NFL trades that swung Super Bowl races

Toney is one of the NFL's most injury-prone players, and while his participation rate is slightly up as a Chief compared to where he was as a Giant, the former first-rounder is sputtering in Kansas City. But upon being acquired for a compensatory third-round pick last year, Toney technically did sway the NFL's 2022 Super Bowl chase. The lighting-quick wideout set a Super Bowl record with a 65-yard punt return and joined Skyy Moore in scoring walk-in touchdowns, as the Eagles picked the worst possible time to forget how to defend pre-snap motion. Toney might not pan out in K.C., but he already contributed to a title. 

The Rams made a number of splashy trades during Sean McVay's first five years in charge; Miller was by far the best player acquired. Joining Chris Harris as Super Bowl 50 stalwarts seeing their primes waste away as the Broncos struggled to replace Peyton Manning, Miller wound up reinvigorated in Los Angeles. The Rams sent the Broncos second- and third-round picks -- choices that helped lead to the Russell Wilson trade -- and saw Denver pick up most of his salary. Miller racked up nine sacks as a Rams rental, including four in the playoffs. Forming a historic inside-outside duo with Aaron Donald, Miller posted a two-sack Super Bowl LVI and picked up ring No. 2.

Stafford quietly let the Lions know he wanted no part of another rebuild, and a few teams made offers. Carolina and Washington offered first-round picks, but the Rams entered the January 2021 derby late and made the best offer. L.A. threw in a second first-round pick (and a third-rounder) to convince the Lions to take Jared Goff's contract, and Stafford became an immediate upgrade in Los Angeles. The 12-year Lions starter finished with 6,088 passing yards and 50 TDs in 21 starts, outplaying Tom Brady to claim a road playoff win in Round 2. Turning Cooper Kupp into an uncoverable menace, Stafford picked up his first playoff win and rode the momentum to the Rams' first L.A. title since 1951.

Tom Brady regressed in 2019, as Gronkowski left for what amounted to a WWE sabbatical, but magically resumed his endless prime in Tampa upon signing as a free agent. The variable between 2019 and '20: Gronk's return. In a number of Brady-driven moves during the legendary QB's Tampa tenure, the Bucs pried Gronk from the Patriots for a fourth-round pick. While the tight end icon's All-Pro form was gone, he resurfaced as one of the NFL's best tight ends. Gronk totaled 13 regular-season TDs in two Bucs years and added two more in Super Bowl LV, helping Tampa Bay mash Kansas City in the first-ever home Super Bowl (feat. COVID-19 restrictions) triumph. 

Cutting Justin Houston and trading Dee Ford, the Chiefs completed two tag-and-trade transactions in one offseason. After sending Ford to the 49ers, they acquired Clark from the Seahawks. Seattle was fine renting Clark, who entered the NFL with off-field baggage. The Chiefs saw the former second-rounder as a pass-rushing centerpiece, giving him a five-year, $104 million deal. The contract and trade price (first- and second-rounders and a third-round pick swap) proved exorbitant. Clark was 0-for-4 in double-digit sack seasons as a Chief, but he was a playoff force, totaling five in 2019 to help the Chiefs win their first Super Bowl in 50 years.

The Patriots had mastered the pick-swap trade by 2018, using the strategy to pilfer Brown from the 49ers. The Patriots obtained Brown and a fifth-round pick for a third-rounder during the 2018 draft and plugged in the mammoth blocker as their left tackle. With first-round pick Isaiah Wynn missing the season, New England received great value from Brown, who had spent two years as the 49ers' right tackle. Brown made a major difference in the 2018 playoffs, keeping Brady clean and allowing him to shred the Chargers and Chiefs' defenses en route to Super Bowl LIII. In Pats fashion, they passed on Brown's free agency price tag only to reacquire him for cheaper two years later.

The Titans ended their eight-season partnership with McCourty in April 2017. The veteran cornerback ended up with the Browns on a two-year, $6 million deal. Cleveland proceeded to become the second team to complete an 0-16 season that year. Jason soon joined brother Devin in New England, with the pick-swap structure -- Jason McCourty and a seventh-rounder for a sixth -- benefiting the Pats again. Jason ventured from the NFL's worst team to its best, and the 2018 Patriots used a two-McCourty starter setup. At 31, Jason started 15 games (including all three playoff tilts) and notched a momentous pass breakup to help the Pats keep the Rams out of the end zone in Super Bowl LIII.

Despite medical red flags that dropped him to Round 5 in the 2015 draft, Ajayi stampeded for 1,272 rushing yards in 2016. The Dolphins decided to trade him to the Eagles in October 2017, collecting a fourth-round pick for a back they felt was on borrowed time. Miami was not necessarily wrong here; knee trouble did lead Ajayi out of the league before the 2020s. He made an impact for the Eagles, however, averaging 5.8 yards per carry in Philly to close out the 2017 season. Ajayi added 184 yards in the playoffs, starting in the divisional round and NFC championship game, and joining LeGarrette Blount and Corey Clement in a low-cost backfield.

