The New Herschel Walker Trade
Dustin Baker
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The Deshaun Watson Sweepstakes is over, and as a last-minute dark horse after being “removed” from the trade talks, Kevin Stefanski and the Cleveland Browns swooped to win the prize.
Cleveland lands a Top 5 NFL quarterback, freshly exonerated from criminal wrongdoing of sexual misconduct in Texas. Watson must still resolve 22 civil suits involving sexual impropriety with massage therapists.
Yet, when NFL general managers and owners learned Watson was off the hook for criminal accountability, teams flocked to acquire Watson, culminating in his marriage to the Browns on Friday. The Vikings were rumored to be in the mix when the sweepstakes heated up, although the extension of Kirk Cousins flattened the speculation.
The price tag for Watson? A lot.
The Vikings infamously traded for Herschel Walker 33 years ago, gifting the farm — and eventual championships — to the Dallas Cowboys for a running back and various other roster pieces. The result was lackluster for the Vikings in return, ending in a bad joke that would last for, well, 33 years and counting.
This is what the Browns surrendered to the Houston Texans for Watson and a 5th-Round pick:
- 2022 1st-Round pick
- 2023 1st-Round pick
- 2024 1st-Round pick
- 2023 3rd-Round pick
- 2024 4th-Round pick
In 1989, the Vikings received Herschel Walker, two 3rd-Rounders, a 5th-Rounder (from San Diego), and a 10th-Rounder for this sack of gold to Dallas:
- LB Jesse Solomon
- LB David Howard
- CB Issiac Holt
- DE Alex Stewart
- RB Darrin Nelson (to San Diego)
- 1990 1st-Round pick
- 1991 1st-Round pick
- 1992 1st-Round pick
- 1990 2nd-Round pick
- 1991 2nd-Round pick
- 1992 2nd-Round pick
- 1992 3rd-Round pick
- 1990 6th-Round pick
The Cowboys would later flip all of that draft capital into Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland, Kevin Smith, Darren Woodson, and Clayton Holmes — plus three Super Bowl trophies.
The Vikings extracted Jake Reed from one of the picks — a reasonable consolation price — but no Super Bowls.
Because the Walker trade lives in such visible lore of infamy, such a trade package is unlikely to be concocted again. However, in 2022 terms, the Watson-to-Cleveland deal would be the closest swap imaginable.
If Watson thrives in Cleveland and stays out of trouble, of course, the deal will be worth the gamble by the Browns. And it’s easy to surmise the worth now when the trade hasn’t flushed out. But proof will be the pudding as the Texans and Browns navigate gridiron life hereafter. Watson also netted $230 million guaranteed over the next five seasons from Cleveland.
Baker Mayfield, who was the Browns QB1 as recently as Thursday, is in complete limbo. He is expected to be traded to the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, or Seattle Seahawks. His trade package is mysterious, perhaps commanding a 2nd-Rounder or so.
The Vikings will host the Watson-less Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium in 2024. They’ll travel to Cleveland for a date with then-30-year-old Watson, if he’s still the quarterback, in 2025.
Herschel Walker is currently a candidate for the United States Senate race in Georgia against incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. His YouTube Channel, VikesNow, debuts in March 2022. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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