Baltimore acquired Steve McNair from Tennessee for a 2007…

Steve McNair arrived in Baltimore at exactly the moment the Ravens needed a stabilizing veteran quarterback. The roster already had a championship-caliber defense, but the offense had cycled through Kyle Boller and other short-term answers without finding enough consistency. McNair was 33 and had absorbed years of punishment in Tennessee, yet he still brought command, toughness and late-game credibility. In 2006 he started every game, completed 63 percent of his passes, threw for 3,050 yards and produced a 13-3 starting record. Baltimore won the AFC North and earned a first-round playoff bye, making the fourth-round price look extremely modest. The deal was not a long-duration answer. McNair's body broke down in 2007, when he appeared in only six games and Baltimore fell to 5-11. He retired after the season. That short second chapter keeps the Ravens from receiving a perfect grade, but it does not erase the value of 2006. A fourth-round selection purchased a legitimate one-year championship window at the sport's most important position. Tennessee's logic was understandable. The Titans had drafted Vince Young third overall in 2006, McNair's relationship with the organization had become strained, and a transition was coming regardless. Turning an aging quarterback into a draft choice was better than losing him without compensation. The problem is what that choice became. Tennessee selected Florida State receiver Chris Davis at No. 128 in 2007; Davis played 17 NFL games and finished with seven receptions for 69 yards. Hindsight therefore favors Baltimore decisively. The Ravens extracted one excellent season from a former MVP for a low-cost pick, while Tennessee received almost no lasting football value from the return. The Titans deserve some credit for choosing a direction rather than prolonging an awkward transition, but the actual asset return was too small to compete with Baltimore's immediate 13-win payoff.