Atlanta traded quarterback Randy Johnson to the New York…
Atlanta traded quarterback Randy Johnson to the New York Giants on September 8, 1971 for two draft choices. One is traceable as the Giants' 1973 fourth-round pick, No. 94, which Atlanta used on wide receiver Tom Geredine; the second choice remains unidentified in the reviewed public record. Geredine played 24 games for Atlanta over two seasons.
Atlanta Falcons Received
- pick 1973 fourth round pick (#94- Tom Geredine )
- pick second draft choice (round and selection not identified)
New York Giants Received
- player Randy Johnson
Trade Analysis
Atlanta's own 1976 media guide provides the strongest high-level description of this transaction: quarterback Randy Johnson went to the New York Giants in 1971 for two draft choices. That corrects the legacy TradeVerdicts row, which paired the known 1973 fourth-round pick with unsupported generic undisclosed-consideration placeholders. Pro Sports Transactions traces one of the two choices specifically to the 1973 draft. New York's fourth-round selection, No. 94 overall, went to Atlanta as part of the Johnson trade and the Falcons used it on wide receiver Tom Geredine. The reviewed public record does not identify the second draft choice with enough confidence to assign a round, year, selection number or player, so TradeVerdicts preserves it as an unidentified second pick rather than inventing a downstream chain. New York did receive meaningful quarterback depth from Johnson. NFL career statistics show him playing five Giants games with one start in 1971, four games with one start in 1972 and nine games with seven starts in 1973. Across those three seasons he threw for 1,986 yards with 13 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. His largest role came in 1973, when he threw for 1,279 yards and seven touchdowns while making seven starts. Atlanta also realized real value from the one pick that can be traced. Geredine played 12 games with five starts as a rookie in 1973, catching 12 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown while adding 211 kickoff-return yards. He appeared in another 12 Falcons games in 1974, finishing his Atlanta tenure with 16 receptions for 300 yards and 24 regular-season appearances. The unresolved second draft choice prevents a complete hindsight comparison. Johnson gave New York three seasons of useful reserve and spot-starting quarterback play, while Atlanta received at least two seasons from Geredine plus another draft asset whose outcome is unknown. Because one material part of Atlanta's return cannot be reconstructed, the source-safe verdict is Even Trade with C grades rather than forcing the prior Giants-win conclusion. Confidence is medium: the two-pick structure, Johnson's Giants production and Geredine's identity are well supported, but the second pick remains unresolved.