New England traded linebacker Steve Kiner to the Houston…
New England traded linebacker Steve Kiner to the Houston Oilers on January 30, 1974 for Houston's ninth-round pick, No. 209. The Patriots used the selection on Ed McCartney, who never appeared in an NFL regular-season game. Kiner became a five-year Houston starter, playing 72 games with 71 starts from 1974 through 1978 and contributing to the Oilers' rise into an AFC contender.
New England Patriots Received
- pick 1974 ninth-round pick (#209-Ed McCartney)
Tennessee Titans Received
- player Steve Kiner
Trade Analysis
The supported transaction is simpler than the legacy row. New England's historical transaction record says the Patriots sent Steve Kiner to Houston on January 30, 1974 for the Oilers' ninth-round choice in that year's draft. The Patriots' all-time draft notes identify their ninth-round selection as coming from Houston for Kiner, and Pro Sports Transactions maps that pick to No. 209, Ed McCartney. Houston's 1977 media guide independently lists its 1974 ninth-round choice as traded to New England for Kiner. No source in that chain supports an additional eighth-round pick, so the extra asset is removed.
Houston received immediate and durable starting value. Pro Football Reference credits Kiner with 14 starts in each of his first two Oilers seasons, 13 starts in 1976, 14 in 1977 and 16 in 1978. Across five seasons he appeared in 72 regular-season games with 71 starts, intercepted five passes and recorded 10.5 sacks in the available historical accounting. He was still a full-time starter on the 1978 Oilers team that reached the AFC Championship Game. That level of sustained production is exceptional return for a ninth-round draft choice.
New England used No. 209 on Ed McCartney of Northeastern Oklahoma. The Patriots' official draft history lists McCartney at that slot, while Pro Football Reference's Patriots draft record shows no NFL games, starts or Approximate Value for him. The pick itself was legitimate compensation, but the realized football return for New England was effectively zero at the regular-season level. There is no basis to add another pick or downstream player to soften that result.
Houston therefore wins the trade by a wide margin. An A grade reflects acquiring a five-year starter for a ninth-round choice, with Kiner providing 71 starts and remaining part of the defense through the franchise's 1978 playoff breakthrough. New England receives a D because it exchanged an established starting linebacker for a late-round pick that produced no regular-season NFL value. The grade is not an F because the Patriots did receive a real draft asset and Kiner's later Houston success was not guaranteed at the time of the deal.