New England acquired Ara Person, but Person did not become a…
New England acquired Ara Person, but Person did not become a Patriots regular-season contributor and later appeared only briefly for another club. The direct return therefore created almost no lasting New England value. That outcome looks especially poor beside Jim Clack's long Steelers tenure, making the Patriots the clear losing side of this player-for-player exchange.
New England Patriots Received
- player Ara Person
Pittsburgh Steelers Received
- player Jim Clack
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
On 1971-08-09, New England Patriots received Ara Person, while Pittsburgh Steelers received Jim Clack. This hindsight grade considers only the consideration each club controlled directly after the transaction. When an acquired selection or player later moved again, that later move is treated as provenance rather than as extra compensation. The central question is what practical football value each side ultimately created from the assets in this exchange.
New England Patriots Return
New England acquired Ara Person, but Person did not become a Patriots regular-season contributor and later appeared only briefly for another club. The direct return therefore created almost no lasting New England value. That outcome looks especially poor beside Jim Clack's long Steelers tenure, making the Patriots the clear losing side of this player-for-player exchange. The return is judged by usable games, starts, role value, or retained draft value that came directly from this exchange.
Pittsburgh Steelers Return
Pittsburgh acquired Jim Clack, who went on to play 92 regular-season games for the Steelers and became a starting offensive lineman during the franchise's 1970s championship run. That kind of multi-year service from a straight player exchange is substantial. With Ara Person providing no comparable Patriots value, Pittsburgh receives one of the strongest grades in this wave. The same standard applies here, keeping later unrelated transactions separate from the original bargain.
Value in Hindsight
Clack became a 92-game Steeler and a starting lineman during Pittsburgh's championship years, while Person never established a Patriots regular-season role. A straight player exchange that produced that much durable service on one side and almost none on the other warrants a decisive Pittsburgh verdict. Taken together, those outcomes support Pittsburgh Steelers Win and the stated grade separation. The scale remains proportional to the size of the deal and the certainty of the evidence rather than overstating a minor transaction.
Final Verdict
New England Patriots receives a D and Pittsburgh Steelers receives a A-. The verdict is Pittsburgh Steelers Win. This conclusion reflects the direct assets, the football value each club actually realized, and the duration of that value. It does not award extra credit for later unrelated transactions involving an acquired pick or player.