Chicago acquired return specialist Glyn Milburn from Green…
Chicago acquired return specialist Glyn Milburn from Green Bay in August 1998 for a 1999 seventh-round pick. That future selection became No. 213, where the Packers drafted Donald Driver. Milburn gave the Bears short-term special-teams help, but Driver became Green Bay's longtime receiving leader and a Super Bowl champion, turning a routine late-round exchange into one of the Packers' best value trades.
Chicago Bears Received
- player Glyn Milburn
Green Bay Packers Received
- pick 1999 7th round pick (213th overall, Donald Driver)
Trade Analysis
The most important correction is the date. Green Bay's own trade history places the Glyn Milburn deal on August 30, 1998, with Chicago sending a 1999 seventh-round choice. That timing matters because the pick did not become Donald Driver until the following spring. Milburn was already an established return specialist and versatile back, so Chicago's decision to spend a future seventh was reasonable for immediate help. He contributed as a returner, but the Bears did not receive anything close to franchise-changing value.
Green Bay's payoff came at No. 213 in the 1999 draft. The Packers selected Alcorn State receiver Donald Driver, who developed from a seventh-round special-teams prospect into one of the most productive pass catchers in team history. Driver spent 14 seasons in Green Bay, topped 10,000 career receiving yards, became the franchise's career leader in receptions and receiving yards at the time of his retirement, earned multiple Pro Bowl selections and was part of the Super Bowl XLV championship team. That is extraordinary production from a pick obtained for a veteran who was no longer central to Green Bay's plans.
The trade is a reminder that late-round compensation can become immensely valuable without making the original decision irrational for the other side. Chicago paid very little in expected draft value and received a proven return man. The Bears' grade is low only because hindsight reveals what the pick became, not because surrendering a seventh was reckless. Green Bay deserves an A+ because it converted a disposable veteran asset into a homegrown star who became a franchise fixture. The date should be listed as 1998-08-30 while the existing ID and slug remain unchanged.