The Greatest Trade For Every NFL Team In History

San Francisco 49ers:  The Steve Young trade

Following the 1986 playoffs, the San Francisco 49ers began to realize that Joe Montana was becoming unreliable in terms of his ability to stay on the field. He’d missed eight games that season and was knocked out in the playoffs by the New York Giants. Head coach Bill Walsh felt it would be in the teams’ best interest to not only seek out better depth at the backup position, but also a potential long-term replacement for the two-time Super Bowl MVP. The big surprise came in who that solution ended up being.

Walsh had eyes for a young, energetic southpaw named Steve Young who had trudged through two ugly seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His 3-16 record to that point didn’t inspire confidence, but Walsh saw loads of potential. He gave up 2nd and 4th round picks to get him, and thus the greatest quarterback controversy in NFL history began. Feeling the heat, Montana elevated his game over the next few seasons to win two more Lombardi trophies and cement his Hall of Fame status. Then when he finally succumbed to the health issues, Young stepped in and carried the 49ers’ success into the 1990s. He would claim two MVP awards, a Super Bowl title of his own and a bust in Canton as well.

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