Denver acquired Charlie West and a 1979 sixth-round pick that…
Denver acquired Charlie West and a 1979 sixth-round pick that became No. 148 Jeff McIntyre from Detroit in August 1978. The Broncos sent Bill Gay plus rights tied to two of the first five Denver players waived by August 29. The resulting waiver identities are not identified in surviving transaction material. Neither side's known return produced enough lasting value to separate the deal.
Denver Broncos Received
- player Charlie West
- pick 1979 sixth-round pick (No. 148, Jeff McIntyre)
Detroit Lions Received
- player Bill Gay
- other rights to two of the first five players waived by Denver by August 29 (resulting identities not identified)
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Denver and Detroit completed an August 14, 1978 transaction with both conventional and conditional pieces. Denver received Charlie West and a 1979 sixth-round choice that became No. 148 Jeff McIntyre. Detroit received Bill Gay plus rights to two of the first five players Denver waived by August 29. The surviving transaction material does not identify the final players produced by that waiver provision.
Denver Broncos Return
West gave Denver an experienced defensive back and return specialist, while No. 148 provided a future draft opportunity that became McIntyre. Those are two concrete assets and gave the Broncos both immediate and future options. Neither developed into a major long-term Denver advantage, however. The return was real but modest, and the draft component did not create enough downstream value to move the grade beyond the middle.
Detroit Lions Return
Detroit received Gay and a conditional mechanism tied to Denver's upcoming roster cuts. That structure had potential because it gave the Lions access to players who might otherwise have entered the broader waiver process. The difficulty in hindsight is that the final identities produced by the provision are not identified in the durable transaction history. Rather than invent names, the fair evaluation is limited to the known structure and Gay's value.
Value in Hindsight
This trade is unusual because one part of Detroit's compensation is defined by rights rather than by named players. The uncertainty does not erase the transaction, but it limits how strongly either side can be credited. Denver's known assets did not become major difference-makers, and Detroit's known return does not establish a clear surplus either.
Final Verdict
Denver and Detroit each receive a C. The deal is an Even Trade because the known football value was modest on both sides and the unidentified waiver-rights outcome should be disclosed rather than guessed.