NFL teams love to swing for the fences with blockbuster trades, but sometimes, those deals backfire in spectacular fashion. Whether it was giving up too many draft picks, trading away a future superstar, or making a move that set the franchise back years, these trades ended up being disasters.
From franchise-crippling moves to trades that still haunt fanbases today, here are ten times an NFL team destroyed its future with a bad trade.
10. Houston Texans Trade DeAndre Hopkins for Practically Nothing (2020)
The Texans shocked the football world when they traded one of the best wide receivers in the league to the Cardinals for a second-round pick and David Johnson. Losing an elite playmaker while getting almost nothing in return sent Houston into a downward spiral that they are still trying to recover from.
9. Minnesota Vikings Give Up the Farm for Herschel Walker (1989)
The Vikings thought they were one superstar running back away from a Super Bowl, so they sent a massive haul of draft picks to the Cowboys for Herschel Walker. Walker never lived up to expectations, while Dallas used those picks to build the foundation for their 1990s dynasty.
8. New Orleans Saints Trade Their Entire Draft for Ricky Williams (1999)
The Saints were so obsessed with getting Ricky Williams that they traded all of their picks in the 1999 draft, plus future selections, to Washington. Williams never became the franchise-changing star they hoped for, and the Saints’ lack of draft capital left them with a depleted roster for years.
7. Washington Gives Up Everything for Robert Griffin III (2012)
Washington traded away multiple first-round picks to move up and select Robert Griffin III, believing he would be the future of the franchise. While he had an incredible rookie year, injuries and coaching mishaps derailed his career, leaving Washington without a long-term quarterback and missing valuable draft picks.
6. Cleveland Browns Trade Up for Trent Richardson (2012)
The Browns thought they were getting the next great running back when they traded up to draft Trent Richardson third overall. He lasted less than two seasons in Cleveland before being traded away, proving that giving up assets for a running back can be a risky move.
5. Oakland Raiders Trade Jon Gruden to Tampa Bay (2002)
The Raiders sent their head coach, Jon Gruden, to Tampa Bay in exchange for draft picks, and it immediately backfired. Gruden led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory the very next season, while the Raiders fell into a spiral of bad coaching hires and front-office chaos.
4. Los Angeles Rams Trade for Jared Goff (2016)
The Rams traded a boatload of picks to move up and draft Jared Goff first overall, but he never quite lived up to the hype. While they eventually won a Super Bowl, it wasn’t with Goff, who was traded away after proving he wasn’t the long-term answer.
3. Chicago Bears Trade Up for Mitch Trubisky (2017)
The Bears made one of the most infamous draft-day trades ever, giving up multiple picks to move up just one spot and draft Mitch Trubisky. Adding insult to injury, both Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were still on the board, making this one of the biggest what-ifs in NFL history.
Read More: The 30 Worst Draft Picks in NFL History
2. San Francisco 49ers Give Up Three First-Round Picks for Trey Lance (2021)
The 49ers bet big on Trey Lance, trading three first-round picks to move up and select him third overall. He barely saw the field due to injuries and inconsistency, and after just a couple of years, San Francisco had to cut their losses and move on.
Read More: Ranking the 15 Smartest NFL Quarterback Draft Picks of All Time
1. Denver Broncos Trade the Future for Russell Wilson (2022)
Denver thought they were getting a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback when they sent a massive haul of picks and players to Seattle for Russell Wilson. Instead, Wilson struggled immediately, the offense collapsed, and the Broncos were stuck paying a massive contract for a quarterback who looked like a shell of his former self.
Read More: 15 Blockbuster Trades That Devastated Fanbases
