Green Bay Packers received Jim Carmichael on a conditional…
Green Bay Packers received Jim Carmichael on a conditional preseason acquisition; Green Bay returned him to the Rams on August 8, 1956, before he made the regular-season roster. The return earns a D, versus D for Los Angeles/Cleveland/St. Louis Rams, with a hindsight verdict of Even Trade. Concrete team-specific production and downstream results drive the grade.
Green Bay Packers Received
- player Jim Carmichael
Los Angeles Rams Received
- pick conditional draft pick (if Carmichael makes Packers roster) (not exercised)
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Green Bay acquired rookie end Jim Carmichael from the Los Angeles Rams on July 30, 1956, in a conditional arrangement. Contemporary Packers reporting described the consideration as an undisclosed draft choice owed only if Carmichael made the team. That condition is the key to the trade's outcome, because Green Bay did not keep him through the preseason.
Green Bay Packers Return
Carmichael had been the Rams' fourth-round pick, No. 48, in the 1956 draft, but his Packers stay lasted barely more than a week. On August 8, Packers reporting said Green Bay returned Carmichael to the Rams, who then placed him on waivers. Coach Liz Blackbourn described the acquisition as an 'if he makes good basis.' Carmichael therefore gave Green Bay no regular-season games, starts, receptions, or other roster production.
Los Angeles Rams Return
Los Angeles likewise received no realized draft asset. The trade language made the pick contingent on Carmichael sticking with Green Bay, and the Packers returned him before the season. Because the condition failed, the Rams were not owed the draft choice. Their side of this specific transaction therefore produced no new player or selection, even though they recovered Carmichael's rights long enough to place him on waivers.
Value in Hindsight
The previous B/C+ grading overstated both sides. Green Bay did not acquire a useful player; it conducted a short preseason evaluation and sent Carmichael back. Los Angeles did not turn the transaction into draft capital because the condition never triggered. This is exactly the kind of conditional deal where the concrete result is simpler than the nominal exchange: neither club realized regular-season football value from the transaction.
Final Verdict
Both teams receive D grades and the verdict changes to Even Trade. That is not because the packages were theoretically balanced; it is because both realized outcomes were effectively zero. Green Bay got no regular-season contribution from Carmichael, and Los Angeles got no conditional pick. The low grades make the failed condition and lack of on-field return explicit.