Detroit sent Jim Teal to Los Angeles for the Rams’ 1975…
Detroit sent Jim Teal to Los Angeles for the Rams’ 1975 ninth-round pick, then used that acquired pick in the August trade for Leroy Mitchell. Mitchell was released before playing a regular-season game for Detroit, while Teal never appeared in a Rams regular-season game. With neither return producing NFL value for its new club, both sides receive a D and the verdict is Even Trade.
Detroit Lions Received
- pick 1975 ninth round pick (possibly #229-Gordon Riegel / Gordy Riegel)
Los Angeles Rams Received
- player Jim Teal / Jimmy Teal
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Detroit traded linebacker Jim Teal to Los Angeles on May 14, 1974 for the Rams’ 1975 ninth-round pick. Detroit’s own transaction history then shows that on August 29 it sent a 1975 ninth-round pick to Denver for defensive back Leroy Mitchell. The 1975 draft ledger identifies the Rams-origin No. 229 choice as a possible Lions-to-Broncos chain, but the later route back to Los Angeles is not established. Detroit therefore gets credit for converting the Rams pick into Mitchell, not for drafting Gordy Riegel.
Detroit Lions Return
Detroit’s return produced no regular-season value. Mitchell had been a multi-year starter in Denver, but his Detroit stay was brief. Transaction records show Detroit acquired him on August 29 and released him during 1974 before he recorded a regular-season game for the Lions. His NFL playing record ends with Denver in 1973. That makes Detroit’s realized result from the Rams pick concrete: it became Mitchell, and Mitchell never appeared in a regular-season game for Detroit.
Los Angeles Rams Return
Los Angeles likewise received no regular-season NFL contribution from Teal. The Rams’ 1974 media guide confirms that Teal arrived in the offseason trade for a draft choice. Pro Football Reference records his entire NFL regular-season career as 14 games and one start for Detroit in 1973. By 1974, he was playing for the Birmingham Americans of the World Football League rather than appearing for the Rams.
Value in Hindsight
The verified chain removes the misleading impression that Detroit directly used this pick on Riegel. Detroit moved the asset again, but the player it obtained was released before contributing. Los Angeles acquired a player who never logged an NFL regular-season game for the club. The two returns were different in form but equally empty in realized NFL value.
Final Verdict
This is an Even Trade at D for Detroit and D for Los Angeles. Neither club extracted regular-season production from what it received. The low grades reflect the concrete outcomes, while the unresolved Broncos-to-Rams route for No. 229 remains outside the value credited to Detroit.