The 2021 NFL season wrapped up less than a month ago, yet we have already seen a few franchise-altering trades rock the league's landscape, and we could see a few more dominoes fall in the coming months. While the Denver Broncos acquisition of nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson is one of the biggest blockbuster trades of all time, there have been several similarly impactful deals throughout league history.
Most of these deals occur when a player does not see eye-to-eye with their organization, but there have also been a few cases where a team receives an offer they simply can't refuse. These massive moves have yielded mixed results, as some players involved in these trades thrived in their new environment while others got shopped by their former team at the right time.
10 Russell Wilson To Denver Broncos
Rumors of Russell Wilson being unhappy in Seattle date back to last offseason, when his agent released a list of four teams that Mr. Unlimiiiiited would waive his no-trade clause for. The two sides made nice and Wilson continued playing at a high-level last season, but the dark cloud remained over the team as they finished the year 7-10 and missed the playoffs for only the second time since the 33-year-old arrived in Seattle.
The Broncos pulled off one of the most shocking moves in recent memory when they sent five draft picks, including multiple first- and second-rounders, and three players, including underwhelming quarterback Drew Lock, for the future Hall of Famer. The addition of Wilson immediately turns Denver into a surefire contender in the crowded AFC, while the compensation will allow Seattle to expedite a rebuild.
9 Khalil Mack To Chicago Bears
Khalil Mack was entrenched in a heated contract dispute with the Raiders when they dealt the young pass rusher (and a second-round pick) to the Bears for four draft picks, including two firsts and a third-rounder, just before the 2018 regular season began. Chicago was lauded for their aggressiveness, as the 27-year-old was coming off three-straight Pro Bowl seasons and was one of the top pass rushers in the league.
Mack's first season in the Windy City was an incredible success, as he led the top-ranked Bears defense in sacks and helped the team finish with a 12-4 record. Chicago made waves once again when they traded the 31-year-old pass rusher to the Chargers for a second- and sixth-round pick this offseason, all but ensuring that the AFC West will be the most star-studded division in the league.
8 Brett Favre To Green Bay Packers
Brett Favre's NFL career got off to an inauspicious start, as he was intercepted twice in only four attempts during his rookie season with the Falcons in 1991. The disappointing performance led Atlanta to trade the young gunslinger to Green Bay, who were previously eyeing the Southern Miss product in the draft, for a first-round pick the following offseason.
Favre quickly made Atlanta regret their decision, as he made the Pro Bowl in his first season in Green Bay and looked like one of the top young players in the league. The move resulted in one of the most lopsided trades in history, as he held every passing record by the time his career was over and is the only player to win three consecutive MVP awards.
7 Randy Moss To New England Patriots
Randy Moss was involved in multiple blockbuster trades during his career, but his move to the Patriots in 2007 stands out due to his incredible success after joining his new team. The Raiders thought the perennial Pro Bowler's best days were behind him when they traded the disgruntled receiver to New England for a fourth-round pick in 2007.
It did not take long for the 30-year-old receiver to prove his doubters wrong, as he quickly developed a rapport with Tom Brady and helped the team go undefeated in the regular season, setting a record with 23 receiving touchdowns in the process. He continued playing at a high level in New England for two more seasons before getting traded to Minnesota for a third-round pick.
6 Jalen Ramsey To LA Rams
Jalen Ramsey's frustration with the Jaguars front office grew throughout his rookie contract, and their differences came to a head early in the 2019 season, when he demanded a trade after getting into an altercation with head coach Doug Marrone. The team promptly shipped the 24-year-old, who still had a year-and-a-half left on his rookie contract, to the Rams for two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick in one of the biggest in-season trades of all time.
Ramsey was still an ascending player and already established himself as one of the top corners in the league. He continued his dominant level of play after the trade, as he has been selected to the Pro Bowl every year since joining LA and has been a First-team All-Pro the previous two seasons (his only two full seasons with the Rams) and won the Super Bowl.
5 Matthew Stafford To LA Rams
The Lions only made the playoffs three times during Matthew Stafford's 12-year run with the team, as they failed to build around their talented franchise quarterback, who looked destined to end his career as a lovable loser in Detroit. However, that all changed after a chance encounter with Rams head coach Sean McVay when they both were vacationing (separately) in Cabo San Lucas during the 2021 offseason.
McVay was so impressed with Stafford's ability to recall a game-winning drive engineered against Washington in 2016 (when he was coaching there) that he dealt two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and starting quarterback Jared Goff for the signal-caller shortly after the trip. Out of all the deals that the Snead/McVay regime pulled off, the addition of the then 33-year-old was arguably the most impactful, as he was the final piece of the Rams Super Bowl puzzle.
4 Herschel Walker To Minnesota Vikings
There is no better example of a team selling a player at the right time than the Cowboys trading running back Hershel Walker, who was one year removed from leading the NFL in rushing, to the Vikings. Minnesota traded four players and eight draft picks (including their first- and second-rounders for three straight years) for the 27-year-old during the 1989 NFL season, as they thought he was their missing piece to a Super Bowl berth.
Nevertheless, Walker did not provide the jolt that the team was looking for as he immediately began to show signs of wearing down. He only spent three years in Minnesota, and the team failed to make the playoffs during his two full seasons in the Twin Cities. Meanwhile, the move was such a coup for the Cowboys that it earned the moniker "The Great Train Robbery" and effectively launched their dynasty that won three Super Bowls in four years in the early-90s.
3 Ricky Williams To New Orleans Saints
While most blockbuster trades occur for a proven commodity, there have also been a few cases where teams give up a king's ransom for a prospect. The most iconic of these situations occurred in 1999 when Saints head coach Mike Ditka traded their entire draft (six picks) and their first- and third-round picks the following year to move up seven spots to select University of Texas running back Ricky Williams, who he likened to Walter Payton.
Williams struggled to adapt to the NFL and only scored two touchdowns during an injury-plagued rookie year, and the move completely backfired on Ditka, who got fired after the disappointing 3-13 season. He spent three middling seasons with New Orleans before experiencing a breakout year with the Dolphins in 2002, and the trade was a complete disaster for the Saints.
2 Odell Beckham Jr. To Cleveland Browns
The Giants inked Odell Beckham Jr. to a five-year contract work $95 million in 2018, which ensured that the young superstar would be the top target in Big Blue for years to come. Nevertheless, Beckham's antics became too much for the team to endure, and they shipped the playmaker to the Browns for safety Jabrill Peppers, guard Kevin Zeitler, and first- and third-round picks in the 2019 Draft less than a year after signing the pact.
The Browns were initially crowned as the clear winner of the deal, as teams rarely land a player of OBJ's caliber via trade. However, it quickly became clear that the flashy receiver had issues building a rapport with Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and was not a fit in Cleveland. He spent three disappointing years with the team before returning to form (and winning a ring) with the Rams in 2021.
1 Carson Palmer To Oakland Raiders
Carson Palmer's relationship with the Bengals front office deteriorated after the quarterback requested a trade following a disappointing 4-12 season in 2010. The team initially denied his request but later reconsidered after their rookie quarterback Andy Dalton was off to a red-hot (and headed) start in the 2011 season. The team capitalized and struck a deal with the Raiders that would send the 31-year-old to Oakland for a first-round pick in the 2012 Draft and second-rounder the following year.
The trade wound up being a disaster for the Raiders, as they only went 8-16 in two seasons with Palmer at the helm. While the move to Oakland might not have worked out great, the same cannot be said for the deal that sent him to Arizona two years later, as he played five more seasons and rejuvenated his career in the desert.