Kansas City traded veteran receiver Otis Taylor to Houston…
Kansas City traded veteran receiver Otis Taylor to Houston for a conditional 1978 fifth-round choice after a physical. Taylor, a Chiefs great, did not appear in a regular-season game for the Oilers. Kansas City therefore extracted future draft value from a player near the end of his career, giving the Chiefs the better side.
Kansas City Chiefs Received
- pick 1978 fifth round pick (#127-Archie Reese)
Houston Oilers Received
- player Otis Taylor
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Houston agreed to acquire Otis Taylor from Kansas City on June 1, 1976, with a 1978 fifth-round draft choice going to the Chiefs if Taylor passed his physical. A surviving trade agreement in National Archives material documents the condition, and Oilers historical draft notes confirm that a fifth-round choice was ultimately sent to Kansas City.
What Kansas City Received
The Chiefs obtained a future fifth-round asset for a franchise legend whose playing career was nearly complete. Later draft transaction records trace the choice through No. 127, which Kansas City used as part of subsequent draft movement. The important direct value is that the Chiefs preserved an asset rather than losing Taylor for nothing at the end of his tenure.
What Houston Received
Taylor brought a famous résumé but no regular-season Oilers production. Pro Football Archives records the June trade and his September release, with no Houston regular-season appearances. That outcome is particularly damaging because the Oilers surrendered a future selection for the chance to extend the career of a veteran who never reached the field for them.
Why the Value Landed Here
The Chiefs made the better aging-curve decision. Kansas City recognized that Taylor's historic importance to the franchise did not guarantee future production and accepted draft capital. Houston took the opposite risk and received no regular-season return. The later fifth-round chain should not be overstated, but the existence of a usable future asset clearly exceeds zero on-field contribution.
Final Verdict
Kansas City receives a C+ and Houston receives an F. The Chiefs win because they recovered draft value from a player at the end of his career, while the Oilers spent that value and received no regular-season snaps in return.