NFL Trade Deadline: 30 greatest trades in NFL history

29. Oilers give up on Steve Largent

Isn’t it amazing how things sometimes work out for the best without even realizing in the current moment? For Steve Largent, that was exactly the case when considering the then-Houston Oilers selected the wide receiver in the fourth round of the 1976 NFL Draft. Instead of cutting him after the preseason, Houston opted to trade him to the expansion Seattle Seahawks.

As Seahawks fans know, Largent would go on to spend all 14 years of his Pro Football Hall of Fame career in the Pacific Northwest. He caught 819 passes for 13,089 yards with 100 touchdowns in Seattle uniform. Even more impressive, Largent helped Seattle reach the playoffs in four of those seasons. He would go on to make the Pro Bowl a total of seven times.

Once again, it’s tough to imagine how different Largent’s career would have been if the Oilers never decided to trade him to the Seahawks. There’s no guarantee his NFL career would have been the same with Houston. Not to mention, all Seattle had to give up at the time was a future eighth-round pick. This shows just how much of a steal this trade ended up being for Seattle.

There have been a handful of NFL trades throughout history in which one team landed a star player, while the other team only had to give up what many consider to be a meaningless draft pick.

Without question, the Seahawks acquiring Largent the way they did certainly falls into this category. Seattle would make this deal again in a heartbeat since giving up a late-round draft pick seems well worth landing a perennial Pro Bowler and Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver.