NFL’s best and worst trades of the last 5 years

Blockbuster trades don’t happen as often in the NFL as they do in the other major sports. But when they do, right around the start of the new league year is the time they generally occur — or at least when the rumors starting heating up.

This year, the early trade rumors involved Tom Brady’s No. 2, Jimmy Garoppolo, until the Patriots shut down those reports. Now, attention turns to Eagles backup quarterback Chase Daniel and New Orleans Saints receiver Brandin Cooks. Both players are reportedly receiving interest from other teams, and both could net a quality return for their current team.

It’s too soon to tell if any big names will be traded this offseason, but it’s always exciting when it happens. With the 2017 league year fast approaching on March 9, let’s revisit a few of the NFL’s best and worst trades over the past five years.

Cardinals get: Chandler Jones

Patriots get: 2016 second-round pick, Jonathan Cooper

This trade wasn’t perfect — one-time first-rounder Cooper didn’t last long with the Patriots. Still, New England offloaded a player it deemed unnecessary for a Super Bowl run while turning the last year of his contract into a second-round pick.

The 2016 second-rounder was critical for the Patriots, who were stripped of their first-round pick as a result of the Deflategate fiasco. They ended up trading that pick and came out with two rookie starters: third-rounder guard Joe Thuney and fourth-round receiver Malcolm Mitchell.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, got a superstar edge player. Jones has become the team’s No. 1 priority this offseason. Arizona quickly franchised Jones in late February and will look to sign him to a long-term deal this summer.

Patriots get: Martellus Bennett, 2016 sixth-round pick

Bears get: 2016 fourth-round pick

Last year, the Bears were desperate to move on from Bennett, who had a rocky tenure with the team. They managed to move up two rounds in the middle of the 2016 draft in exchange for getting rid of a player who wasn’t in their future plans anyway.

On the other hand, the Patriots landed someone who, prior to a down year in 2015, was one of the better tight ends in football. In New England, Bennett not only revitalized his career but he also earned a Super Bowl ring. As a result, Bennett will be a hot commodity on the free agent market this offseason.

Eagles get: 2016 first-round pick, 2017 conditional fifth-round pick

Browns get: 2016 first-round pick, 2016 third-round pick, 2016 fourth-round pick, 2017 first-round pick, 2018 second-round pick

The “trade half your draft picks for a quarterback” trades rarely seem to work (see: Washington moving up to select Robert Griffin III and the Chargers doing the same for Ryan Leaf). This trade, however, could be one of the rare exceptions.

The Eagles gave up a lot to get Wentz. Two first-rounders and three Day 2 picks down the drain for a chance at a franchise quarterback. Cleveland got what it wanted: a ton of picks. Philly got what it wanted: A guy the team believes will be the long-term solution at the most important position on the field.

Wentz had a pretty solid rookie year, especially considering he was working with one of the worst receiving groups in the league. As long as he continues to improve, this trade looks like a major win.

Vikings get: Sam Bradford

Eagles get: 2017 first-round pick, 2018 conditional fourth-round pick

Minnesota and Philadelphia pulled off one of the most mutually beneficial trades in NFL history right before the start of the 2016 season.

The Eagles were able to recoup some of the draft assets they’d given up in order to move up for Wentz. Adding a first-round pick in 2017 was huge, especially for a quarterback with Bradford’s unimpressive (though not necessarily bad) track record.

Minnesota added a quarterback after Teddy Bridgewater’s injury for the price of a first-rounder and a future mid-round pick. And Bradford ended up playing well in 2016, setting career highs in completion percentage (71.6 percent), yards (3,877), and passer rating (99.3). He also threw for 20 touchdowns to just five interceptions, the best TD-to-interception ratio in his career.

With the uncertainty surrounding Bridgewater’s future, Bradford might be in Minnesota for the long haul, too. The Vikings finding quarterback stability, plus the Eagles regaining draft capital to help the progression of their young quarterback means both sides came out winners.

Browns get: Jamie Collins

Patriots get: 2017 third-round compensatory pick

Belichick is arguably the best coach in NFL history, but even he’s made a questionable decision or two in his career.

Losing a superstar linebacker won’t kill the Patriots in the long term — after all, New England is the NFL’s reigning Super Bowl champion. But not being able to get much value for as special a player as Collins is difficult to defend.

The Browns, meanwhile, were bold, trading a compensatory pick for the rights to sign Collins. Then after the season, they gave Collins a big extension, making him the centerpiece of Cleveland’s defense for years to come.

Bills get: LeSean McCoy

Eagles get: Kiko Alonso

AND

Titans get: DeMarco Murray, 2016 fourth-round pick

Eagles get: 2016 fourth-round pick

Two of last year’s top rushers once played for the Eagles. Both were traded away by the Eagles for next to nothing.

Why has it been so long since the Philadelphia Eagles have been able to sustain constant NFL success? Among other reasons, the team’s seemingly constant trading away of its most talented players might have something to do with it.

Philly managed to turn LeSean McCoy and DeMarco Murray into Alonso — who the team quickly traded away to Miami — and better position in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft. Alonso has rebounded nicely with the Dolphins, McCoy totaled 1,267 yards on the ground for last year for the Bills, and Murray went off for 1,287 rushing yards with the Titans.

The McCoy trade was bad enough for the Eagles, but practically giving Murray away the next year made things worse.

Cardinals get: Carson Palmer, 2013 seventh-round pick

Raiders get: 2013 sixth-round pick, 2014 conditional seventh-round pick

Not only did Oakland give up first- and second-round picks to initially acquire Palmer from the Cincinnati Bengals after the quarterback threatened to retire, but the Raiders quickly decided to move on. They traded the QB for cents on the dollar in the most lopsided big-name trade of the past half decade.

The trade was a no-brainer for Arizona, whose quarterbacking issues had been a major issue since the team’s Super Bowl XLIII defeat to the Steelers. And, at the time, Palmer was still a somewhat-coveted quarterback. His numbers weren’t great, but Palmer threw 35 touchdowns and had a 83.5 rating in his brief Oakland career — that’s still serviceable, and deserving of far more than a couple of conditional Day 3 draft picks.

Smart drafting and good coaching have eventually helped Oakland re-establish itself as a contender, but trading a franchise quarterback for a couple of scrap picks was one of the biggest flubs in recent NFL history.