Your Worst Trades

(Nothing in this post was created using any sort of generative AI)

This league hasn't been around for very long. We are just completing our third offseason going into our fourth year. In that time, we have had our fair share of bad trades. By using the Dynasty Deal Maker website, I have access to everyone's past trades and the value gained or lost at the time of the trade and the value now. I will provide each team's worst trades made at the time, and currently and will attempt to give context about the value lost on each of them. The current values get a little funky with draft picks and older players, but it will be fun to look back on them.

Skattebeast

Current worst value:

Traded away Mike Evans + 2024 2nd (2.01/Jonathan Brooks) for Deebo Samuel

This one is one of those funky ones because both players have aged, and the Deebo saga was a little weird. At the time, I could see why this trade was made, Deebo is younger than Evans, and despite a poor 2022, Deebo started off strong in 2023 and finished as the WR15 (despite missing a few games). Evans on the other hand, had a fantastic season scoring over 300 fantasy points finishing as the WR7. For months, Deebo was an unsigned free agent, but has recently signed a 1-year deal with the 49ers, suggesting that Pearsall might miss a lot of time. This gives him a small bump in value which funny enough affects Mike Evans as they are now teammates. Evans is still a fairly productive player when healthy and should get plenty of targets on the 49ers this season. At the time, giving up a 2nd to go from Evans to Deebo might've been an overpay but time has just made this trade look bad with how Deebo's career has gone.

Worst Value At the time:

Traded away Derrick Henry + David Montgomery + Justice Hill for 2027 1st + 2026 3rd (3.08/Kaytron Allen)

This is a really interesting one to me, because Dynasty Deal Maker (DDM) did not like this trade at all for Skattebeast but I don't really hate it when looking back on it. This trade occurred just after TNF of week 7 which was Derrick Henry's bye week. He hadn't played well for those first 6 weeks. Just one game finishing as a top 10 RB, two games below 10 points, and only averaged 13.6 fantasy points. For a guy that was acquired to be a star, he was not playing that way. David Montgomery was even out performing him through 6 weeks averaging 14.47 fantasy points per game. Now those sound like good numbers but Henry's PPG was equal to the RB24 at season's end which is well under what is expected from him. Monty was playing well, but the team was 0-6 at that point so the owner went into sell mode. Getting a 1st and a 3rd might not have been the best but with how Henry was playing, I totally understand. I feel like the situation makes the trade make more sense but DDM did not take that into account. Funny that the 3rd ended up making its way back to PooShiesty9's team.

Cokehead

Current Worst Value:

Traded away 2025 2nd (2.04/Cam Skattebo) + 2027 2nd FOR Joe Mixon

Another one of those current bad values that is funky due to how quickly the NFL changes. This trade was graded positively for the team at the time of the trade, but since Joe Mixon has had a medical mystery that the public is still in the dark about, this is a massive negative. Tough to say more about the trade, because the value entirely hinges on Mixon not allegedly getting shot in the foot and missing an entire year after getting an ill advised surgery (not confirmed all just a theory). Skatt is pretty good though.

Worst Value At the time:

Traded away DK Metcalf + 2027 2nd + 2028 3rd FOR Khalil Shakir + Juwan Johnson

DK Metcalf is a polarizing player, because lately he will have games where he has 3 catches for 75 yards and a td in the first quarter, then finish the game with only one more catch. He has been quite the frustrating player, but I think that is partly because of the team he plays on and the QB he's had. He's also just had his worst fantasy season of his entire career which doesn't help. This one is bad value because this team gave up a 2nd and a 3rd to move from WR26 down to WR36 in Shakir, but also getting TE8 in Juwan Johnson. Johnson had a good season just missing 200 fantasy points, but he is not nearly good enough to trade two draft picks to move down from Metcalf to Shakir, but if you value the consistency of Shakir then sure.

