Miami traded Pro Bowl pass rusher Adewale Ogunleye to Chicago…
Miami traded Pro Bowl pass rusher Adewale Ogunleye to Chicago for receiver Marty Booker and a 2005 third-round pick that became linebacker Channing Crowder. Ogunleye gave the Bears several productive seasons, while Booker supplied Miami with receiving help and Crowder became a long-term defensive starter. Both teams received legitimate contributors, but the extra value from Crowder gives Miami a narrow hindsight advantage.
Chicago Bears Received
- player Adewale Ogunleye
Miami Dolphins Received
- player Marty Booker
- pick 2005 3rd round pick (70th overall, Channing Crowder)
Trade Analysis
Adewale Ogunleye entered the 2004 offseason as one of the league's most attractive young edge defenders after producing 15 sacks for Miami in 2003. Contract friction helped create the trade, and Chicago paid with established receiver Marty Booker plus a 2005 third-round selection. Ogunleye did not repeat his 15-sack peak with the Bears, but he was far from a disappointment. He spent six seasons in Chicago, started 81 games and produced 42 sacks, becoming an important piece of defenses that regularly carried the club.
Miami's return aged well because the transaction produced two starters instead of one. Booker gave the Dolphins four seasons in his first Miami stint, including 686 receiving yards in 2005 and 747 in 2006. More importantly, the third-round pick became Channing Crowder. Crowder started immediately as a rookie, remained a Dolphins linebacker for six seasons and accumulated more than 450 tackles. Neither player individually matched the positional value of a high-end pass rusher, but together they gave Miami a broad, durable return.
The timing also matters. Miami was entering a disastrous 2004 season and could not justify losing a young pass rusher without receiving real usable value. Booker helped fill a receiver need, and the future pick supplied a defensive starter who lasted beyond Booker. Chicago, meanwhile, acquired the best single player in the deal and received solid production through the 2009 season. There is no major loser here. The Bears paid a fair price for a premium position, while Miami converted a contract impasse into two contributors. Hindsight gives the Dolphins a slight edge because Crowder's six years of starting service stacked on top of Booker's production, but both sides can defend the exchange.