New York acquired Pat West's contract and the dealing rights…
New York acquired Pat West's contract and the dealing rights to Jim Ford from Green Bay on January 24, 1949. The Packers received the draft rights to tackles Jack Bush and Ed Kelley. Contemporary Green Bay reporting described it as a four-player exchange designed to address New York's backfield needs and Green Bay's need for tackle depth.
Green Bay Packers Received
New York Giants Received
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
On January 24, 1949, Green Bay and New York completed a four-player rights transaction. The Packers received the draft rights to tackles Jack Bush and Ed Kelley. The Giants received fullback Pat West's contract and the dealing rights to back Jim Ford. Contemporary Green Bay reporting described the trade as an attempt to strengthen the Packers at tackle and the Giants in the backfield.
New York Giants Return
New York acquired West and Ford's rights. West had joined Green Bay late in the 1948 season after spending most of his NFL career with the Rams, but his NFL playing career ended after those three Packers appearances. The available source set does not document a meaningful Giants regular-season contribution from West or Ford following the transaction.
Green Bay Packers Return
Green Bay acquired the draft rights to Bush and Kelley. Kelley had been a Giants draft choice, but his documented 1949 professional season came with the Los Angeles Dons of the AAFC rather than the Packers. The researched material likewise does not establish a significant Packers NFL return from Bush. The rights had roster-building logic, but they did not produce a clearly documented Green Bay payoff.
Value in Hindsight
The contemporary rationale was straightforward: Green Bay wanted tackle help, while New York wanted backfield options. The realized professional results were much less substantial than the positional logic. None of the four supported assets is documented here as becoming a major long-term contributor for the acquiring NFL club, leaving little separation between the teams.
Final Verdict
An Even Trade with matching C grades fits the limited realized value. The important historical point is that this was a defined four-asset exchange, not a six-asset package with unidentified consideration on both sides. Once the supported transaction is isolated, neither New York nor Green Bay produced enough documented return to establish a clear advantage.