Vito Parilli / Babe Parilli NFL Trade History

Green Bay traded the rights to Babe Parilli and Bob Fleck, both entering military service, to Cleveland for Bobby Garrett, John Bauer, Jack Miller and Chester Giarola. The six-player deal looked enormous on paper, but much of the Packers' return failed to stick: Garrett played nine games in 1954, while Bauer and Miller did not make the club and Giarola did not report. Cleveland's return was also delayed, leaving a surprisingly balanced outcome.

Cleveland received Bobby Garrett and Roger Zatkoff from Green Bay in a large April 1957 player swap. Both were legitimate NFL players, and Zatkoff in particular gave the Browns useful defensive value. Cleveland surrendered six players, however, including Babe Parilli and several contributors whose combined careers gave Green Bay the broader return. The Browns received value, but the aggregate hindsight edge belongs to the Packers.

Oakland received Dick Christy, Hal Smith, and Alan Miller. Miller became the strongest part of the package and supplied productive multi-year backfield work for the Raiders. The return gave Oakland genuine value and keeps the trade from being one-sided. Even so, none of the three matched the franchise-level impact New England received from quarterback Babe Parilli over seven seasons.

The Jets traded quarterback Mike Taliaferro to Boston for veteran Babe Parilli on July 20, 1968. Parilli became Joe Namath's backup for the Super Bowl III champions and stayed two seasons, while Taliaferro started seven games for Boston in 1968 and all 14 in 1969. New York received experienced insurance for a title run; Boston received a younger starter. The different roles produced comparable value, making the exchange even.