The Cardinals acquired the rights to Johnny Hall from Green…
The Cardinals acquired the rights to Johnny Hall from Green Bay in exchange for the Packers' rights to Earl Brown. Hall immediately became useful, playing 11 games with seven starts in 1940 and repeating that 11-game, seven-start workload in 1941. He also produced offensive and defensive scoring value. Brown did not provide comparable Packers service, giving the Cardinals the clear realized edge.
Arizona Cardinals Received
- other rights to John Hall / Johnny Hall
Green Bay Packers Received
- other rights to Earl Brown
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Green Bay and the Cardinals exchanged player rights in April 1940: the Packers received the rights to Earl Brown, while the Cardinals acquired the rights to Johnny Hall. The paper value may have looked balanced at the time, but the realized careers created a much clearer hindsight result.
Arizona Cardinals Return
Hall became an immediate contributor. He played 11 games with seven starts in 1940 and repeated that 11-game, seven-start workload in 1941. In 1940 he produced 199 scrimmage yards and three offensive touchdowns, and he also returned an interception for a touchdown. That gave the Cardinals two seasons of lineup value and multiple ways to contribute.
Green Bay Packers Return
The Packers received Brown's rights, but the available record does not show a comparable Green Bay regular-season contribution. There is no meaningful Packers tenure, production line, or later asset chain that offsets Hall's two seasons with the Cardinals.
Value in Hindsight
The Cardinals won the realized-value comparison decisively. Hall became a two-year contributor with 22 games, 14 starts, and actual scoring production, while Brown did not deliver a comparable Packers outcome. This is exactly the kind of rights transaction where later usage makes the verdict much clearer than the original paperwork. Hall's two seasons of starts provide enough separation to avoid treating the deal as merely balanced rights speculation.
Final Verdict
Arizona Cardinals Win. The Cardinals earn a B+ because Hall provided two seasons, 14 starts, and meaningful offensive and defensive contribution. Green Bay earns a D because Brown's rights did not translate into comparable regular-season value for the Packers.