Darby later developed an injury-prone reputation, but in 2017, he was an ascending Bills cornerback. In August 2017, the Eagles sent the Bills a third-round pick and wide receiver Jordan Matthews -- their top wide receiver from 2015-16 -- for Darby, who was going into his third season. Darby did miss half the '17 slate after suffering a Week 1 injury, but he regained his starting job upon return and intercepted three passes. Darby then played almost every defensive snap during the Eagles' three-game playoff run. This year started a trend of GM Howie Roseman giving up picks for rookie-contract players. Darby and Ajayi paid off as ancillary aid.

Rob Gronkowski's back trouble reared its head midway through this season, but the Patriots going to the pick-swap well to nab Bennett prevented the legendary tight end's absence from crushing Tom Brady's aerial corps. The Pats sent a fourth-round pick to the Bears for Bennett and a sixth, residing at the forefront of this trade genre, and the well-traveled talent posted 701 receiving yards and seven TDs. Bennett dropped three 100-yard games in 2016 and, with Gronk limited to eight games, became a vital piece in a Julian Edelman-led receiving crew that worked with Brady to complete the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. 

Like Toney, Harvin has to be included for a special teams contribution in the Super Bowl. Overall, the Seahawks whiffed by sending the Vikings a big trade package -- first-, third- and seventh-round picks -- for the then-electric wideout/returner. But Harvin suffered a summer hip injury that cost him 15 games in 2013. The dual-threat playmaker -- at least, that was his Minnesota status -- made one notable Seattle contribution, and it came at the biggest time. Harvin returned the second-half kickoff for an 87-yard touchdown to bury any Broncos comeback hopes. Harvin, however, did not last the 2014 season with the Seahawks.

The 2007 free agency period featured two-year Giants kicker Jay Feely joining the Falcons. That May, the Giants obtained Tynes from the Chiefs, sending a seventh-round pick for the three-year Chiefs kicker. Tynes, who kicked for the Giants for six years and won two Super Bowls, made a career-high 85% of his field goals in 2007. However, his most memorable contribution came in a game better remembered for Tom Coughlin's frozen face. Tynes missed two second-half field goals in the NFC championship game but trotted onto the field sans permission, as Coughlin considered eschewing a third try, and drilled a 47-yarder to send the Giants past the Packers to Super Bowl XLII.

The future ESPN personality became a key trade chip before the 2006 deadline. Part of the Buccaneers' Super Bowl XXXVII-winning defense alongside Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice, McFarland brought back a second-round pick in the October '06 trade with the Colts. Indianapolis paid up for McFarland due to Corey Simon's season-ending injury, and the midseason pickup started 15 games, including each Indy postseason contest. Booger racked up 4.5 sacks in total, including a drop of Rex Grossman in Super Bowl XLI, and helped the team clean up its run defense in the playoffs. McFarland did not play again after the Colts' Super Bowl-winning slate.

Dillon wore out his welcome in Cincinnati, infamously tossing his shoulder pads into the stands after the Bengals' Week 17 game in 2003. The Patriots benefited, sending a second-round pick for the Bengals' all-time rushing leader in April 2004. It is arguable this Patriots edition -- perhaps the best wire-to-wire team in Bill Belichick's career -- did not need Dillon to repeat, but the then-30-year-old back sure helped provide punctuation. Dillon steamrolled to a career-best 1,635 yards, adding 292 more in the playoffs. This helped a still-developing Tom Brady. Coupled with a No. 1-ranked defense, Dillon made this squad nearly unbeatable. 

Tony Dungy helped assemble the pieces for the Buccaneers' 2002 surge, but Gruden pushed a team stuck on the second tier over the top. Eyeing an offensive-minded coach after a traditional search -- which included Marvin Lewis, Bill Parcells and then-LSU coach Nick Saban -- did not pan out, the Bucs sent the Raiders two first-round picks, two seconds and $8 million for Gruden. The fiery leader had piloted the Raiders to back-to-back playoff berths, ending with the "Tuck Rule" fiasco. The Bucs submitted a dominant '02 season. While Gruden's offense was along for the ride, it did enough to complement Monte Kiffin's historic defense en route to a Super Bowl rout of the fiery HC's former team.

