. Yet it has the worst all-star setup of all-time. With all the money the NFL has, all they need to do is incentivise players financially to play hard. Yet we get handed this dross. What an embarrassing way to lead-in to the Super Bowl.
Quote Of The Week
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on fans being upset by the hire of Brian Schottenheimer: “there is a very low percentage of this that is smiles and glory holes”. It is unclear how often Jones uses glory holes and how he relates said activity to a coaching hire. Fun fact: it is also not Jones’ first glory hole quote.
Moore To Saints
New Orleans are shaping up to hire Philadelphia Eagles OC Kellen Moore as their next head coach. With all other vacancies filled, the Saints are able to take their time and wait for the Super Bowl offensive coordinator. The former Boise State standout has been touted for a number of gigs over the last few seasons, most recently linked to Dallas, where he has been passed over twice. Moore faces a tough task at the Saints, who have salary cap issues and an awful QB. He will get time though with the franchise known for its stability and patience.
NFL Coming To Melbourne
The NFL is set to play its first regular season game in Australia with the Philadelphia Eagles and LA Rams set to play at the MCG. The NFL could sell that game five times over. And there is no place filthier in the world than London, who have endured a decade of Jets and Jags games only to see this barnburner head to Australia.
Remember The Worst Beat in Super Bowl History
In the nearly 60-year history of the Super Bowl, there has been no worse beat and likely never will be a worse beat than Patrick Mahomes five years back. Mahomes had 44 rush yards, easily covering his rushing line of 29.5 yards. He then took three knees – losing 15 yards for the total to go under.
Fun Fact #1
The longest national anthem in Super Bowl history was sung by Alicia Keys, who went 2 minutes and 35 seconds.
Fun Fact #2
The most common Gatorade colour since 2015 has been blue while the most common Gatorade colour this century has been Orange.
Fun Fact #3
There have been nine safeties in Super Bowl history with the latest coming in 2014 between the Seahawks and Broncos.
Read of the Week
An article on the greatest Super Bowl prop bets to land. Yes, please! From octopuses to first score safety to more. Read it all.
Watch It
Joe Namath was so confident he and his New York Jets were going to win Super Bowl III – even though they were 16.5-point underdogs – that he guaranteed a win. And he delivered. Watch the guarantee and Namath at his best here.