New England Patriots–Seattle Seahawks Trade History

Seattle acquired running back and returner Horace Ivory from New England for a 1982 third-round pick. Ivory played 12 games for the Seahawks across 1981-82, rushing for 89 yards and returning 25 kickoffs for 505 yards. New England used No. 60 on linebacker Clayton Weishuhn, who started 26 of 30 games and set a franchise single-season tackle record in 1983. The Patriots received the stronger long-term return.

Seattle acquired veteran offensive lineman Bob Cryder from New England for a future selection that ultimately became the Patriots’ 1986 second-round pick, No. 42. Cryder immediately started 10 games in 1984 and 14 more in 1985 for the Seahawks. New England used the pick on nose tackle Mike Ruth, whose NFL career lasted only eight games. Seattle received substantially more realized value.

Seattle paid New England a massive draft package to move to No. 3 in 1990, sending picks that became Chris Singleton, Ray Agnew and Jimmie Jones plus a 1991 fourth-rounder, while receiving No. 3 and No. 29. The Seahawks used those selections on Cortez Kennedy and Terry Wooden. Kennedy became a Hall of Famer, making Seattle the decisive long-term winner.

Seattle acquired running back Jon Vaughn from New England on August 25, 1993 for a 1994 sixth-round selection. Vaughn played all 16 games for the Seahawks that season, made two starts and rushed for 153 yards. New England used the acquired pick on Max Lane, who developed into a long-term offensive lineman and started extensively for the Patriots.

New England moved from No. 20 to No. 17 in the 1999 first round, sending Seattle a third-rounder and sixth-rounder to select center Damien Woody. Woody started immediately, became a Pro Bowler and won two Super Bowls with the Patriots before leaving after five seasons. Seattle's acquired picks became part of a chain that produced Lamar King, Floyd Wedderburn, Karsten Bailey and James Dearth, none matching Woody's impact.

Seattle ended Deion Branch's New England holdout by sending the Patriots a 2007 first-round pick, later used at No. 24 on safety Brandon Meriweather. Seattle got a proven receiver and meaningful production, so the deal was not a failure. The premium pick and Meriweather's value nevertheless gave New England the better long-term return.

Seattle sent Deion Branch back to New England for a 2011 fourth-round pick and used No. 99 on K.J. Wright. Branch immediately helped the Patriots, producing 706 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games in 2010 and another 702 yards in 2011. Wright became a decade-long Seattle starter, Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion. New England received meaningful short-term value, but Seattle turned an aging receiver into a franchise defensive fixture.

New England Patriots received 2016 7th round pick (225th overall, Devin Lucien) and 2017 4th round pick (131st overall, Deatrich Wise) in the 2016-04-30 exchange with Seattle Seahawks. Deatrich Wise developed into a long-tenured Patriots defensive lineman with substantial games, sacks and championship-era value. That gives New England Patriots the stronger overall return.

Seattle sent defensive end Cassius Marsh to New England on September 2, 2017 for 2018 fifth- and seventh-round picks. The fifth became tackle Jamarco Jones, while Seattle later included the seventh, No. 250, in the Michael Bennett trade with Philadelphia. Marsh lasted only nine games with New England before being waived in November, giving Seattle both the longer-lived asset value and the cleaner result.

New England traded pick No. 64 to Seattle for Nos. 77 and 118, which became Chase Winovich and Hjalte Froholdt. Winovich supplied some early pass-rush production and Froholdt later developed elsewhere, but neither became a lasting Patriots fixture. The player Seattle selected at No. 64, D.K. Metcalf, became a franchise-level receiver and creates a wide value gap.

Seattle acquired tight end Jacob Hollister from New England on April 29, 2019 for a 2020 seventh-round pick. Hollister became a useful receiving option, catching 66 passes for 558 yards and six touchdowns across the next two Seahawks seasons. New England later included pick No. 241 with Rob Gronkowski’s rights in the 2020 Tampa Bay trade, so the Patriots did recover transactional value from the selection.

New England Patriots received Joshua Farmer at No. 137; he played 13 games with three starts as a rookie, making 15 tackles with a pass defensed and a fumble recovery before landing on injured reserve. The team earns a C+, compared with B- for Seattle Seahawks, and the hindsight verdict is Seattle Seahawks Win. That judgment reflects the concrete team-specific production, role and tenure created by the assets in this deal.