The 1999 Rams might be the go-to example of the value acquiring an elite veteran running back can bring. Not eager to give Faulk a big-ticket extension, the Colts traded him to the Rams for second- and fifth-round picks. Breaking up the Faulk-Peyton Manning duo after one season, the Colts did well with Edgerrin James. But Faulk zoomed to the Hall of Fame tier in St. Louis. In 1999, the versatile dynamo shattered the NFL's single-season scrimmage yards record -- with 2,429, which still sits second all-time -- and added 257 in the playoffs. The RB upgrade played a central role Kurt Warner's stunning MVP surge; the pair ignited the Rams from 4-12 to a Super Bowl title.

Jones holds a special distinction in offensive line history. He won Super Bowl rings as both a left and right tackle. Jones operated as the Browns' left tackle from 1991-95 and delayed Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden's move to the blind side in the Ravens' 1996 debut. With Ogden sliding over in 1997, the Ravens shipped Jones to the Broncos for a second-round pick. Jones became Denver's right tackle, starting 16 regular-season games and four playoff contests. The former Cleveland All-Pro helped Terrell Davis to his second All-Pro season in 1997 and made the Pro Bowl in '98, replacing Hall of Famer Gary Zimmerman at left tackle and aiding Davis to an MVP.

A longtime Seahawks secondary staple, Robinson played in three consecutive Super Bowls from 1996-98. While the end of that stretch brought a Falcons distraction due to a solicitation arrest on the eve of Super Bowl XXXIII, Robinson did quality work to help the Packers back to the mountaintop two years prior. In 1996, the then-33-year-old safety declined a Seahawks pay cut. This keyed a trade with the Packers that sent reserve defensive end Matt LaBounty to Seattle. Robinson intercepted six passes and added two more in the playoffs, finishing off an underappreciated Green Bay title season that featured first-place offensive and defensive rankings.

A contract squabble with the Steelers drove a two-game Everett holdout in 1992, and a September trade sent the veteran back to his native Texas. The Baylor alum had been a Pittsburgh safety starter from 1987-91, but after rejecting a three-year offer from the Steelers, Everett signed a three-year pact with the Cowboys after being dealt for a fifth-round pick. Everett moved into Dallas' starting lineup alongside James Washington. Everett earned Pro Bowl acclaim in 1993, but he played a key support role in '92, notching two INTs and a sack in Dallas' Super Bowl XXVII rout of Buffalo. 

Overshadowing the Everett trade: the Cowboys' Haley heist from the team that soon became their chief rival. Haley wore out his welcome with the 49ers, but trading the star defensive end became a misstep of enormous proportions. A divisional-round qualifier despite missing Troy Aikman to close 1991, the Cowboys plugged Haley into their lineup and assembled one of the NFL's greatest rosters. It cost only two third-round picks for Dallas to pry the All-Pro from San Francisco, and Haley made the 49ers pay. While Haley only totaled six sacks in 1992, he became a fearsome presence that changed Dallas' defense. The Cowboys downed the 49ers in the NFC championship game (the era's de facto Super Bowl) in Haley's first two seasons.

The Giants traded for both wide receiver/returner Phil McConkey and Anderson during the 1986 season. McConkey made a bigger impact on the '86 Giants' Super Bowl team, but Anderson led the way in New York winning another title four years later. It took second- and seventh-round picks for the Giants to land Anderson from the Cardinals in October 1986. Arriving as the No. 11 all-time leading rusher, Anderson transitioned from a strong Cardinals run to a backup role. But Joe Morris' 1989 injury led Anderson back to prominence. In 1990, at 33, Anderson rambled for 11 rushing TDs and led the way in a Giants ball-control opus in Super Bowl XXV, winning MVP honors. 

Three trade pickups bolstered one of the NFL's all-time great teams. The Chargers and 49ers formed a sturdy trade pipeline in the early 1980s, with San Francisco serving as a landing spot for veteran Charger D-linemen. In September '84, the 49ers traded fifth- and 11th-round picks for Gary "Big Hands" Johnson, a Bolts All-Pro as recently as 1981. Dropping on San Diego's depth chart, Johnson still had gas in the tank. He posted an eight-sack season (three in the playoffs) complete with a safety and a touchdown. Months prior, the 49ers sent the Seahawks fourth- and 10th-rounders for nose tackle Manu Tuiasosopo, who started every game and tallied five sacks himself. To round this out, ex-Charger D-tackle standout Louie Kelcher finished his career with the 49ers via a 1984 trade.

The NFL set its 1983 trade deadline at Oct. 11, but the Patriots and Raiders' Haynes swap took until November to be finalized. In Raiders fashion, it ended up in court. The future Hall of Fame cornerback was a 1983 holdout. Unwilling to meet Haynes' contract ask, the Pats agreed to trade the eighth-year corner to the Raiders for first- and second-round picks. The NFL disallowed the October deal because it was not processed in time. Haynes sued the NFL, and while he wound up in L.A., the Raiders did not have his services until Nov. 20. The Raiders' record with Haynes and All-Pro corner Lester Hayes: 7-1. The all-time CB duo helped L.A. outscore its opponents 106-33 in the playoffs.

