For decades now, many have considered the trade that sent Herschel Walker from the Dallas Cowboys to the Minnesota Vikings to be the most lopsided in NFL history.
It's not hard to see why the trade has such a reputation, as Dallas thoroughly fleeced Minnesota in the 1989 trade. Sure, the Cowboys acquired four players in the deal, but what really made it such a heist was the mountain of draft picks they got from Minnesota.
The Cowboys would then flip those picks in many subsequent trades, which led to them acquiring key pieces of their '90s dynasty including Emmitt Smith, Kevin Smith, and Darren Woodson.
Meanwhile, Walker spent less than three full seasons with the Vikings, accounting for 2,945 yards and 25 touchdowns from scrimmage. He wasn't bad, but not even close to being worth the haul Minnesota gave up for him.
To many, the Walker trade will always remain the worst in NFL history, and understandably so. However, there is officially a new contender for that title after recent events.
On Monday, the Denver Broncos officially released Russell Wilson just two years after acquiring him in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks. Denver sent five picks (two firsts, two seconds and a fifth) and three players to Seattle to acquire Wilson, only for him to have a miserable season in 2022 and just an average one in 2023.
To make matters worse, the Broncos signed Wilson to a massive five-year extension before he even played a down for them, a decision they will regret for years to come. Now that Denver has released Wilson, it will eat a mind-boggling $85 million in dead money over the next two seasons, by far the most in NFL history.
Simply put, the Wilson trade was a complete disaster for Denver, and a complete fleecing by Seattle, but is it more of a heist than the Walker trade all those years ago?
It's certainly close, and maybe the answer could change depending on what happens in the future, but for now, the Walker trade still holds the crown. Don't forget that the Walker trade directly led to Dallas winning three Super Bowls in four years, all while Minnesota fell into mediocrity.
Denver has certainly handed Seattle some strong players with those picks, including Devon Witherspoon and Boye Mafe, but the Seahawks have yet to win a playoff game since the deal. If the Seahawks end up winning a Super Bowl while the Broncos continue to flounder, then the decision will be much harder. For now, though, the Cowboys still find themselves on the right side most-lopsided trade in NFL history.
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