Denver acquired linebacker Rob Spicer from the New York…
Denver acquired linebacker Rob Spicer from the New York Giants on July 29, 1975 for an unidentified draft choice. Spicer had played 13 games with four starts for the Jets as a rookie in 1973, but his Denver stay lasted only three weeks: the Broncos cut him on August 19 before the 1975 regular season, leaving Denver with no regular-season production from the trade.
Denver Broncos Received
- player Rob Spicer
New York Giants Received
- pick draft pick (round and selection not identified)
Trade Analysis
The July 29, 1975 transaction is supported directly by Pro Sports Transactions from both team perspectives: Denver acquired linebacker Rob Spicer from the New York Giants and relinquished a draft pick, while the Giants' corresponding entry records receipt of that draft pick for Spicer. The surviving public transaction line does not identify the pick's round, year or overall selection, so TradeVerdicts should not attach a speculative player to New York's return. The legacy row also contained duplicate generic undisclosed-consideration placeholders on both sides that have no support in the transaction record and are removed. Spicer entered the deal with some NFL experience. The Jets had selected him in the ninth round of the 1973 draft at No. 222 overall, and Pro Football Reference records him playing 13 games with four starts for New York that season. He also recorded an interception returned 12 yards. After the Jets, his career path included the Chicago Fire of the World Football League and an offseason stop with the Giants before Denver acquired him. The Broncos did not turn the trade into regular-season value. Pro Sports Transactions records Denver cutting Spicer on August 19, 1975, only 21 days after the trade. His NFL career statistics end with the 1973 Jets season, confirming that he never appeared in a regular-season game for Denver. That gives Denver a clear realized-value problem: it surrendered a draft asset for a player who did not make the final regular-season roster. New York's exact return cannot be fully scored because the pick has not been mapped, but the Giants at least converted a player they were prepared to move into draft capital. The source-safe hindsight edge therefore belongs to New York without overstating the unidentified pick. A C+ for the Giants reflects the positive asset conversion but unknown downstream result; a D for Denver reflects spending a draft choice on a player who produced zero regular-season games for the club. Confidence is medium because the transaction, Spicer's prior NFL production and his August release are well supported, while the precise draft-choice identity remains unresolved.