New York Jets received Billy Shields; San Francisco 49ers…
New York Jets received Billy Shields; San Francisco 49ers received 1986 sixth-round pick No. 162, Don Griffin. Shields played three Jets games with two starts in 1985. Griffin became an eight-year 49ers cornerback, playing 114 games and starting 107. The realized outcomes support San Francisco 49ers Win, with New York Jets graded D+ and San Francisco 49ers graded A-.
New York Jets Received
- player Billy Shields
San Francisco 49ers Received
- pick 1986 sixth round pick (#162-Don Griffin)
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
On 1985-08-02, New York Jets received Billy Shields, while San Francisco 49ers received 1986 sixth-round pick No. 162, Don Griffin. The package is documented well enough to compare what each club actually realized instead of relying on generic trade language or the face value of a draft slot.
New York Jets Return
Shields played only three games with two starts for the Jets in 1985 before finishing that season with Kansas City. That is the relevant football outcome for New York Jets. The D+ grade is grounded in games, starts, production, roster tenure and the actual disposition of the acquired asset rather than its perceived value on the transaction date.
San Francisco 49ers Return
San Francisco used No. 162 on Don Griffin. Griffin played 114 regular-season games for the 49ers from 1986-93, started 107, intercepted 22 passes and was a starter on the club's late-1980s championship defenses. That result supports the A- grade for San Francisco 49ers. When a draft choice moved again before selection, the later player is not credited directly to the original receiving club. The pick is treated as trade capital and the downstream transaction is described explicitly.
Value in Hindsight
The key distinction is between possessing an asset and receiving football production from it. New York Jets can be credited only for the value actually created by Billy Shields; San Francisco 49ers receives the same treatment for 1986 sixth-round pick No. 162, Don Griffin. That produces a concrete comparison while avoiding unsupported assumptions about conditional compensation, draft provenance or players selected after another trade.
Final Verdict
San Francisco 49ers Win. New York Jets receives D+, and San Francisco 49ers receives A-. The verdict follows the documented package and the team-specific outcomes above, without assigning either club production it never actually received.