Dumbest NFL Trades of the Last Decade

There has been a lot made about the bounty that the Washington Redskins yielded leading up to the 2012 NFL draft for the right to select quarterback Robert Griffin III. While it’s way too early to come to a conclusion about who got the best of that deal, it’s rather obvious the St. Louis Rams are in the lead at this point. 

With that said, we can come to a conclusion about some of the most lopsided trades in recent NFL history. From the Miami Dolphins dealing Wes Welker to the New England Patriots to the Oakland Raiders acquiring and then trading a star wide receiver, there have been some truly atrocious trades throughout the last decade. Let’s take a look at six of them.

Miami Dolphins Trade Second-Round Pick in 2006 to the Minnesota Vikings for Daunte Culpepper

The Dolphins passed up on San Diego Chargers free agent Drew Brees due to concerns over his shoulder, deciding instead to trade for a player in Culpepper who had a bum knee. He threw two touchdowns compared to three interceptions in four starts. After rifts with the organization and then head coach Nick Saban, Culpepper was placed on injured reserve late in the year.

The Dolphins acquired Trent Green from the St. Louis Rams following the 2006 season and Culpepper wasn’t too happy about it. That situation would drag on through a good part of the offseason before Miami decided to release the veteran in July. Among the players that were available with the Dolphins original second-round pick were Maurice Jones-Drew and Greg Jennings.

Miami Dolphins trade Wes Welker to the New England Patriots for sixth and seventh rounders in 2007

Welker was coming off a 2006 season that saw him put up 67 receptions for 687 yards and a touchdown for the Dolphins. Those 67 receptions led a Dolphins team that won just six games. Instead of attempting to build off what was a solid season for the wide receiver, Miami decided to trade him away to the division-rival New England Patriots for two late-round picks.

While Welker went on to rack up 249 receptions over the next three seasons, Miami’s top receiver in each of the next three years failed to put up more than 76 catches. In 12 career games against the Dolphins, Welker has recorded 95 receptions for 1,178 yards and six touchdowns. This is yet another prime example of a team refusing to just hang up the phone when Bill Belichick calls.

Dallas Cowboys Trade Three Draft Picks to the Detroit Lions For Wide Receiver Roy Williams

At the time of this trade, Williams had tallied nearly 2,400 yards and 13 touchdowns in his last 33 games with the Detroit Lions. He was considered a top-tier No. 1 wide receiver option and the Cowboys wanted to get a true playmaker for budding star Tony Romo. The issue here is that Williams never panned out with the Cowboys, putting up just 94 receptions for 1,324 yards and 13 touchdowns in 40 games with the team. Amazingly enough, Williams received a six-year, $54 million contract from the Cowboys within a week of them acquiring him.

Here are some of the players Dallas missed out on after dealing away three picks for Williams.

There is no other way to put it. This trade set the Cowboys back a ton in their attempt to take the next step to playoff contention. And they are still feeling the impact of it. While hindsight is 20/20 and there is no guarantee that Dallas would have made the right selections with these three picks, there is little doubt that it would be better off right now if it hadn’t traded for Williams.

Arizona Cardinals Trade Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Second-Round Pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for Kevin Kolb

Kevin Kolb was the sexy quarterback on the trade market during the lock-out shortened 2011 offseason. This despite the fact that he put up just seven touchdowns and seven interceptions for the Philadelphia Eagles in five starts during the 2010 season. Arizona decided that it made more sense to go out there and trade for an unproven veteran instead of selecting an equally unproven rookie in the draft.

It didn’t work out all too well. Kolb managed to win just three of his nine starts in 2011. He did, however, start the 2012 season playing some darn good football prior to suffering a season-ending injury just six games in. Kolb would never suit up for the Cardinals again. In total, he finished with a 6-8 record in 14 starts. What makes this trade so darn bad is the fact that Arizona could have selected current Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson with the second-round pick it yielded in the deal. In addition to that, it gave up a Pro Bowl caliber corner in Rodgers-Cromartie and gave Kolb $21 million guaranteed to start 14 games (via ESPN.com).

Oakland Raiders Trade Two Draft Picks and Linebacker Napolean Harris to the Minnesota Vikings for Randy Moss

As you can see below, this deal is two fold. After putting up some of the best seasons in recent NFL history for a wide receiver, Moss finally alienated the Minnesota following the 2004 season. Continual off-field spats with the organization led to the divorce. In desperate need of some firepower, the Raiders made the decision to offer the seventh overall pick in the 2005 draft, a seventh-round pick that same year and linebacker Napolean Harris for Moss.

Moss did tally over 1,000 yards in his first season with the Raiders, but fell off the following year. He put up just 42 receptions for 553 yards and three scores in 2006. The relationship came to a head following the 2006 season, as it appeared Moss simply didn’t want to play for the Raiders anymore. In two years with Oakland, Moss put up just 1,558 yards and 11 scores. Unfortunately for the Raiders, they missed out on the likes of eventual Pro Bowlers Antrel Rolle, Carlos Rogers, DeMarcus Ware and Shawne Merriman after yielding the seventh pick to Minnesota.

Oakland Raiders Trade Randy Moss to the New England Patriots for Randy Moss

After the falling out of favor in Oakland, Moss was dealt to the Patriots for a fourth-round pick in the lead up to the 2007 season. Moss would respond by putting up a NFL record 23 touchdown receptions in his first season with New England, helping it complete a perfect 16-0 regular season. For their part, the Raiders selected cornerback John Bowie out of Cincinnati with the fourth-round pick they acquired. Bowie played in five games over the course of two seasons with the Raiders.

Photo: ESPN