The Jets acquired running back Thomas Jones and the 63rd pick…
The Jets acquired running back Thomas Jones and the 63rd pick from Chicago for the 37th pick, effectively moving down 26 spots in Round 2 to add a proven starter. Jones then rushed for more than 1,100 yards in each of his three Jets seasons and led the AFC with 1,312 yards in 2008. New York later used No. 63 as part of the move for David Harris, multiplying the deal's value.
Chicago Bears Received
- pick 2007 2nd round pick (37th overall, later traded to San Diego in the Eric Weddle deal)
New York Jets Received
- player Thomas Jones
- pick 2007 2nd round pick (63rd overall, later included in the David Harris trade)
Trade Analysis
Chicago had reached Super Bowl XLI with Thomas Jones as its leading rusher, but the emergence of Cedric Benson made Jones expendable. The Bears sent Jones and the 63rd pick to the Jets for No. 37, a transaction that functioned more like a 26-slot move up in the second round than a conventional player-for-pick sale. For New York, that was an unusually modest acquisition cost for a proven starting running back.
Jones became exactly what the Jets needed. He rushed for 1,119 yards in 2007, 1,312 in 2008 and a career-high 1,402 in 2009. He earned a Pro Bowl selection after the 2008 season and scored 27 rushing touchdowns over his final two years with the club. His 2009 production helped a rookie Mark Sanchez-led offense reach the AFC Championship Game. Across three seasons, Jones gave New York 3,833 rushing yards, durability and a dependable veteran presence.
The deal became even more favorable because the Jets retained the 63rd selection. New York later packaged that pick in the draft-day move that produced linebacker David Harris, who became a decade-long defensive leader. It would be unfair to credit the entire Harris career to the Jones transaction, but the preserved second-round asset clearly had additional strategic value beyond the running back himself.
Chicago's side is more complicated than simply selecting one player at No. 37. The Bears subsequently sent that choice to San Diego, which used it on Eric Weddle, and received Nos. 62, 93 and 167 plus a later selection. Chicago turned those picks into Dan Bazuin, Garrett Wolfe, Kevin Payne and eventually Marcus Harrison. Several contributed, but none matched Jones's impact for New York, and the Bears' running game took a step backward after his departure.
New York earns an A-plus for acquiring a three-year workhorse without surrendering its place in the second round entirely. Chicago gained quantity and flexibility but failed to turn the chain of selections into comparable performance. That leaves the Bears at C-minus and makes the Jets the clear winner.