Chicago sold veteran guard Ray Bray to Green Bay for cash…
Chicago sold veteran guard Ray Bray to Green Bay for cash before the 1952 season after Bray had spent 10 years with the Bears. The exact dollar amount is not publicly established in the available team histories. Bray then appeared in all 12 games for the Packers that season, giving Green Bay immediate veteran depth while Chicago received cash rather than a football asset.
Chicago Bears Received
- other cash purchase price (amount not publicly reported)
Green Bay Packers Received
- player Ray Bray
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Green Bay acquired veteran guard Ray Bray from Chicago on July 29, 1952 in a cash purchase. Packers historical material describes the club purchasing his contract from the Bears. The precise dollar figure is not published in the available team accounts, so the football comparison rests on Bray's subsequent contribution rather than an invented price.
Bray's Background
Bray was not an untested player. He had already spent a decade with Chicago and brought extensive professional experience to Green Bay. That context matters because the Packers were buying short-term reliability, not projecting a young player over several seasons. The transaction required no draft selection and no player to leave Green Bay's roster.
One Season in Green Bay
Packers and NFL records show Bray appearing in all 12 regular-season games in 1952. He did not become a long-term Green Bay fixture, but availability across the full schedule gave the Packers exactly the type of veteran depth such a purchase was designed to provide. His value was immediate and finite.
Chicago's Side
The Bears received cash and moved on from an older lineman after a long tenure. Without a published amount, it would be misleading to assign precise economic value to Chicago's return. What can be established is that Chicago did not receive a player or draft selection that produced a competing football outcome.
Final Verdict
Green Bay Packers Win. Green Bay receives a B for buying one full season of veteran line service without surrendering draft capital. Chicago receives a C-plus because it monetized an aging player's contract, but there is no comparable on-field asset on its side.
Ray Bray played all 12 Green Bay games in 1952 after the Packers purchased him for cash, giving them immediate veteran line help without surrendering a player or draft choice, while Chicago received only financial compensation.