5 Worst Trades in NFL History

While all coaches and teams try their best to win, they sometimes make trades with opposing teams that don’t have the results they were hoping for, hindering their NFL futures.

There have been several trades throughout the annals of NFL lore that still look terrible today, but some stand out more than the rest of the pack.

Below are five NFL trades that we deem the worst in NFL history. 

5 Worst NFL Trades in NFL History

1. 1989: Dallas Cowboys Trade Herschel Walker

Herschel Walker played six seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, producing just under 3,500 rushing yards, but the Minnesota Vikings wanted him badly enough that they traded four players, three picks in the 1990 NFL Draft, including a first- and second-round selection, and numerous conditional picks in 1991 and 1992.

The Herschel Walker trade still blows my mind… pic.twitter.com/Lvm0AL9WyS

— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) January 7, 2021

The Vikings got Walker and other draft picks but only got three years of service from Walker. He had 551 carries for 2,264 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns in his time there before returning to the Cowboys in 1996. 

With this trade, the Cowboys turned one of the picks into Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith. 

2. 2022: Denver Broncos Acquire Russell Wilson

As of January 2024, the Broncos appear ready to move on from Wilson after just about two seasons of play since acquiring him on March 16, 2022, for two first-round picks and two second-round picks. To make matters worse, he signed a five-year, $242.5 million deal with the team.

So presuming Russell Wilson is cut, his deal will have cost the Broncos $124 million for two years, when he was already under contract for those years at the time of the trade for $51 million (a $73 million raise).

Add that to all the picks that went to Seattle and … Yikes.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) December 27, 2023

In 30 games for Denver, Wilson went 11-19, completing 63.3% of his passes for 6,594 yards, 42 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions. In 2022, he had 16 passing touchdowns, the lowest total of his career. 

3. 2022: Cleveland Browns Acquire Deshaun Watson, Issue Fully Guaranteed Contract

I’ll give him one more season before moving this up to No. 2 on this list, but it’s getting close.

For this trade, the Browns traded their first-round picks in 2022, 2023, and 2024 and a fifth-round pick in 2024 to acquire Watson, who, at the time, was coming off a plethora of serious off-field allegations resulting in a lengthy suspension. After the deal, he signed a five-year, $230 million deal fully guaranteed. 

While he’s gone 8-4 in 12 games with Cleveland, he’s completed less than 60% of his passes for 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He is now out for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. 

4. 2021: San Francisco 49ers Trade Up For Trey Lance

Coming out of North Dakota State, Lance was an unpolished product with plenty of upside after his 19 career college games. The 49ers believed this, too, trading their 2021, 2022, and 2023 first-round picks to the Miami Dolphins to draft Lance.

However, with Jimmy Garoppolo still on the roster, he got the nod in Lance’s rookie season, though he made sporadic appearances. Then, in 2022, he was named the starter but was injured in Week 2, leading to Garoppolo coming back in and getting hurt, and then the legend of Brock Purdy was born. 

It’s official. The 49ers decision to give up 3 first round picks to move up and draft Trey Lance is THE WORST DRAFT DAY MOVE OF ALL TIME. Only reason Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch aren’t fired is they hit on the last pick of last year’s draft in Brock Purdy. Now Trey has been…

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) August 25, 2023

Lance was eventually traded to the Dallas Cowboys before the 2023-24 season for a fourth-round pick. After trading three first-round picks, the 49ers received 797 passing yards, five touchdowns, three interceptions, 235 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown from Lance. 

5. 1999: New Orleans Saints Trade Entire 1999 Draft for Ricky Williams

Yes, you read that right—in 1999, the New Orleans Saints traded every draft pick they had in that draft and more to trade up to No. 5 overall to select Ricky Williams. They owned the No. 12, No. 71, No. 107, No. 144, No. 179, and No. 218 picks in 1999 and traded the No. 2 and No. 64 overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. 

Williams went on to have a solid career, but most of it was with the Dolphins. He spent three years in New Orleans, racking up 814 carries for 3,129 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns and had 132 receptions for 1,092 yards and two receiving touchdowns. 

To make matters worse, some picks turned into Champ Bailey, Jon Jansen, and LaVar Arrington. 

Why, Mike Ditka? Why?

When Was the Vikings Herschel Walker Trade?

The Vikings traded for Herschel Walker on October 12, 1989.

What Is the Biggest Trade in NFL History?

I mentioned it as the worst trade ever, but it’s also the biggest—the Walker trade. 

This deal is the biggest in assets, with 18 players dealt across three teams. 

Here’s a full breakdown of the deal.