Image: On this date in 1989, the Dallas Cowboys trade Herschel Walker

[john van brocklin]

On this date in 1989, the Dallas Cowboys trade Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for 5 players & 7 picks and win 3 #NFL titles in the next 6 seasons.

The rest they say, is history!!!

 

[mrmojo]

Thank you Herschel.....he should have at least got an honorary SB ring

 

[Established1971]

yes

 

[Corso]

Mike Ditka challenged that standard a decade later by trading his entire 1999 draft, plus a first and third in 2000, to move up and draft Ricky Williams.

He challenged it, for sure.
Lost ugly.
And I was a huge Ricky Williams fan, back in the day.
He was a monster for UT.

 

[Blast From The Past]

On this date in 1989, the Dallas Cowboys trade Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for 5 players & 7 picks and win 3 #NFL titles in the next 6 seasons.

And Walker would return to play for Dallas again in time and he came back cheaply

 

[JackOfNoTrades]

I love Herschel

long live Herschel

 

[Hardline]

Mike Ditka challenged that standard a decade later by trading his entire 1999 draft, plus a first and third in 2000, to move up and draft Ricky Williams.

I was afraid the Red skins were going to convert all that draft capital into a dynasty.

 

[Floatyworm]

Wonder if we could trade Parsons for that kind of haul....again? I might be tempted....

 

[NickZepp]

We got Emmitt Smith, Kevin Smith Darren Woodson, and Russell Maryland from that trade. But Walker had already had close to 2000 carries by that time if you include his USFL years so he was on the down hill slide already. I think people think of it as more of a steal than it is because of how ineffective Walker was after 89.

 

[NickZepp]

Wonder if we could trade Parsons for that kind of haul....again? I might be tempted....

We got Parsons in a trade. May be a bigger steal than the Walker trade.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Just a bit of history for the young ones, the trade was not Walker for draft picks. The Vikings GM at the time was Mike Lynn and he had built a perrenial playoff contender in MN. He was not a dumb man. But, what Jimmy did was so far outside the box of the NFL back in 1989 that nobody saw it coming........other than Jimmy. What Jimmy did which was so original and genius was tie each player MN traded to a draft pick. So, if Dallas cut the player, they would get the pick tied to that player. At the time, we were working on a 1-15 season and Jimmy was using the season as one long tryout to see who he wanted. It never occurred to Mike Lynn that a team so bad would cut all those quality players and MN would loose all those draft picks. Guys like Jessie Solomon, Isaac Holt, and Darren Nelson were really good NFL players who would have upgraded the 1989 team.

The trade was not popular in Dallas at the time. We loved hershel Walker. Many Cowboy fans and media were livid about trading our best player AND then turning around and cutting the players you got in return. It made no sense and looked like amateur hour ........ But, Jimmy never wanted the MN players. He wanted the draft picks, and he was alone on an island at the time.

Jerry deserves some credit. Though the trade was conceived and sold to Mike Lynn by Jimmy Johnson, Walker didn't want to go. Jerry stepped up and paid him 1M to accept the trade. (Back in 1989, that was like 5M today)........ without a salary cap, owners could do things like that in 1989.

 

[rags747]

Just a bit of history for the young ones, the trade was not Walker for draft picks. The Vikings GM at the time was Mike Lynn and he had built a perrenial playoff contender in MN. He was not a dumb man. But, what Jimmy did was so far outside the box of the NFL back in 1989 that nobody saw it coming........other than Jimmy. What Jimmy did which was so original and genius was tie each player MN traded to a draft pick. So, if Dallas cut the player, they would get the pick tied to that player. At the time, we were working on a 1-15 season and Jimmy was using the season as one long tryout to see who he wanted. It never occurred to Mike Lynn that a team so bad would cut all those quality players and MN would loose all those draft picks. Guys like Jessie Solomon, Isaac Holt, and Darren Nelson were really good NFL players who would have upgraded the 1989 team. But, Jimmy never wanted the MN players. He wanted the draft picks.

Jerry deserves some credit. Though the trade was conceived and sold to Mike Lynn by Jimmy Johnson, Walker didn't want to go. Jerry stepped up and paid him 1M to accept the trade. (Back in 1989, that was like 5M today)........ without a salary cap, owners could do things like that in 1989.

Exactly, was going to point this out. The Vikings thought for sure that we would keep all of the players. Jimmy cut all of them save 1 I believe and took the 1st and 2nd round picks instead. I think it was Holt that we actually kept.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

I remember that day, I did not think it was in the middle of October, things were always happening around Jimmy back then. My God, we got some good value out of that trade. Those football frantic days have kept me a fan through the last twenty years of porridge.

