The era of Russell Wilson in Seattle has come to an end as the Seahawks finalized a trade that will send their long-tenured QB to the Denver Broncos.
This news got us thinking – what are some of the biggest QB moves in NFL history?
Let’s take a look!
Brett Favre
Favre was originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 1991, but off the field issues and injuries kept him sidelined and eventually dealt to the Green Bay Packers in 1992.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Matt Stafford
With the Lions looking to move in a different direction after a decade of Matt Stafford at the helm, Detroit sent their QB to the Los Angeles Rams for Rams QB, Jared Goff.
The end result, well, the Lions continued to struggle while Matt Stafford and the Rams brought a Super Bowl win to Hollywood.
Steve Young
After two dismal seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Steve Young caught the eye of then 49ers head coach, Bill Walsh who gave up two second and fourth round picks for the QB to come to the Golden State.
Young quickly became a stellar back up to 49ers starting QB Joe Montana.
When “Joe Cool” went down with an injury before the start of the ’91 season, Young became – and stayed – the starting QB for 8 seasons, bringing a Super Bowl win to ‘the bay’.
Jimmy Garoppolo
After suffering an injury in 2018, Patriots owner Robert Kraft insisted that Jimmy G be traded off.
Garoppolo was traded by the deadline to San Francisco for a second rounder.
It’s not that Garoppolo was the equivalent of Tom Brady in New England, but he was the heir apparent, and with his trade soon followed by the relocation of Brady to Tampa, the Patriots were left without their “next up”.
Since then, Jimmy G has led the 49ers to two NFC Championships and two Super Bowl appearances.
Robert Griffin III
Washington gave up three first round picks for the star QB from Baylor, despite questions about RG3’s durability.
After a solid rookie season, Griffin’s star fizzled out.
A definite lesson for teams who decide to give up their future for a potential superstar.
Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning had the Indianapolis Colts as serious AFC contenders consistently for 13 years, despite winning only one Super Bowl there. He then went on to Denver, leading the Broncos to a Super Bowl win on his way out the door in 2016.
Tom Brady
We saved the best, or the greatest, for last with Tom Brady. After winning six Super Bowl titles with Bill Belichick and the Patriots in New England, he moved on to do the same in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.