New York traded nose tackle Jerome Sally to Indianapolis on…
New York traded nose tackle Jerome Sally to Indianapolis on September 2, 1987 for the Colts' 1988 seventh-round draft choice. That pick became No. 186 overall, tight end Danta Whitaker. Sally played 12 games and started eight for Indianapolis in 1987, while Whitaker spent his Giants rookie year on injured reserve and never appeared in a New York regular-season game.
Indianapolis Colts Received
- player Jerome Sally
New York Giants Received
- pick 1988 seventh round pick (#186-Danta Whitaker)
Trade Analysis
The transaction chain is unusually clear for a late-round veteran trade. Contemporary UPI reporting on September 2, 1987 states that the New York Giants traded nose tackle Jerome Sally to Indianapolis for a 1988 draft choice. Pro Sports Transactions identifies the compensation as the Colts' seventh-round pick and traces it to No. 186 overall in the 1988 draft, where the Giants selected tight end Danta Whitaker. The Giants' own draft history independently labels Whitaker's No. 186 selection as a choice acquired from Indianapolis. That removes the need for the unsupported generic consideration placeholders in the legacy TradeVerdicts row. Indianapolis received immediate defensive-line value from Sally. Pro Football Reference records him in 12 Colts games during the strike-shortened 1987 season, with eight starts and one sack. He was part of a Colts team that won the AFC East and remained on the roster until the following preseason. Pro Football Archives confirms the September 2 trade and the same 12-game, eight-start Indianapolis season. New York's downstream pick did not create comparable Giants production. Whitaker was selected 186th overall, signed with the Giants and went to injured reserve on August 23, 1988. Pro Football Archives then records him becoming an unrestricted free agent in February 1989. His eventual NFL career included Kansas City, Minnesota and Chicago, but not a Giants regular-season appearance. NFL career statistics likewise show his 27 NFL games coming only with those later clubs. Because hindsight grading follows realized value to the team that made the selection, Whitaker's later production elsewhere does not rescue New York's side of this trade. The Colts received a season with 12 appearances and eight starts from Sally, while the Giants' acquired pick produced zero regular-season games for New York. The legacy Giants-win verdict is therefore reversed. Indianapolis receives a B- for obtaining meaningful starting nose-tackle depth with a seventh-round asset; New York receives a D+ because the resulting draft choice never appeared in a Giants regular-season game. Confidence is high because the transaction date, pick chain, Sally's Colts production and Whitaker's Giants tenure are independently documented.