Kansas City traded defensive tackle Keith Simons to New…
Kansas City traded defensive tackle Keith Simons to New Orleans in July 1978 and received the future ninth-round selection that became No. 229 in the 1979 draft. The Chiefs used it on Ohio State tackle Joe Robinson. Robinson never appeared in an NFL regular-season game, so Kansas City successfully created a draft asset from Simons but did not turn that asset into measurable regular-season production.
Kansas City Chiefs Received
- pick 1979 9th round pick (229th overall, Joe Robinson)
New Orleans Saints Received
- player Keith Simons
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Kansas City moved Keith Simons to New Orleans before the 1978 season and received a future ninth-round pick. The Chiefs' own 1979 media guide identifies their second ninth-round selection, No. 229, as the choice acquired from New Orleans in the Simons trade. Kansas City used that pick on Ohio State offensive tackle Joe Robinson.
New Orleans' Result
Simons had played 20 regular-season games for Kansas City in 1976 and 1977, starting 12 of them, so the Saints were acquiring a player with legitimate AFL/NFL experience. The move did not translate to New Orleans. Simons was released before the 1978 regular season and later joined St. Louis, where he appeared in 13 games that year. None of that later production belongs to the Saints.
Kansas City's Result
The Chiefs at least converted Simons into a draft choice, but the selection did not become NFL production. Robinson was drafted No. 229 overall and was part of Kansas City's offseason program, yet his professional record contains no NFL regular-season appearances. The pick therefore had transaction value without producing a successful roster outcome.
Why It Finishes Even
Both clubs had a defensible idea. New Orleans took a chance on an experienced defensive lineman, while Kansas City banked a future selection. Neither side realized regular-season value from the asset it received. There is no basis to call the unused draft outcome materially better than a player who failed to make the Saints' season roster.
Final Verdict
Even Trade. Kansas City and New Orleans each receive a D-plus. The Chiefs created a ninth-round asset but got no NFL games from Robinson, while the Saints got no regular-season service from Simons. The transaction ended as a wash in realized team value.
Neither club generated regular-season value from the acquired asset, leaving the exchange effectively even.