Minnesota acquired veteran tight end Bob Tucker from New York…
Minnesota acquired veteran tight end Bob Tucker from New York on October 25, 1977, for its 1978 fifth-round selection, No. 132, which became Jim Krahl. Tucker then spent parts of four seasons with the Vikings and made 44 starts, including all 16 games in 1978. Krahl did not produce a comparable NFL career, so Minnesota converted a mid-round pick into clearly superior veteran value.
Minnesota Vikings Received
- player Bob Tucker
New York Giants Received
- pick 1978 fifth-round pick (No. 132, Jim Krahl )
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Minnesota acquired tight end Bob Tucker from the Giants on October 25, 1977. The compensation was the Vikings' fifth-round selection in the 1978 draft, No. 132, which New York used on Jim Krahl. Minnesota's own draft history explicitly lists that fifth-round choice as having gone to the Giants for Tucker. That gives the transaction a clean player-for-pick structure with an identifiable downstream selection.
Minnesota's Return
Tucker gave the Vikings the kind of immediate veteran production a contender could use. Across his Minnesota tenure he appeared in 56 games and made 44 starts. His best Vikings season came in 1978, when he started all 16 games and caught 47 passes for 540 yards. He remained a regular part of the offense into 1980. For a fifth-round price, that volume of starting service represents a strong conversion.
New York's Return
The Giants turned an aging veteran into a fifth-round draft choice and selected Jim Krahl at No. 132. That was a reasonable roster-management move at the time, especially because Tucker had already spent many seasons in New York. The problem in hindsight is the downstream result: Krahl did not create an NFL contribution that approached Tucker's Minnesota production. The pick had value, but its realized outcome remained small.
Value in Hindsight
Minnesota did not acquire Tucker at his career peak, yet it still received multiple starting seasons and hundreds of receiving yards. New York's return was a legitimate mid-round asset but not a comparable player outcome. The deal is a useful example of why veteran-for-pick trades must be graded on realized team value as well as age curves. Here the veteran continued to contribute long enough to justify the cost comfortably.
Final Verdict
Minnesota Vikings Win. The Vikings earn a B+ for getting 44 starts and substantial receiving production for a fifth-round selection. New York receives a C because acquiring a mid-round pick for a veteran was defensible, but the selected player did not match Tucker's subsequent value. Minnesota received the clearly stronger football return.