Minnesota acquired lineman Jerry Baker from Denver on July 3,…
Minnesota acquired lineman Jerry Baker from Denver on July 3, 1984 for a future draft choice whose round and year remain unidentified. Baker had appeared in five games without a start for Denver in 1983 and did not record a regular-season appearance for Minnesota. The Vikings therefore received no realized regular-season production from the player they acquired.
Minnesota Vikings Received
- player Jerry Baker
Denver Broncos Received
- pick Future draft choice (round and year not publicly announced)
Trade Analysis
The Transaction
Denver traded lineman Jerry Baker to Minnesota on July 3, 1984 for a future draft choice. Contemporary transaction reporting published the existence of the pick but not its round or draft year. That limits how precisely the return can be traced, but it does not make the transaction itself uncertain: Baker moved from the Broncos to the Vikings and Denver received future draft value.
Baker’s Denver Role
Baker had joined Denver as a free agent in 1983 after playing at Tulane. The Broncos’ 1984 media material described him as a developmental lineman who appeared in five games without a start during his rookie season. Denver experimented with moving him from offensive tackle to nose tackle, but he remained a depth piece rather than an established contributor.
Minnesota’s Outcome
The Vikings took the inexpensive chance that Baker could become useful line depth. It did not translate into regular-season production. NFL career records list Baker’s entire regular-season résumé as five games for Denver in 1983, with no starts and no Minnesota appearances. That makes Minnesota’s side easy to judge even though the exact draft slot Denver later controlled is not identifiable from the public transaction notice.
Denver’s Outcome
The Broncos did not need Baker to become a star elsewhere for this to be worthwhile. They converted a fringe roster player into a future selection rather than simply losing him during roster competition. Because the eventual pick cannot be named confidently, Denver’s grade should remain modest rather than assuming hidden downstream value.
Final Verdict
Denver Broncos Win. Denver earns a B- for extracting a draft asset from a five-game reserve. Minnesota receives a D+ because Baker produced no recorded regular-season value for the Vikings.
Baker produced no Minnesota regular-season value while Denver received an unidentified future draft asset whose downstream identity remains unknown.