Kansas City Chiefs–Los Angeles Chargers Trade History
TradeVerdicts records 5 trades between
Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers across 1970–1984. Historical
franchise identities are normalized to the current franchises here,
while each underlying trade keeps its own sourced date, assets,
grades, and verdict.
This page includes every public TradeVerdicts record in which both
current franchises participate. Multi-team trades remain in the
chronology when both clubs are part of the transaction.
The page is rendered at build time, so search engines and readers
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Complete Matchup Chronology
5 Recorded Trades
Oldest to newest
Trade 1
October 15, 1970
San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers Win
Kansas City ChiefsC
Los Angeles ChargersB+
Kansas City Chiefs received
1971 second round pick (#39-Wilbur Young)
Los Angeles Chargers received
Mike Garrett
Kansas City received San Diego's 1971 second-round pick, No. 39, and used it on Wilbur Young. The premium draft slot gave the Chiefs a meaningful asset, but Young did not provide a return comparable to the production Mike Garrett delivered after going to San Diego. Kansas City gained future value on paper without matching the Chargers' realized multi-season contribution.
1973 seventh-round draft choice (selection not identified)
San Diego traded defensive tackle Andy Rice to Kansas City in early May 1972 for a 1973 seventh-round draft choice. Contemporary UPI reporting described the return as a future draft choice, while the Chargers' own trade history identifies it as a seventh-rounder. Rice was released by Kansas City on September 14 without appearing in a Chiefs regular-season game.
Kansas City acquired wide receiver Larry Dorsey and received one season of useful depth. Dorsey played all 16 games for the Chiefs in 1978, catching nine passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns, but his Kansas City tenure ended after that season. The contribution was real, though much shorter than the multi-year value San Diego received from Wilbur Young.
Kansas City acquired veteran center Bob Rush from San Diego in July 1983 for future third- and fifth-round selections. Rush immediately became the Chiefs' starting center and started 47 games across three seasons. San Diego used the 1985 third-rounder on John Hendy, who started 10 games and intercepted four passes as a rookie, while the later fifth-rounder became Doug Landry. Kansas City received the stronger sustained return.
Kansas City traded running back Jewerl Thomas to San Diego in spring 1984 for a 1985 seventh-round pick. The choice became No. 180, which the Chiefs used on Missouri Western defensive lineman Vince Thomson. Thomas gave the Chargers seven games, 43 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 1984, while Thomson never produced NFL regular-season value, giving San Diego a narrow edge.
