St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals received Edgar Henke / Ed Henke…
St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals received Edgar Henke / Ed Henke in the exchange with San Francisco 49ers. Henke played all 14 games for the 1961 Cardinals, started ten, and recorded six sacks, providing immediate and useful defensive value. The supported hindsight grade is B. That mark reflects realized value tied directly to this transaction, with the overall result recorded as Arizona/St. Louis Cardinals Win.
Arizona Cardinals Received
- player Edgar Henke / Ed Henke
San Francisco 49ers Received
- pick 1962 fifth round pick (#62-Ted Woods)
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
St. Louis acquired veteran defensive lineman Ed Henke from San Francisco for the 1962 fifth-round choice that became No. 62 Ted Woods. The comparison focuses on what each club directly realized from the assets it controlled. Later value is credited only when the asset trail supports it, and the scale of the judgment stays proportional to this transaction.
St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals Return
Henke played all 14 games for the 1961 Cardinals, started ten, and recorded six sacks, providing immediate and useful defensive value. The B grade reflects that direct outcome in proportion to the cost and scale of the deal. For a transaction of this size, sustained starts, dependable role value, or retained draft capital can be enough to separate one side from the other, while a brief or nonexistent return keeps the grade lower.
San Francisco 49ers Return
San Francisco's fifth-round choice became Ted Woods, who did not produce an NFL career and supplied no meaningful 49ers return. The D+ grade follows the same standard and does not inflate value merely because a player or pick later became notable elsewhere. The question is whether San Francisco 49ers received useful production or controlled draft value from this exchange, not whether an unrelated later move changed the asset's story.
Value in Hindsight
The hindsight gap is meaningful because the stronger side converted the exchange into more durable or useful direct value. The weaker return either ended quickly, produced little regular-season contribution, or failed to match the acquired player's impact. That difference is large enough to support the stated winner without overstating the importance of a relatively small transaction.
Final Verdict
The final call is Arizona/St. Louis Cardinals Win. Final grades: St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals B, San Francisco 49ers D+. Those grades reflect the documented package and the production tied to this exchange. They are intended to measure realized team value rather than hypothetical upside, name recognition, or value created after an asset was no longer controlled by the original club.