NFL: The best trade in each franchise’s history

Best trade in Atlanta Falcons history: Acquiring Michael Vick

There was simply no way around it. The Atlanta Falcons needed a quarterback badly. Ahead of the 2001 NFL Draft, they believed they saw the man that could lead their franchise for the next decade and a half in Michael Vick. Thoughts of getting him may have been far-fetched as their highest pick was the fifth overall but they were determined.

With that said, Atlanta put together a package of picks that pushed them to the front of the draft. The Falcons handed over their fifth overall pick as well as their second and third-round selections. They also forked up wide receiver Tim Dwight and a second pick in 2002 to the San Diego Chargers. In return, Atlanta got the 2001 number one overall pick and took Vick. Everything else is history.

The term dual-threat quarterback is common in today’s game, but Vick essentially invented it. The lefty out of Virginia Tech did plenty of damage with his arm but his legs made him nearly unstoppable. Vick had multiple seasons where he would run for nearly a thousand yards. He was elusive on the ground and accurate enough through the air to make defenses pull their hair out as they had trouble stopping him.

His 6,109 rushing yards lead the quarterback pack for the most all-time. He was also a four-time Pro Bowler and the 2010 Comeback Player of the Year.

There may have been better overall quarterbacks than Vick over the years but no one was as dangerous.