The 1992 Brett Favre Trade: Green Bay Spent the No. 17 Pick on an Unknown Backup and Changed the Franchise
Ron Wolf sent Atlanta the 17th overall pick for Brett Favre after Favre had thrown only five NFL passes. The gamble produced three MVPs and a championship era.
Atlanta Falcons Received
- pick 1992 1st round pick (17th overall, subsequently traded to Dallas; Kevin Smith )
Green Bay Packers Received
- player Brett Favre
Trade Summary
Green Bay sent the 17th pick in the 1992 draft to Atlanta for Brett Favre, an unproven second-year quarterback who had barely played as a rookie. Favre became a three-time MVP, Super Bowl champion, and franchise icon. Atlanta later moved the No. 17 pick in a separate draft-day trade. Whatever value the Falcons extracted from that asset chain never approached the quarterback Green Bay received.
Trade Analysis
What the Trade Actually Did
On February 10, 1992, Green Bay sent the 17th overall pick in that year's draft to Atlanta for Brett Favre. The Packers had acquired that selection from Philadelphia the previous year. Favre had been a second-round pick in 1991, appeared in only two games for Atlanta, and had not completed a regular-season pass.
Why Green Bay Made the Bet
General manager Ron Wolf had coveted Favre before the 1991 draft and trusted his evaluation more than the tiny NFL sample. Green Bay was effectively paying first-round value for arm talent, competitiveness, and projection. The gamble even survived concern about Favre's hip during his physical, underscoring how strongly Wolf believed he had found the quarterback around whom the franchise could be rebuilt.
What Atlanta Actually Received
The Falcons received pick No. 17, not a specific player. Atlanta later traded that selection to Dallas in a draft-day exchange. Dallas used No. 17 on cornerback Kevin Smith, while Atlanta moved through the same chain and ultimately selected running back Tony Smith at No. 19. That later maneuvering should be separated from the direct Favre trade: the direct return was the No. 17 selection.
The Long-Term Legacy
Favre became Green Bay's starter in 1992, won three consecutive league MVP awards, led the Packers to consecutive Super Bowls, and won Super Bowl XXXI. His arrival helped restore a franchise that had spent most of the previous two decades without sustained contention.
Final Verdict
The Green Bay Packers Win verdict is overwhelming. Atlanta received valuable first-round currency, but Green Bay acquired a Hall of Fame quarterback who changed the trajectory and identity of the franchise.
Favre became a Hall of Fame quarterback and transformed Green Bay for more than a decade, overwhelming Atlanta's downstream value from the seventeenth selection, overall across the seasons that followed for both clubs.