Tampa Bay acquired linebacker Calvin O'Neal from the…
Tampa Bay acquired linebacker Calvin O'Neal from the Baltimore Colts for a conditional 1980 twelfth-round choice. O'Neal never appeared in a regular-season game for the Buccaneers, and Tampa Bay ultimately exercised its own twelfth-round selection on Gene Coleman, showing the conditional pick did not convey to the Colts. Neither franchise realized regular-season value from the exchange, so the hindsight result is an Even Trade at D-minus for both sides.
Indianapolis Colts Received
- pick conditional 1980 twelfth-round pick (did not convey)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Received
- player Calvin O'Neal
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
On May 31, 1979, Tampa Bay acquired linebacker Calvin O'Neal from the Colts for a future draft choice. The Colts' historical transaction record identifies the consideration as a 1980 twelfth-round pick with a condition marker, while Tampa Bay's contemporary media guide called it a future undisclosed choice. The 1980 draft record resolves the important outcome: Tampa Bay still exercised its own twelfth-round selection, No. 326, on Gene Coleman.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Return
Tampa Bay received O'Neal after his only NFL regular season, a 1978 campaign in which he played 15 games and started twice for Baltimore. The trade did not extend that career. NFL career records show no 1979 Buccaneers regular-season appearance and no NFL season after 1978. Whatever preseason or roster opportunity Tampa Bay evaluated, the acquired player produced zero regular-season games for the receiving team.
Baltimore Colts Return
The Colts' return was conditional draft consideration, not a selection that can be credited as having conveyed. Pro Sports Transactions notes the O'Neal deal beside the 1980 twelfth round but also records that Tampa Bay exercised its twelfth-round pick on Gene Coleman. Coleman was selected No. 326 by the Buccaneers, not by the Colts. Baltimore therefore received no realized draft-player outcome from this condition.
Value in Hindsight
This is a zero-impact exchange rather than a Tampa Bay win. The Buccaneers did not receive regular-season service from O'Neal, and the Colts did not receive the conditional pick. The surviving 1980 draft record shows Tampa Bay retained and used its own twelfth-round selection on Gene Coleman, resolving the condition's outcome. Neither side created roster value that should separate the grades.
Final Verdict
Even Trade, with Tampa Bay and the Colts both at D-minus. That grade reflects the absence of regular-season contribution on the Buccaneers' side and the non-conveyance of the conditional selection on the Colts' side. The transaction happened, but its football return effectively disappeared for both organizations.