New York Jets received Roger Bernhardt while Pittsburgh…
New York Jets received Roger Bernhardt while Pittsburgh Steelers received Mike Haggard. New York received Roger Bernhardt in the 1973 exchange, but his later 1974 Jets season followed an intervening departure and a separate reacquisition. That later production should not be treated as uninterrupted value created by this original deal. That outcome supports a C- grade for New York Jets in this trade.
New York Jets Received
- player Roger Bernhardt
Pittsburgh Steelers Received
- player Mike Haggard
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
On 1973-08-01, New York Jets received Roger Bernhardt, while Pittsburgh Steelers received Mike Haggard. The exchange was modest in scale, so the verdict depends on the football value each club actually realized from its return rather than the face value of the names or picks alone.
New York Titans/Jets Return
New York Jets received Roger Bernhardt while Pittsburgh Steelers received Mike Haggard. New York received Roger Bernhardt in the 1973 exchange, but his later 1974 Jets season followed an intervening departure and a separate reacquisition. That later production should not be treated as uninterrupted value created by this original deal. That outcome supports a C- grade for New York Jets in this trade.
Pittsburgh Steelers Return
Pittsburgh Steelers received Mike Haggard while New York Jets received Roger Bernhardt. Pittsburgh received the 1973 seventh-round selection used on Mike Haggard. Haggard did not become a Steelers regular-season contributor, so the draft return produced very little direct value for Pittsburgh. That outcome supports a C- grade for Pittsburgh Steelers in this trade.
Value in Hindsight
The key is separating the original exchange from what happened later. Bernhardt's 1974 Jets contribution came after he left and was reacquired, while Haggard never developed into a Steelers contributor. Judging only the direct results of this transaction leaves both teams with minimal value and supports an even low-grade result. The comparison stays focused on value produced for the acquiring clubs and does not inflate unrelated later transactions or production elsewhere.
Final Verdict
The final judgment is Even Trade. New York Jets receives C-, while Pittsburgh Steelers receives C-. The grades are scaled to the size of the deal and the amount of direct NFL value each side obtained, so a clear edge in a minor transaction does not automatically become an elite grade.