Bud McFadin

Denver sent All-AFL lineman Bud McFadin and the 1965 No. 2 overall pick — the slot that became Joe Namath — to Houston for a two-year loan of quarterback Jacky Lee. This remains one of the most damaging transactions in early AFL history. Denver rented a short-term quarterback while surrendering a premium draft slot and a proven defensive cornerstone. The lend-lease structure obscured the cost at the time, but Namath's rise into a league-defining star made the trade look catastrophic in hindsight.