Philadelphia Eagles: Just how high is Carson Wentz’s trade value?

Blockbuster trades through the ages

There have been a number of bigtime deals over the past few seasons that have significantly shifted the landscape of the NFL, both for draft picks and proven players, all of which have resulted in a veritable treasure trove of compensations being passed around the league.

Just this season, the Oakland Raiders shipped their best player, Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears for a package highlighted by a pair of first-round picks and other draft compensation. While that’s obviously a lot, it’s clear the Bears don’t regret the decision one bit, as the All-Pro pass rusher has put up 12.5 sacks and helped to vault the Windy City back into the playoffs.

But the Raiders didn’t stop there. No, they also traded their (arguably) best offensive weapon, Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2019 first round pick, in another move that helped a middle-of-the-pack team land in the postseason, much to the chagrin of fans in Philly.

While some will argue that what Jon Gruden is doing in Oakland, purposely trading his best players away to undergo a Process-esque rebuild is ‘bad for the game’, really, only time will tell if his gamble pays off, or if the team will have intentionally sunk their future for the next decade. Who knows, if the Raiders can snag, say, a franchise quarterback, some offensive line help and a young, high-upside defender with their five first-round picks over the next two years, some people may applaud the Raiders ingenuity in rebuilding a capped out team.

If you take a step backward, there is some historical proof that this sort of strategy can work as well.

Once upon a time, back in 1989, the Cowboys traded Herschel Walker, their best player, to the Minnesota Vikings in the ‘largest player trade in the history‘. Though it would be incredibly tedious to break down the entirety of the deal, as it involved six players and 12 draft picks, the move landed Dallas Emmit Smith, Russell Maryland, Alonzo Highsmith, Kevin Smith, and Clayton Holmes, effectively rebuilding their roster for the ‘Dallas Decade’.

In a league like the NFL, where each team has 53 players, and 46 active on game day, flipping one all-timer for a half-dozen good-to-great players can pay significant dividends for any team, especially one with a great general manager and scouting department.