NFL Trade Deadline: 30 greatest trades in NFL history

21. Colts trade up to draft Jeff George No. 1

With the top overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons were in a position that they could afford to trade down in the first round. This is where the Indianapolis Colts come to play.

In need of a quarterback, the Colts had their eyes set on Illinois star Jeff George. Although he certainly didn’t come cheap, the Colts felt compelled to give up a ton to land the Indianapolis native No. 1 overall.

The fact that Indianapolis was willing to give up a Pro Bowler in guard Chris Hinton, a promising wide receiver in Andre Rison and a boatload of draft picks (including a first-rounder in 1991) just to land George shows how much hype there was surrounding the Illinois quarterback.

Unfortunately for the Colts, George’s time with the team didn’t exactly go according to plan. George he only lasted four seasons in Indianapolis before being dealt.

During those four years with the Colts, George would end up winning just 14 game and threw more interceptions (46) than touchdowns (41) on offense. Coincidentally, Indianapolis would end up trading George to Atlanta, the team that originally had the top overall pick in 1990, before the 1994 season.

Turns out, a fresh start on a new team seemed to be exactly what George needed when looking at the complete turnaround during his first two years with the Falcons where he tossed 47 touchdown passes.

Atlanta certainly deserves credit when taking into consideration what they were able to obtain from Indianapolis in 1990 as part of the trade before eventually landing George four years later. Even if they did have to give up additional draft picks to make it happen, the Falcons won the deal in the long run.