Atlanta Falcons received Royce Smith and Dick Palmer from New…

The Exchange

On 1974-07-19, Atlanta Falcons received Royce Smith and Dick Palmer, while New Orleans Saints received Ken Reaves and Andy Maurer. The exchange is evaluated by the regular-season service and draft outcomes each club actually received from those assets. Later player movement matters only when it directly clarifies what became of the original return, keeping the comparison tied to the transaction itself. Atlanta Falcons Return Royce Smith played 38 games for Atlanta across three seasons, and Dick Palmer appeared in all 14 games in 1974. Together they gave the Falcons multiple seasons of combined roster value. The B+ grade reflects both the scale of that contribution and the cost required to obtain it. The return is credited for documented football value rather than for what the asset might have become in a different setting. New Orleans Saints Return Ken Reaves played only five games for New Orleans, while Andy Maurer also had a short Saints tenure. The Saints’ incoming pair therefore produced a much smaller combined return. The C- grade follows the same standard, emphasizing actual service for New Orleans Saints and the identifiable result of the asset it controlled after the deal. That keeps the comparison proportional to the relatively modest stakes of this trade. Value in Hindsight This four-player exchange is best judged by the combined service each club received. Atlanta clearly obtained the longer and more substantial package of usable playing time. That distinction is the central reason the grades separate as Atlanta Falcons B+ and New Orleans Saints C-. The verdict does not require either side to have landed a star; it asks which club converted its side of the exchange into the better supported football return. Final Verdict The final call is Atlanta Falcons Win. Atlanta Falcons earns B+, and New Orleans Saints earns C-. Those grades reflect the documented package, the playing time or draft value that followed, and the relative durability of each club’s return. For a minor transaction, the evidence supports that level of separation without overstating the long-term importance of the deal.