Kansas City Chiefs–New Orleans Saints Trade History

New Orleans traded running back Jim Otis to Kansas City in January 1971 for the seventh-round pick that became receiver Bob Newland. Newland became an outstanding late-round return, catching 124 passes for 1,877 yards and eight touchdowns in 56 Saints games from 1971 through 1974. Otis contributed two reserve seasons for Kansas City, but Newland's sustained receiving production created a decisive Saints win.

Kansas City sent its 1972 fourth-round pick, No. 101, to New Orleans for Charles “Donnie” Williams. The Chiefs waived Williams later that August, while the Saints used the pick on defensive end Mike Coleman, who was also released without becoming a regular-season contributor. Neither side converted the exchange into meaningful on-field value.

Kansas City traded defensive tackle Keith Simons to New Orleans in July 1978 and received the future ninth-round selection that became No. 229 in the 1979 draft. The Chiefs used it on Ohio State tackle Joe Robinson. Robinson never appeared in an NFL regular-season game, so Kansas City successfully created a draft asset from Simons but did not turn that asset into measurable regular-season production.

New Orleans acquired linebacker Whitney Paul from Kansas City in 1982 for the 1983 seventh-round pick that became Daryl Posey. Paul became a four-year Saints starter-level defender, appearing in 55 games with 39 starts and producing 23 sacks from 1982 through 1985. Kansas City's pick produced no Chiefs regular-season games, making this a substantial New Orleans win from a modest late-round investment.

Kansas City acquired linebacker Jack Del Rio from New Orleans on August 17, 1987 for a 1988 fifth-round pick that became No. 112, Greg Scales. Del Rio immediately played 10 games with seven starts for the Chiefs and returned for 15 games with 10 starts in 1988. That two-year defensive role gave Kansas City more direct value than the Saints received from Scales.

Kansas City and New Orleans exchanged seventh-round positions in 2000, with the Chiefs receiving the 208th overall pick and the Saints receiving No. 228. Kansas City selected Desmond Kitchings at 208, while New Orleans selected long snapper Kevin Houser at 228. Houser became a durable Saints specialist, giving New Orleans the better realized outcome despite moving down twenty slots.

Kansas City acquired future Hall of Fame tackle Willie Roaf from New Orleans in March 2002 for a 2003 third-round pick. Roaf became a centerpiece of one of the NFL’s best offensive lines, earning four straight Pro Bowl selections with the Chiefs and multiple All-Pro honors. New Orleans did receive meaningful third-round capital and later used that asset in another transaction, so its return was not worthless. Kansas City nevertheless landed transformational value.

Kansas City acquired running back Michael Bennett from New Orleans on August 2, 2006 for a 2007 fourth-round pick that became No. 123. Bennett produced 376 scrimmage yards across 17 Chiefs games before moving on in 2007. New Orleans later packaged the acquired choice with a fifth-rounder to draft Antonio Pittman, whom the Saints waived before his rookie season.