New York traded tackle Francis Peay to Green Bay in April…
New York traded tackle Francis Peay to Green Bay in April 1968 for linebacker Tommy Crutcher and tackle Steve Wright. Crutcher immediately became a full-time Giants starter, starting all 28 games in 1968-69, while Wright started 11 of 12 Giants games across those two seasons. The Giants received two useful short-term starters, but both were gone from New York by 1970.
Green Bay Packers Received
- player Francis Peay
New York Giants Received
- player Tommy Crutcher
- player Steve Wright
Trade Analysis
The transaction itself is clean. Contemporary Green Bay reporting described the deal as Francis Peay from the Giants in exchange for linebacker Tommy Crutcher and offensive tackle Steve Wright, and later Packers history records the same two-for-one swap. There is no support for the legacy row's duplicate undisclosed-consideration placeholders. The useful comparison is therefore Peay's Green Bay tenure against the combined Giants tenures of Crutcher and Wright, with Green Bay also receiving a small later residual return when it traded Peay after the 1972 season.
New York received immediate starting value from both incoming players. NFL records show Crutcher starting all 14 games for the Giants in 1968 and all 14 again in 1969. He also recorded an interception in 1969. Wright started 10 games at right tackle in 1968 and one of his two appearances in 1969. Together, the two former Packers supplied 39 Giants starts over two seasons. That is a productive short-term return and validates the Giants' stated belief at the time that both players could earn regular roles.
Green Bay received the longer tenure. Peay played all 14 games in 1968 but started only once, then became the Packers' primary left tackle. He started all 14 games in 1969, 12 in 1970 and all 14 in 1971 before injuries reduced him to six games and two starts in 1972. Across five Packers seasons he appeared in 62 games with 43 starts. That is slightly more starting volume than Crutcher and Wright produced for New York combined, and it came from one player who remained a lineup fixture for three straight seasons.
The Peay asset also retained a small amount of value after his Green Bay playing tenure. In January 1973 the Packers traded him to Kansas City for defensive end Aaron Brown. Brown played 10 games with three starts for Green Bay across 1973 and 1974. His contribution was limited, so it should not dominate the evaluation, but it extends the Packers' return beyond Peay's 43 starts. By contrast, Wright was waived by the Giants in 1970 and Crutcher was no longer with New York after 1969, later returning to Green Bay in 1971.
The hindsight result favors Green Bay by a modest margin. New York received two genuine starters and 39 combined starts, so this was a useful trade for the Giants. Peay, however, gave the Packers five seasons, 43 starts and three years as a regular left tackle, then brought back a veteran defensive end who contributed additional games. A B+ for Green Bay and B for New York reflects that longer and slightly deeper return without diminishing the Giants' productive two-year haul.