Browns, Romans, Jeantymen

Current Works Value:

Traded away Jameson Williams + 2025 1st (1.08/Tyler Warren) FOR Kenneth Walker + 2025 2nd (2.02/Tre Harris)

The value being so negative on this trade is largely due to how the draft picks turned out. While this team didn't actually use the 2.02 on Tre Harris (ended up trading the pick away), the difference between Harris and Warren is why this is a currently negative value trade. That's the slight issue with using DDM because it doesn't take into account that this team didn't actually draft Tre Harris but traded the pick but it is what it is. Getting Walker for Jameson should be a big win after this season. Walker should have a big year as the main back for the Chiefs with very little competition. While this trade was graded as a negative due to the draft picks, I wouldn't consider it as one because Walker should have a fantastic season.

Worst Value At the time:

Traded Away Malik Nabers + Quinshon Judkins + 2026 2nd (2.07/Malachi Fields) FOR Chris Godwin + Deebo Samuel + Ashton Jeanty + 2027 1st (via Skattebeast) + 2027 3rd

The negative value on this trade was actually very small, and I think it's quite an even trade (much bias because I was involved). Giving up Nabers and Judkins is certainly a lot, but getting Jeanty + a valuable 1st is just as good of a return. This team also needed wide receiver depth and Godwin + Deebo certainly helped that, I think this is quite an even trade, which is nearly what it was graded as.

ACee/DeeC

Current Worst Value:

Traded Away 2024 1st (1.05/Brock Bowers) + 2025 2nd (2.01/Luther Burden) FOR 2024 1st (1.10/Xavier Legette) + 2024 3rd (3.10/Devontez Walker) + 2026 1st (1.08/KC Concepcion)

Another trade that is purely dependent on what the draft picks become. In a vacuum, trading away a 1st and 2nd for two 1sts and a 3rd isn't that bad of a trade. But because Bowers was drafted at the 1.05 and I drafted Xavier Legette, this trade is a massive miss for myself. Luther Burden puts the nail in the coffin too; he's getting a lot of hype for this season. That's the risk you take trying to trade down in the draft. But yikes what a terrible trade. Like one of the worst to look back on.

Worst Value At the time:

Traded Away Chris Olave + 2025 1st (1.02/Omarion Hampton) + 2025 1st (1.06/Treveyon Henderson) + 2026 1st (1.07/Fernando Mendoza) FOR Ceedee Lamb + 2025 1st (1.10/Emeka Egbuka)

At the time of the trade, Lamb was coming off a top 10 WR season scoring 280 fantasy points, and Olave missed half the season with multiple concussions. I decided to trade for Lamb because I wanted the sure star talent in Lamb and was willing to pay a bunch of 1sts for him, and ended up getting a 1st anyways in return. I think at the time, giving up three 1sts and Olave (a young and talented player despite the injury concerns), was definitely a bit much, but I would do it again to get a player of Lamb's talent. But I will always wonder how my team would look with Olave, Hampton, and Henderson on it...

But I wouldn't have Nabers and Judkins without Egbuka...

CMC Revenge Year

Current Worst Value:

Traded Away David Montgomery + 2025 2nd (2.02/Tre Harris) FOR Najee Harris + Xavier Legette + 2027 3rd

This trade has aged poorly, mostly due to Najee turning into a nothing asset after leaving the Steelers. Since leaving the Steelers, Najee has only played in 3 games with the Chargers and is currently a free agent. That has tanked the value of the trade, and that doesn't take into account how poorly Legette has been as a 1st round draft pick.

Worst Value At the time:

Traded Away Keaton Mitchell FOR 2024 2nd (2.09/Drake Maye)

At the time of this trade, December 4th, 2023, Keaton Mitchell was in a murky situation at best, never getting more than 9 rushing attempts in a game while playing alongside Gus Edwards. Grabbing a 2nd round pick for him when he only had 29 career carries, seems like fine value to me.