Like Haynes, Hannah played out an option year in 1982. In the pre-free agency era, however, teams needed to be compensated via trade when an out-of-contract player agreed to a deal elsewhere. The Raiders added Hannah, a former Buccaneers tackle, in July 1983. Hannah, who cost the Raiders a fourth-round pick and starting defensive end Dave Browning, was the Bucs' right tackle for five seasons. Also negotiating with the USFL, Hannah ended up at guard in Los Angeles. The seventh-year blocker started all 19 Raider games, helping Marcus Allen to a 1,000-yard season and a Super Bowl XVIII MVP award.

From 1975-80, McGee posted at least 8.5 sacks every season for the Patriots, leading the team each year. Operating as a designated pass rusher -- with an apt "Mac the Sack" alias -- McGee moved on via trade in Ron Meyer's first year in New England. The Pats traded McGee to Washington for a ninth-round pick, and the then-33-year-old edge rusher teamed with Dexter Manley to show he still had juice left. In a strike-shortened nine-game season, McGee reeled off 6.5 sacks and added another in the playoffs. Washington's defense improved from 16th in 1981 to first in '82. Helping Washington back to the Super Bowl a year later, McGee totaled 10 sacks.

The 49ers' splash in 1981 showed the impact a proven pass rusher can provide. It is difficult to overstate what the Chargers lost in 1981. Refusing to cave to the contract demands of All-Pros Dean and John Jefferson, a Super Bowl-caliber Bolts team traded both in-season. Dan Fouts likened the September Jefferson deal to trading Willie Mays in his prime; two weeks later, the Chargers moved Dean for a second-rounder and a first-round pick swap. The 49ers gave Dean a big raise and turned him loose in his age-29 season. The elite defensive end totaled 12 sacks in 11 49er games, teaming with rookie Ronnie Lott to ignite a previously suspect San Francisco defense en route to Super Bowl XVI.

The San Diego-San Francisco pipeline flowed in August 1981 as well. The Chargers sent Audick to the 49ers for a third-round pick. Audick operated as the starting right tackle on an AFC championship game-bound Bolts team in 1980. He ended up on a rebuilding 49ers team that went 8-24 in Bill Walsh's first two years. Soon, Audick was part of an NFC superpower. The 49ers placed Audick as their starting left tackle. The 1981 season was the only time Audick started 16 games. It doubled as Joe Montana's first Pro Bowl season, and Audick provided a professional reference of sorts to move the Dean trade along. These moves helped the franchise seal its first Super Bowl title.

The Raiders' highest-profile trade in 1980 did not do much to swing their title odds, though the Ken Stabler-for-Dan Pastorini straight-up swap remains memorable. But Oakland bolstered its two-deep with several other moves. Two weapons for Pastorini and backup-turned-hero Jim Plunkett came in the form of running back Kenny King and wideout Bob Chandler. The Raiders parted with 1970s linchpins Jack Tatum and Phil Villipiano, sent to the Oilers and Bills, for the weapons. King made the Pro Bowl, while Chandler teamed with Cliff Branch and scored 10 TDs. The team also traded for 49ers sack king Cedrick Hardman, and the ex-"Gold Rush" cog racked up 9.5 sacks in 1980. DBs Odis McKinney, Dwayne O'Steen and current Congressman Burgess Owens also came over via trade, with four members of this crop starting in Super Bowl XV. This trade frenzy did not cost Oakland a pick in the first four rounds.

In Chuck Noll's second year with the Steelers, he armed the Colts with two Super Bowl V starters. An All-Pro receiver and returner in 1968 and '69, Jefferson was not a Noll favorite and ended up in Baltimore in August 1970 for wideout Willie Richardson and a fourth-round pick (which became Steel Curtain defensive end Dwight White). Baltimore acquired May, a linebacker, from Pittsburgh in May. The May-in-May swap cost the Colts running back Preston Pearson, a future Cowboys mainstay who also won a ring as a Steeler. Both Jefferson and May started for the Colts, with the deep threat leading the team in receiving and the linebacker starting all three playoff games and intercepting a postseason pass.

An All-AFL offensive lineman who started in three AFL championship games for the Oilers, Talamini wound up on the Jets after a contract squabble in Houston. Talamini was linked to retirement, but the Jets traded a third-round pick for the veteran blocker in August 1968. The Jets stationed the ninth-year lineman at left guard and enjoyed the greatest season in franchise history. Jets players, including Joe Namath, have referred to Talamini as the missing piece. He broke into New York's starting lineup at midseason and started in the team's shocking Super Bowl III upset over the Colts, before retiring for good after the season.