New England traded All-Pro tackle Leon Gray to Houston for a…
New England traded All-Pro tackle Leon Gray to Houston for a 1980 first-round pick, a sixth-round pick and cash. The first-rounder became running back Vagas Ferguson, who started 21 games for the Patriots and rushed for 818 yards as a rookie. The return was usable, but it did not replace the elite line play New England surrendered.
New England Patriots Received
- pick 1980 first round pick (#25-Vagas Ferguson)
- pick 1980 sixth round pick (#160-Preston Brown (a))
- other cash
Tennessee Titans Received
- player Leon Gray
Trade Analysis
Houston was buying an established elite tackle, and the transaction made sense for a team built around Earl Campbell and trying to win immediately. New England sent Leon Gray to the Oilers in August 1979 for Houston’s first- and sixth-round selections in 1980 plus cash. Contemporary reporting described Gray as an All-Pro-caliber lineman, and he continued to play at that level after the move.
The Patriots used the first-round pick, No. 25 overall, on Notre Dame running back Vagas Ferguson. Ferguson was not a complete miss. He started all 16 games as a rookie, rushed for 818 yards and added 173 receiving yards. He remained involved in 1981, but his role quickly declined and his Patriots career did not become the durable foundation expected from a first-round selection. The sixth-round choice and cash did not close the value gap.
Gray, by contrast, gave Houston immediate high-end performance at a premium offensive position. The Oilers were an 11-win playoff team in 1979 and again reached the postseason in 1980, and strengthening the line in front of Campbell fit their competitive window. Gray’s Houston tenure was not exceptionally long, which keeps the grade short of an A+, but the quality of his contribution was substantially higher than New England’s return.
Houston earns an A- for converting draft capital into a proven top tackle who helped a contender immediately. New England receives a C+: Ferguson supplied one solid starting season and some additional work, but the package did not adequately replace the player the Patriots surrendered.