Cincinnati acquired lineman Jeff Richardson from the Jets for…
Cincinnati acquired lineman Jeff Richardson from the Jets for the 1970 fifth-round selection that became No. 110. Richardson never played a regular-season game for the Bengals and was gone before the season. New York later used the acquired pick in a trade with Houston for safety W.K. Hicks, who started 29 games for the Jets from 1970 through 1972 and intercepted 13 passes. The Bengals received virtually no return.
Cincinnati Bengals Received
- player Jeff Richardson
New York Jets Received
- pick 1970 fifth round pick (#110; later traded to Houston for W.K. Hicks)
Trade Analysis
What Changed Hands
New York traded lineman Jeff Richardson to Cincinnati on July 28, 1969 for a future fifth-round selection. That pick became No. 110 in the 1970 draft. Jets historical material shows that New York then traded the selection to Houston for veteran safety W.K. Hicks. The final value comparison therefore includes both Cincinnati's brief Richardson acquisition and the Jets' use of the draft asset to obtain Hicks.
What Cincinnati Got
Richardson did not produce a regular-season return for the Bengals. Transaction records show Cincinnati acquiring him in the summer of 1969 and moving on before the regular season. He later appeared in three games for Miami that year, but none of those snaps benefited Cincinnati. For the Bengals, the transaction effectively converted a fifth-round asset into a preseason look at a veteran lineman who never played a regular-season game for the club.
What New York Got
The Jets turned the pick into a much more valuable player. Hicks started all 14 games at free safety for New York in 1970 and intercepted eight passes, the highest total on the team. He followed with 12 starts and four interceptions in 1971, then played all 14 games in 1972 and added another interception. Across three Jets seasons, Hicks supplied 13 interceptions and substantial starting value. That downstream conversion is directly tied to the selection acquired for Richardson.
Final Verdict
New York wins by a wide margin. Cincinnati received no regular-season production from Richardson, while the Jets transformed the acquired pick into a three-year defensive contributor with 29 starts and 13 interceptions. An A- for New York reflects excellent asset conversion without treating Hicks as a franchise-level star. Cincinnati receives a D because a meaningful future pick produced no regular-season value for the Bengals.