Atlanta acquired tackle Stan Thomas from Chicago on August…
Atlanta acquired tackle Stan Thomas from Chicago on August 17, 1993 for a conditional 1994 draft pick. Thomas was waived by the Falcons roughly a week later and never appeared in a regular-season game for Atlanta; his 1993 NFL action came with Houston. Because the condition tied to the pick was not exercised, Chicago also received no draft selection. Both sides therefore realized essentially no value, making the trade an even C-minus result once the short Atlanta stay is stated concretely.
Atlanta Falcons Received
- player Stan Thomas
Chicago Bears Received
- pick 1994 conditional draft pick (not exercised)
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Atlanta acquired offensive tackle Stan Thomas from Chicago on August 17, 1993 in exchange for a conditional 1994 draft choice. The current package correctly notes that the condition was not exercised. The remaining job is to establish what Thomas actually did for Atlanta and whether Chicago ever realized draft value from the conditional consideration.
Atlanta Falcons Return
Atlanta acquired tackle Stan Thomas from Chicago on August 17, 1993 for a conditional 1994 draft pick. Thomas was waived by the Falcons roughly a week later and never appeared in a regular-season game for Atlanta; his 1993 NFL action came with Houston. Because the condition tied to the pick was not exercised, Chicago also received no draft selection. Both sides therefore realized essentially no value, making the trade an even C-minus result once the short Atlanta stay is stated concretely.
Chicago Bears Return
Chicago sent Stan Thomas to Atlanta for a conditional 1994 draft choice, but the condition was never exercised. Thomas did not make it to the Falcons’ regular season, as Atlanta waived him within days and he later played for Houston. The Bears consequently received no pick, while the Falcons received no regular-season contribution. There is no downstream draft value to credit and no Atlanta production to inflate, so the proper hindsight treatment is a low-impact even trade.
Value in Hindsight
Neither side generated meaningful realized value. Atlanta did not get Thomas into a regular-season game, and Chicago did not receive the conditional selection. This is exactly the kind of transaction where generic prose can make a small deal sound more consequential than it was. The specific outcomes point in the opposite direction: the exchange effectively dissolved into zero durable value on both sides.
Final Verdict
The trade is Even at C- for Atlanta and C- for Chicago. The current structural terms are supportable; the needed repair is specificity. Thomas’s immediate waiver and the non-exercised pick explain why neither side deserves credit beyond a failed, low-cost roster experiment.