Arizona Cardinals received Bill Atessis in the deal with New…

The Exchange

On 1972-07-19, Arizona Cardinals received Bill Atessis, while New England Patriots received 1973 fifth round pick (possibly #109-Tom Brahaney). The transaction was modest in scale, so the result is best judged by the NFL service, starts, production and draft value that can be tied directly to those assets. The comparison stays proportional to what the deal actually produced rather than inflating a small exchange into a franchise-changing event. Arizona Cardinals Return Bill Atessis did not play a regular-season game for the Cardinals after the deal and was released in September 1972. The F grade reflects the quality and duration of that return for Arizona Cardinals. Where a downstream draft identity is uncertain, only the value that can be connected confidently is counted, which keeps the assessment tied to the known result of the transaction. New England Patriots Return New England received the Cardinals' 1973 fifth-round choice. The exact downstream selection is uncertain, so pick 109 and Tom Brahaney are not credited as a definite Patriots return. The B grade applies the same standard to New England Patriots. Brief service or a player who never established a regular-season role keeps the return modest, while sustained starts, production or useful draft value raises it when the historical record supports that connection. Value in Hindsight The Patriots definitely received fifth-round draft capital for a player who produced no Cardinals regular-season value. The uncertain downstream identity limits how far the grade can rise, but it does not erase the value of the pick itself. Hindsight matters here because the original assets were not equal simply by label; what each club ultimately received on the field or through a clearly connected draft asset determines the separation. The grade spread therefore reflects realized football value, with uncertainty treated as a limit rather than filled in with assumptions. Final Verdict The final call is New England Patriots Win. Arizona Cardinals receives F, and New England Patriots receives B. The decision follows the documented contribution attached to the exchanged player or pick, the duration of that contribution and the confidence of the downstream connection. That keeps the verdict appropriately scaled to a minor transaction while still distinguishing a meaningful edge when one side produced more usable value.