Mahomies over Mahoes

Both categories have the same trade:

Traded Away Jakobi Meyers + 2026 3rd (3.09/Adam Randall) + 2027 2nd FOR Keon Coleman

Keon Coleman sucks. End of story. Like actually. This guy cannot get open at all, and no amount of hands can make up for that. Giving up rock solid Jakobi Meyers and two draft picks for Keon has aged quite poorly. I personally did not like this trade at the time, and certainly hasn't aged well.

Njigbas in Paris

Both categories have the same trade:

Traded Away Theo Johnson + 2025 1st (1.08/Tyler Warren) + 2026 2nd (2.07/Malachi Fields) FOR Isiah Pacheco + 2025 3rd (3.06/DJ Giddens)

This is an interesting one to look back on because of how Pacheco's career has gone. He had a top 15 RB season in 2023 and this trade occurred right when he returned to play (just before our trade deadline), so I can see how this might've been a good buy low for a contending team. That, unfortunately, is not how things turned out. DDM thought it was a negative value trade giving up a 1st for Pacheco, but the process of trading a 1st for a top 15 RB isn't necessarily bad in my opinion. Obviously it has aged poorly, as Pacheco is the backup to Jahmyr Gibbs right now and was replaced by Kenneth Walker in Kansas City.

PooShiesty9

Current Worst Value:

Traded Away Aaron Jones + Darnell Washington + 2024 2nd (2.01/Jonathon Brooks) FOR Travis Etienne

The first of two trades that I (the author) made, that look hilarious when looking back. This is such a miss by DDM I have no idea why they think this is a negative for PooShiesty9, when they ended up with Etienne and gave up some meh pieces at best. Darnell Washington is not worth anything, and Aaron Jones had one decent season before being in a committee, and the 2nd bounced around the league a couple times. I don't know what DDM sees here, this should be a clear positive trade for this team.

Worst Value at the time:

Traded Away Chris Rodriguez FOR 2026 3rd (3.08/Kaytron Allen)

I mean just a whatever trade. So miniscule that I can't say that it is a negative or positive.

Tony Dorset

Current Worst Value:

Traded Away Dontayvion Wicks + 2025 3rd (3.10/Kyle Williams) + 2026 3rd (3.09/Adam Randall) FOR Mike Williams + Diontae Johnson

Oh look, it's the second hilarious trade. Just cracks me up just looking at it. Literally nothing here was good since the trade. Everyone sucks here and it's really funny. It's a negative for Tony Dorset because the players traded away are actually in the league while Mike Williams and Diontae Johnson are not. But Wicks, Kyle Williams, and Randall are all on waivers right now so it turned out to be a net neutral trade.

Worst Value at the time:

Traded Away Marquise Brown FOR Brandin Cooks

I think this was our first non-start up trade in the league's history. Absolutely monumental trade. Was graded as a negative because Cooks was kinda on that fence of "is he washed or not" and Brown was coming off a WR22 season that looked promising. Brown ended up not being anything so it didn't hurt the eventual champions too much.

Chase-ing the Dynasty

Current Worst Value:

Traded Away Marquise Brown + 2025 2nd (2.03/Matthew Golden) + 2027 2nd FOR 2025 1st (1.07/Kaleb Johnson)

Kaleb Johnson lmao. Traded away a player (that they immediately traded for again) and two 2nds for a 1st isn't a terrible process, the problem was that they drafted the only bad player in the first round. Kaleb's value has tanked since the draft and there doesn't seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel for him.

Worst Value at the time:

Traded Away Dameon Pierce + Quentin Johnston for DJ Moore

Two rooks for a DJ Moore that people at the time thought was washed is never going to be a good look for trade calculators. While it looked bad back then, QJ and Pierce sucked and Moore had his two best seasons immediately after this trade.

I hope you all enjoyed looking at everyone's worst trades over the last three seasons. Should have another good trade article in another three years with the incoming expansion.