Minnesota acquired veteran cornerback Charlie Stukes from the…
Minnesota acquired veteran cornerback Charlie Stukes from the Baltimore Colts on July 23, 1973, for a 1974 fifth-round pick that became No. 129 and Doug Nettles. Five weeks later, Minnesota traded Stukes to the Rams for pick No. 128. That quick resale effectively improved the Vikings’ draft position while Baltimore received a future multi-year defensive back.
Indianapolis Colts Received
- pick 1974 fifth round pick (#129-Doug Nettles)
Minnesota Vikings Received
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
The Colts traded veteran cornerback Charlie Stukes to Minnesota on July 23, 1973, for a 1974 fifth-round draft choice. That selection became pick No. 129, which Baltimore used on defensive back Doug Nettles. Minnesota did not keep Stukes long: on August 28, the Vikings sent him to the Rams for another 1974 fifth-rounder, later identified as pick No. 128.
Minnesota Vikings Return
Minnesota’s return is best understood as a short-term asset conversion. Stukes did not play a regular-season game for the Vikings, but the club resold his contract five weeks later for a fifth-round choice one slot earlier than the pick it had surrendered. The Vikings then used that No. 128 asset in another September trade, so the Stukes acquisition functioned as a bridge rather than a roster endpoint.
Indianapolis Colts Return
Baltimore turned Stukes into Nettles, who provided the more substantial direct player value from this specific transaction. Nettles played 73 NFL games, started 36, and recorded five career interceptions. For a fifth-round selection, that was a useful return and gave the Colts several seasons of secondary depth and starting experience.
Value in Hindsight
The Colts found the better direct player outcome, but Minnesota protected itself remarkably well. Instead of losing value on a veteran who never played for the club, the Vikings quickly recovered a nearly identical draft asset and actually improved from No. 129 to No. 128. That transaction chain prevents the trade from looking like a Minnesota mistake.
Final Verdict
An even C+/C+ verdict is sensible. Baltimore deserves credit for converting the pick into Nettles, while Minnesota deserves credit for preserving and slightly improving the draft value it had spent. The Colts produced the better individual player; the Vikings executed the better short-term asset maneuver. Those strengths balance one another.