It’s the time of year when Vikings fans are reminded their team made the worst trade in NFL history.
Super fun times!
Let’s rewind to Oct. 12, 1989.
Sitting at 3-2 after five games, the Vikings were looking for the piece to put them over the edge. The previous season, they had gone 11-5 and reached the divisional round of the playoffs.
Luckily (or the opposite in retrospect), there was a piece and his name was Herschel Walker, a running back who ran for 1,514 yards in 1988 with the Cowboys.
However, that came at a hefty price. As part of a three-way deal with the Chargers, the Vikings ended up trading to Dallas:
- 1st-round pick (1990)
- 2nd-round pick (1990)
- 6th-round pick (1990)
- 1st-round pick (1991)
- 2nd-round pick (1991)
- 1st-round pick (1992)
- 2nd-round pick (1992)
- 3rd-round pick (1992)
Those picks helped net the Cowboys Emmitt Smith, Stan Smagala, Russell Maryland, Alonzo Highsmith, Kevin Smith, Darren Woodson and Clayton Holmes.
Meanwhile, Minnesota received:
- 3rd-round pick (1990)
- 5th-round pick (1990)
- 10th-round pick (1990)
- 3rd-round pick (1991)
The Vikings ended up getting Mike Jones, Reggie Thornton, Pat Newman and Jake Reed with those selections, but obviously the picks they traded helped the Cowboys build a dynasty that won three Super Bowls in the 1990s.
Meanwhile, the Vikings have yet to play in a Super Bowl since the trade, and Walker ended up playing just 42 games with Minnesota, running for 2,264 yards and 20 touchdowns. The Vikings made the playoffs only once with Walker on the roster (1989).
You can read about some of the other horrible NFL trades over the years here, but nothing will top the Walker trade.
