Green Bay Packers received Clyde Johnson, who was waived…
Green Bay Packers received Clyde Johnson, who was waived before Green Bay's 1948 regular-season opener and therefore played no regular-season games for the Packers. The return earns a D, versus A- for Los Angeles/Cleveland/St. Louis Rams, with a hindsight verdict of Los Angeles Rams Win. Concrete team-specific production and downstream results drive the grade.
Green Bay Packers Received
- player Clyde Johnson
Los Angeles Rams Received
- pick 1949 draft pick (probably #63-Jerry Williams)
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Green Bay acquired veteran tackle Clyde Johnson from the Los Angeles Rams on June 29, 1948, for a 1949 draft choice. Historical draft records tie that choice to the Rams' seventh-round selection at No. 63, Jerry Williams. The trade therefore has unusually clear hindsight endpoints: Johnson's attempt to make the Packers and Williams' actual four-season Rams career.
Green Bay Packers Return
Johnson never delivered regular-season value for Green Bay. He signed after the trade and went through camp, but the Packers placed him on waivers on September 14, three days before their opener. Pro Football Archives also records the Green Bay signing and release, followed by Johnson joining the AAFC's Los Angeles Dons on September 23. He consequently finished with zero regular-season games, starts, or production as a Packer.
Los Angeles Rams Return
The Rams turned the acquired choice into a substantial player. Their own draft history lists Jerry Williams at No. 63 as coming from Green Bay. Pro Football Archives credits Williams with 47 Rams games and 41 starts from 1949 through 1952, while his defensive record includes 15 interceptions over those four seasons. He also remained with the club through its 1951 NFL championship season, giving Los Angeles multi-year starting value from a seventh-round selection.
Value in Hindsight
The outcome gap is enormous. Green Bay traded a draft asset for a veteran who did not survive final cuts, so the Packers received no regular-season return at all. Los Angeles used the resulting choice on a player who became a four-year contributor and frequent starter. Even allowing for minor historical stat-source differences from the early NFL era, the central comparison does not change: zero Packers games from Johnson versus four productive Rams seasons from Williams.
Final Verdict
The Rams earn an A- and the win; Green Bay falls from B to D. A seventh-round pick becoming a long-term starter with 15 interceptions is a high-end realized return, especially when the outgoing player never appeared for the acquiring team. This is not an Even Trade hiding behind uncertain old records—the transaction's primary player outcomes are sharply one-sided.