I was mad at the time. I loved Herschel Walker and wanted him on the team. But I was wrong. I didn't realize at the time how favorable that trade was to the Cowboys.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Just a bit of history for the young ones, the trade was not Walker for draft picks. The Vikings GM at the time was Mike Lynn and he had built a perrenial playoff contender in MN. He was not a dumb man. But, what Jimmy did was so far outside the box of the NFL back in 1989 that nobody saw it coming........other than Jimmy. What Jimmy did which was so original and genius was tie each player MN traded to a draft pick. So, if Dallas cut the player, they would get the pick tied to that player. At the time, we were working on a 1-15 season and Jimmy was using the season as one long tryout to see who he wanted. It never occurred to Mike Lynn that a team so bad would cut all those quality players and MN would loose all those draft picks. Guys like Jessie Solomon, Isaac Holt, and Darren Nelson were really good NFL players who would have upgraded the 1989 team.

The trade was not popular in Dallas at the time. We loved hershel Walker. Many Cowboy fans and media were livid about trading our best player AND then turning around and cutting the players you got in return. It made no sense and looked like amateur hour ........ But, Jimmy never wanted the MN players. He wanted the draft picks, and he was alone on an island at the time.

Jerry deserves some credit. Though the trade was conceived and sold to Mike Lynn by Jimmy Johnson, Walker didn't want to go. Jerry stepped up and paid him 1M to accept the trade. (Back in 1989, that was like 5M today)........ without a salary cap, owners could do things like that in 1989.

That's exactly it. Johnson sneakily obtained a lot of draft picks via that cut-a-player-get-a-pick clause. They did keep Ike Hold around for a while because his play was exceptional. I think he was still on the team for Super Bowl 27.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Exactly, was going to point this out. The Vikings thought for sure that we would keep all of the players. Jimmy cut all of them save 1 I believe and took the 1st and 2nd round picks instead. I think it was Holt that we actually kept.

I expounded on my post as the memories came back. I recall how profoundly unpopular the trade was in Dallas. Imagine Jimmy's frame of mind...... He was a college coach new to the NFL which was rare in those days. He comes in on the heels of Tom Landry and then trades the teams best player. He wasn't very popular! lol

 

[atlantacowboy]

That's exactly it. Johnson sneakily obtained a lot of draft picks via that cut-a-player-get-a-pick clause. They did keep Ike Hold around for a while because his play was exceptional. I think he was still on the team for Super Bowl 27.

Nothing sneeky about. It was all there in print. Mike Lynn simply miscalculated. Holt was a great player who JJ did keep. He had 9 INTs in 1991. That offseason he questioned the amount of involuntary workouts and Johnson cut him!

 

[Flamma]

Imagine a team today thinking they were one Running Back away from winning a Championship.

my, how the game has changed

Would be almost unheard of today, but not out of the realm of possibility. Let me give you an example of how it could work today.

Let's say 5 to 10 years ago you could put a back like Adrian Peterson on the Packers or Patriots. Even in today's game that would be a scary thought. That's the situation the Vikings were in back in '89. Back then they didn't have that kind of QB, but the game was different. I'm just trying to justify it for modern times.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Nothing sneeky about. It was all there in print. Mike Lynn simply miscalculated. Holt was a great player who JJ did keep. He had 9 INTs in 1991. That offseason he questioned the amount of involuntary workouts and Johnson cut him!

Sneaky, meaning he put it in there knowing Lynn would not expect all those cuts. It wasn't illegal or unethical, if that's what you mean. I think maybe "under the radar" is the perfect term for it.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Would be almost unheard of today, but not out of the realm of possibility. Let me give you an example of how it could work today.

Let's say 5 to 10 years ago you could put a back like Adrian Peterson on the Packers or Patriots. Even in today's game that would be a scary thought. That's the situation the Vikings were in back in '89. Back then they didn't have that kind of QB, but the game was different. I'm just trying to justify it for modern times.

Draft picks were not valued the same way back in 1989. Back then, you could stack talent b/c there was no salary cap. The 1990's Cowboys / Niners were loaded on both sides of the ball. There were some teams where a rookie had no chance of playing regardless of draft position. MN was one of those teams and therefore didn't value the picks correctly.

Today, rookie contracts are extremely valuable b/c developing players is so important in the capped era. With todays game, you almost have to pick excellence on one side of the ball or mediocrity on both. You didn't have to make those choices prior to 1996.

 

[Flamma]

Draft picks were not valued the same way back in 1989. Back then, you could stack talent b/c there was no salary cap. The 1990's Cowboys / Niners were loaded on both sides of the ball. There were some teams where a rookie had no chance of playing regardless of draft position. MN was one of those teams and therefore didn't value the picks correctly.

Today, rookie contracts are extremely valuable b/c developing players is so important in the capped era. With todays game, you almost have to pick excellence on one side of the ball or mediocrity on both. You didn't have to make those choices prior to 1996.

Yeah I know. That trade put a value to draft picks. But the Cowboys weren't even close to the highest paid team back in 1992 and 1993. But it didn't matter, they couldn't pay everyone anyway.