Atlanta acquired Hall of Fame receiver Tommy McDonald from…
Atlanta acquired Hall of Fame receiver Tommy McDonald from Los Angeles in September 1967 for a future fourth-round choice. McDonald immediately started 10 games and caught 33 passes for 436 yards and four touchdowns for the Falcons. The surrendered choice ultimately became No. 81 in the 1969 draft, and the Rams later moved that pick back to Atlanta for additional assets, giving Los Angeles a slight value edge.
Atlanta Falcons Received
- player Tommy McDonald
Los Angeles Rams Received
- pick 1969 fourth round pick (#81; later reacquired by Atlanta and used on Jim Mitchell)
Trade Analysis
What Changed Hands
Los Angeles traded veteran receiver Tommy McDonald to Atlanta on September 11, 1967 for a future fourth-round draft choice. The choice is No. 81 in the 1969 draft, not a 1968 selection. Atlanta ultimately used No. 81 on tight end Jim Mitchell only after reacquiring the pick from the Rams in a separate January 1969 transaction.
What Atlanta Got
McDonald gave an inexperienced Falcons offense an accomplished veteran and immediate production. In 1967 he played all 14 games, started 10 and caught 33 passes for 436 yards and four touchdowns. Atlanta went only 1-12-1, so the acquisition did not transform the team, but McDonald was a real starter and one of the club’s more productive receivers before finishing his career in Cleveland the following year.
What Los Angeles Got
The Rams received a fourth-round asset and kept control of it for more than a year. Before the 1969 draft, Los Angeles traded the No. 81 choice back to Atlanta for linebacker Dick Absher and a sixth-round selection, No. 133. The sixth-rounder became A.Z. Drones. Neither return became a major Rams star, but the original McDonald trade still gave Los Angeles useful draft flexibility for an aging player it was prepared to move.
Final Verdict
Atlanta received the best immediate football contribution: a productive season from a proven receiver. Los Angeles, however, converted McDonald into an asset that later brought back both a player and another draft choice. The margin is small, so Atlanta earns a B and Los Angeles a B+. The corrected draft year and subsequent pick movement support a slight Rams win rather than a runaway verdict.