Player-for-player swaps don’t typically happen around the NFL, which is why the Jalen Ramsey trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers is notable. Players of Ramsey’s caliber are usually traded for draft picks in order to shed salary and stay salary cap compliant, yet the Miami Dolphins and Steelers ended up with a rare player-for-players blockbuster.
Sure, there were some draft picks involved, but the Steelers sent Ramsey to the Dolphins in exchange for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and tight end Jonnu Smith. The Dolphins also sent a 2027 seventh-round pick and the Steelers sent a 2027 fifth-round pick in the deal.
Of the player-for-player swaps since 2000, this one is under consideration for the biggest. Per CBS Sports Research, the Ramsey-Fitzpatrick trade is the first instance of multiple five-plus-time Pro-Bowlers being traded for each other dating back to at least 2002 (when this data was first tracked). Fitzpatrick has been to five Pro Bowls, while Ramsey has been to seven. Both Ramsey and Fitzpatrick have each been a first team All-Pro three times.
The Ramsey-Fitzpatrick deal is in the conversation as one of the biggest player-for-player blockbusters in NFL history. Here are other notable player-for-player deals since 2000 that deserve to be in that conversation, and where Ramsey-Fitzpatrick rank.
8. Marty Booker for Adewale Ogunleye (2004)
The Booker-Ogunleye deal was a notable player-for-player swap at the time, due to how productive both players were for their respective teams. Booker had two 1,000-yard seasons with the Chicago Bears and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2002 while Ogunleye was coming off a 15-sack season with the Miami Dolphins.
Ogunleye was dealt to the Bears in exchange for Booker and a 2005 third-round pick. Booker never had another 1,000-yard season, finishing with 2,627 yards and 11 touchdowns in four years with Miami. Ogunleye had 42 sacks — and just one double-digit sack season — in Chicago.
Graham was one of the best pass-catching tight ends in football when the New Orleans Saints moved on, dealing him and a 2015 fourth-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for center Max Unger and a 2015 first-round pick (which turned into linebacker Stephone Anthony).
While Graham was productive in Seattle, making two Pro Bowls, he never had the same production as he did in New Orleans (51 touchdowns in his first stint with the Saints compared to 18 with the Seahawks). Unger was an All-Pro center in Seattle, but a reliable starter in New Orleans — making the Pro Bowl in his final season in 2018.
6. Randy Moss for Napoleon Harris (2005)
Moss wore out his welcome in Minnesota after seven seasons, and it was time for both parties to move on. The Oakland Raiders took a swing, dealing linebacker Napoleon Harris, a 2005-first round pick (ended up being wide receiver Troy Williamson) and a 2005 seventh-round pick in exchange for Moss.
Constantly unhappy in Oakland, Moss had just 1,005 yards in 2005 and 553 yards in 2006 before the Raiders decided to move on. He was traded to the New England Patriots for a 2007 fourth-round pick and had an NFL-record 23 receiving touchdowns in his first season in New England.
Williamson had just 79 catches in his three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, and Harris missed the 2005 season with a knee injury. He departed for free agency after the 2006 season.
This trade certainly isn’t forgotten about in NFL circles, but it happened in the month where a global pandemic nearly shut everything down. Hopkins and a 2020 fourth-round pick went to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for Johnson, a 2020 second-round pick and a 2021 fourth-round pick to the Houston Texans. Hopkins had six 1,000-yard seasons in Houston and made four All-Pro teams, including three straight first-team selections before he was traded.
The Cardinals added Hopkins as the No. 1 pass catcher for Kyler Murray, and he was an All-Pro that season — finishing with 1,407 yards and six touchdowns. Injuries limited Hopkins over his next two seasons, though. He ended up lasting three years in Arizona (2020 was his last 1,000-yard season).
Johnson was never the same player after his knee injury in 2017, rushing for just 919 yards in his two seasons with the Texans.
In one of the most shocking trades of the century, the Philadelphia Eagles traded McCoy to the Buffalo Bills for Alonso in a rare player-for-player exchange. McCoy was one of the best running backs in the game, having the third-most rushing yards (6,792) and fourth-most rushing touchdowns (44) since entering the league in 2009. The two-time All-Pro was coming off a season during which he rushed for 1,319 yards — third-most in the NFL.
Alonso was coming off a torn ACL after finishing second in NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2013, missing the prior season. He lasted just one year with the Eagles before being dealt to the Dolphins, as Howie Roseman resumed the general manager role following Chip Kelly’s dismissal.
McCoy made three Pro Bowls with the Bills and had two 1,000-yard seasons. He had 3,814 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns in four seasons in Buffalo.
3. Jalen Ramsey for Minkah Fitzpatrick (2005)
The blockbuster player-for-player swaps are rare enough in the NFL, but this one had multiple players involved. Ramsey is a three-time first-team All-Pro that the Dolphins were looking to trade (was in second year of three-year, $72.3 million extension), while Smith was coming off 88 catches for 884 yards and eight touchdowns last season — both franchise records for the Dolphins at tight end. He also was named to the Pro Bowl.
Fitzpatrick is one of the best safeties in football, garnering three first-team All-Pro and five Pro Bowls selections. Including Smith, a total of 11 Pro Bowls were in the deal.
This is a major deal in the NFL, one that is very rare in the salary cap era.
Grading Steelers-Dolphins blockbuster trade: Jalen Ramsey, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jonnu Smith all dealt
John Breech
It’s rare to see two Pro Bowl-level quarterbacks get traded for each other, but that was the case to kick off the 2021 offseason. The Los Angeles Rams signed Goff to a massive extension two years before the trade occurred, but wanted a better passer to make another Super Bowl run (Goff took the Rams to Super Bowl LIII in the 2018 season).
Stafford was traded to Los Angeles as the Detroit Lions received Goff and a 2022 first-round pick, 2023 first-round pick and 2021 third-round pick. The trade worked out for both sides, as Stafford led the Rams to a Super Bowl championship in his first season in Los Angeles (Super Bowl LVI) while Goff has been one of the catalysts of the Lions ascension into one of the top teams in the NFL.
Goff has signed another massive extension and made two Pro Bowls since coming over to Detroit, including leading the franchise to a conference championship game for the first time since 1991.
1. Clinton Portis for Champ Bailey (2004)
One of the most surprising trades in NFL history happened during the 2004 offseason, as Washington moved on from Bailey and received Portis and a 2004 second-round pick from the Denver Broncos. Both players combined for five Pro Bowls at the time of the trade (Bailey four and Portis one) and were amongst the best in the league at their respective positions.
Washington put the franchise tag on Bailey while Portis sought a new contract. The stars aligned for both to be dealt.
Bailey added to his Hall of Fame resume with the Broncos, making eight Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams. He corralled 34 interceptions in his 10 seasons with the Broncos. Portis was good in Washington as well, recording four 1,000-yard seasons and two double-digit touchdown campaigns. He received All-Pro honors in 2008.
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Author: Jeff Kerr
June 30, 2025 | 2:40 pm
