Seattle's official history records an August 1976 trade…
Seattle's official history records an August 1976 trade sending defensive tackle Wayne Baker to Oakland for a conditional draft pick, with the criteria ultimately not met. Baker had arrived through the expansion allocation and did not play another NFL regular-season game after 1975. Seattle received no exercised selection, while Oakland gained no durable regular-season contribution.
Las Vegas Raiders Received
- player Wayne Baker
Seattle Seahawks Received
- pick conditional draft pick (trade criteria not met)
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Seattle's all-time trade history records that the expansion Seahawks sent defensive tackle Wayne Baker to Oakland on August 5, 1976, for a conditional draft choice. The same team history states that the criteria were not met. Baker had joined Seattle only months earlier in the veteran expansion allocation after spending the 1975 season with the San Francisco 49ers.
Seattle's Return
Because the condition did not trigger, Seattle received no exercised draft selection. The Seahawks therefore did not turn an expansion allocation into future draft capital, even though the original agreement gave them that possibility. In practical terms, Seattle cleared a player from its preseason roster but did not acquire a lasting asset that could contribute on the field or be used in a later transaction.
Oakland's Return
Oakland's side also produced little realized value. Baker's NFL career record shows 14 games with San Francisco in 1975 and no later NFL regular-season appearances. The conditional structure protected Oakland from paying a pick if its required threshold was not reached, but that protection was necessary precisely because the player did not become a durable regular-season contributor after the move.
Value in Hindsight
The transaction is notable mainly for how little value ultimately changed hands. Seattle gave up a player who did not return to an NFL regular-season lineup, and Oakland's failed condition meant Seattle received no draft choice. That outcome makes it inappropriate to grade the theoretical conditional pick as if it had actually conveyed. The realized exchange is closer to a preseason roster decision.
Final Verdict
Even Trade. Seattle receives a C because it moved Baker but did not earn the conditional draft asset. The Raiders receive a C because they took a low-cost look at a former third-round pick but received no lasting NFL game contribution. Neither club converted the transaction into meaningful football value, so an even grade fits the actual outcome better than declaring a winner.