Baltimore acquired defensive back Mike Simpson from San…
Baltimore acquired defensive back Mike Simpson from San Francisco for a 1975 seventh-round choice. Simpson was released in September before giving the Colts meaningful regular-season value. San Francisco retained a usable draft asset and later included that choice in the Tom Mitchell transaction before it eventually returned to Baltimore. The low acquisition cost limits the damage, but the Colts received too little from Simpson to match the value the 49ers preserved.
Indianapolis Colts Received
- player Mike Simpson
San Francisco 49ers Received
- pick 1975 seventh round pick (#157-Kim Jones)
Trade Analysis
Why the Trade Happened
Baltimore acquired defensive back Mike Simpson from San Francisco on March 29, 1974. The contemporary Colts guide identifies the price as a 1975 seventh-round choice and notes that Baltimore later reacquired that same choice in the Tom Mitchell trade. This treatment uses the most specific contemporaneous or club-history description available and leaves any genuinely unidentified draft choice unnamed rather than attaching a speculative player.
What Baltimore Colts Received
The Colts received only a short evaluation window from Simpson. He joined Baltimore in the spring but was released in September before providing meaningful regular-season value. That makes the player side limited even though the acquisition cost was modest. The return is evaluated on the assets that can be tied directly to the transaction, not on later guesses about uncertain pick chains. That keeps the historical package readable while preserving the limits of what can be established.
What San Francisco 49ers Received
San Francisco received a seventh-round asset that retained trade value. The choice ultimately returned to Baltimore in the Mitchell package and became No. 157 Kim Jones, so the 49ers were able to use it in a later transaction. The football result matters because a trade grade should reflect both the price paid and what the acquired asset actually delivered. Immediate roster value, later movement and retained draft capital all shape the comparison.
Final Verdict
San Francisco earns a B and Baltimore a C-. Simpson did not become a meaningful Colts contributor, while the 49ers obtained a usable draft asset that later helped complete another trade. The low cost keeps Baltimore's grade from falling further. The grade is based on the strongest documented version of the exchange and the subsequent value each club received. Where later histories disagree on a peripheral detail, the uncertain detail is left general instead of being presented as settled fact.