New York and St. Louis exchanged veterans before the 1967…
New York and St. Louis exchanged veterans before the 1967 season, with running back Bill Triplett going to the Giants and linebacker Jerry Hillebrand going to the Cardinals. Contemporary reporting and later team histories identify a straight player-for-player trade. Triplett played 11 Giants games with four starts in 1967; Hillebrand appeared in all 14 Cardinals games.
Arizona Cardinals Received
- player Jerry Hillebrand
New York Giants Received
- player Bill Triplett
Trade Analysis
The March 14, 1967 Bill Triplett-Jerry Hillebrand exchange is a straight player trade, not the multi-asset deal implied by the legacy TradeVerdicts placeholders. Contemporary 1967 reporting on the Cardinals says linebacker Jerry Hillebrand came from the New York Giants in a trade for running back Bill Triplett. Later Detroit Lions media material recounting Triplett's career says the same thing: St. Louis traded him back to the Giants in 1967 for Hillebrand. The two players brought established NFL experience. Triplett had been drafted by New York in 1962 but was traded to St. Louis before his rookie season. With the Cardinals he developed into a productive back, including 1,048 yards from scrimmage in 1963 and 873 in 1965 before a reduced role in 1966. Hillebrand had spent four seasons with the Giants from 1963 through 1966, appearing in 49 regular-season games and recording nine interceptions according to NFL career statistics. Both receiving teams got immediate 1967 value. Pro Football Reference records Triplett appearing in 11 Giants games with four starts, rushing for 171 yards and two touchdowns and adding 69 receiving yards. His two touchdowns came against St. Louis in New York's season opener, an unusual immediate return against the team that had just traded him. Hillebrand appeared in all 14 Cardinals games in 1967 according to NFL records. He did not remain in St. Louis beyond that season, moving to Pittsburgh in 1968, where he later became a regular starter. Triplett likewise stayed with the Giants for only one season before New York included him in the 1968 trade that sent him to Detroit. The realized value from this specific exchange is therefore relatively balanced: New York received one season of useful backfield production and four starts, while St. Louis received a full season of linebacker availability. There is no source-backed hidden consideration to shift the comparison. TradeVerdicts records an Even Trade with C grades for both teams. Confidence is high because the player-for-player structure is independently documented and both 1967 career records are well established.