Baltimore sent Tom Nowatzke to Houston in March 1973 and…
Baltimore sent Tom Nowatzke to Houston in March 1973 and received a 1974 fourteenth-round selection in return. Colts history supports the future-pick compensation, but the eventual player tied to that choice cannot be established confidently, so the asset remains unidentified. Nowatzke retired in August before appearing in a regular-season game for Houston, while Baltimore at least retained a future draft asset from a veteran nearing the end of his career.
Indianapolis Colts Received
- pick 1974 fourteenth round draft choice (selection not identified)
Tennessee Titans Received
- player Tom Nowatzke
Trade Analysis
Why the Trade Happened
Baltimore's 1973 materials place Tom Nowatzke's move to Houston in mid-March, and later Colts history identifies the return as a 1974 fourteenth-round choice. The exact eventual player cannot be established confidently, so the asset remains an unidentified fourteenth-round selection. This treatment uses the most specific contemporaneous or club-history description available and leaves any genuinely unidentified draft choice unnamed rather than attaching a speculative player.
What Baltimore Colts Received
The Colts moved an aging back who had appeared in only six games for Baltimore in 1972 and received a future choice in return. The pick was late, but it represented recoverable value during a broad roster overhaul. The return is evaluated on the assets that can be tied directly to the transaction, not on later guesses about uncertain pick chains. That keeps the historical package readable while preserving the limits of what can be established.
What Houston Oilers Received
Houston acquired Nowatzke but did not receive regular-season production from him. His player history shows that he retired in August 1973, before the Oilers' regular season began, sharply limiting the football return. The football result matters because a trade grade should reflect both the price paid and what the acquired asset actually delivered. Immediate roster value, later movement and retained draft capital all shape the comparison.
Final Verdict
Baltimore earns a C+ and Houston a D. A fourteenth-round choice was never premium compensation, but the Colts received something tangible for a player who did not make a regular-season contribution to Houston. That is a modest Baltimore win. The grade is based on the strongest documented version of the exchange and the subsequent value each club received. Where later histories disagree on a peripheral detail, the uncertain detail is left general instead of being presented as settled fact.
Houston received no regular-season production from Nowatzke.