Atlanta's return was a conditional 1981 tenth-round pick, but…
Atlanta's return was a conditional 1981 tenth-round pick, but the condition was not satisfied and the choice was never exercised. The Falcons therefore received no draft value from moving Brian Cabral. Because the player also failed to produce a Colts regular-season return, Atlanta did not surrender meaningful realized value either.
Atlanta Falcons Received
- pick 1981 tenth round pick (not exercised)
Indianapolis Colts Received
- player Brian Cabral
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Atlanta sent linebacker Brian Cabral to the Colts in August 1980 for a conditional 1981 tenth-round draft choice. The condition was not met, so the draft pick was not exercised. Cabral was then waived by the Colts before the regular season. Those two facts define the transaction: neither side ultimately received a direct regular-season or draft return.
Atlanta Falcons Return
Atlanta's return existed only if the condition attached to the 1981 tenth-round choice was satisfied. It was not. No pick conveyed, so the Falcons did not gain a draft asset they could select, trade, or otherwise convert into roster value. Their practical return from the exchange was therefore zero.
Indianapolis Colts Return
The Colts acquired Cabral but waived him on September 2, before he appeared in a regular-season game for the club. His later 1980 NFL service came with Green Bay, which does not count as value created for Indianapolis by this trade. The Colts therefore received no games, starts, or production from the player they acquired.
Value in Hindsight
Conditional transactions can look larger on the transaction date than they do once the condition is resolved. Here, both sides ended with nothing from the exchange itself: Atlanta did not receive the pick, and Indianapolis did not receive regular-season service from Cabral. Neither club turned the transaction into a downstream asset that changes the comparison.
Final Verdict
This is an Even Trade. Atlanta earns C and Indianapolis earns C. The grades are neutral because both teams' realized return was effectively zero. The result is not a statement that the original decisions were identical; it reflects what the two sides actually received once the condition failed and Cabral was waived.