Denver Broncos–Los Angeles Chargers Trade History

Denver acquired Bob Scarpitto, Bob Zeman and Luther Hayes from San Diego for cash on March 15, 1962. The deal paid off quickly: Scarpitto caught 35 passes for 667 yards and six touchdowns in 1962, while Zeman started all 14 games, intercepted six passes and earned All-AFL recognition. Hayes did not become a regular-season contributor, but the two established starters make Denver the clear winner.

San Diego acquired veteran linebacker Archie Matsos from Denver during the 1966 season after Chargers middle linebacker Chuck Allen was lost to a broken leg. Matsos appeared in four regular-season games for San Diego and started all four. The reviewed public record confirms the player movement but does not identify a specific Denver draft-pick return, so the older two-pick description is removed rather than preserved as fact.

Denver acquired quarterback Steve Tensi from San Diego for first-round picks in 1968 and 1969. Tensi started for the Broncos but never became the long-term answer that the price demanded. The Chargers used the selections on Russ Washington and Marty Domres, and Washington developed into a long-term starting lineman. San Diego received the stronger return and earns the decisive win.

Denver acquired running back Dickie Post from San Diego for a 1972 second-round pick, No. 30 overall. Post's Broncos stint lasted only six games and produced 44 rushing yards. The Chargers later used that premium pick as part of the package that brought Deacon Jones from the Rams, increasing the downstream value of the asset. San Diego wins because Denver received too little for a second-round price.

Denver traded defensive tackle Dave Costa to San Diego on August 1, 1972 for running back Eddie Ray and a 1973 third-round selection used on John Wood. Ray never appeared in a Broncos regular-season game and Wood never played for Denver. Costa immediately became a Chargers starter and opened all 28 games across the 1972 and 1973 seasons.

San Diego received cash; Denver received Ray Jones. Contemporary reporting and player transaction history show San Diego sold Ray Jones to Denver on August 1, 1973. Denver released Jones before he produced regular-season service there, and he later appeared for New Orleans instead. The hindsight grades are D+ for Denver Broncos and C+ for San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, producing a Los Angeles Chargers Win verdict.

Denver acquired defensive back Reggie Berry from San Diego in exchange for Maurice Tyler. Contemporary material identifies the incoming player as Reggie Berry, and Berry did not appear in a regular-season game for the Broncos. Tyler, by contrast, played 13 games for the Chargers in 1975, leaving Denver with the smaller realized football return from this player-for-player exchange.

Denver's August 1976 transaction with San Diego involved Joe Sullivan and a 1977 draft choice, but the deal was undone when Sullivan failed his physical and the pick was not exercised. The compensation should therefore appear once, not as two separate draft assets. Because the exchange did not mature into lasting player or draft value for either club, the most defensible hindsight result is an even trade.

San Diego sent tackle Emil Slovacek to Denver on March 25, 1988 for past considerations. The Chargers' own historical transaction record and Pro Sports Transactions both document the deal. Slovacek had appeared in only two regular-season games for San Diego in 1987, and his NFL record shows no regular-season appearances after that season, leaving Denver without documented on-field return.