Arizona Cardinals received Walker Gillette and Leon Burns;…
Arizona Cardinals received Walker Gillette and Leon Burns; Gillette started 22 games across two St. Louis seasons with 53 catches for 794 yards and three touchdowns, while Burns had 69 rushing yards and two scores in his lone Cardinals season. The team earns a C+, compared with B for Los Angeles Chargers, and the hindsight verdict is Los Angeles Chargers Win. That judgment reflects the concrete team-specific production, role and tenure created by the assets in this deal.
Arizona Cardinals Received
- player Leon Burns
- player Walker Gillette
Los Angeles Chargers Received
- player Cid Edwards
- player Dave Williams
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
The 1972 exchange sent Cid Edwards and Dave Williams from the Cardinals to San Diego, with Leon Burns and Walker Gillette going the other direction. The package was a straight player swap, so the hindsight test is unusually direct: compare what those four players produced for the clubs that acquired them, rather than leaning on draft-slot theory or later reputation with unrelated teams.
St. Louis Cardinals Return
Arizona's strongest return was Gillette. In 1972 he started 13 of 14 games and caught 33 passes for 550 yards and two touchdowns; in 1973 he started nine more games with 20 catches for 244 yards and one score. Burns played 14 games with five starts in 1972, but his offensive role was small: 26 carries for 69 yards and two touchdowns plus six catches for 24 yards. Gillette made this a useful return, not a miss.
San Diego Chargers Return
San Diego received the best player-season in the trade. Edwards started all 12 games he played in 1972 and rushed for 679 yards and five touchdowns while catching 40 passes for 557 yards and two more scores, totaling 1,236 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns. He remained with the Chargers through 1974, finishing that three-year run with 35 games and 30 starts. Williams added 14 catches for 315 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games, six starts, in 1972.
Value in Hindsight
Gillette's two productive seasons keep Arizona competitive, but Edwards created both the highest peak and the most sustained starting value in the exchange. His 1972 scrimmage production alone dwarfed Burns' role, and Williams' three receiving touchdowns gave San Diego another useful contribution. Arizona got a legitimate starting receiver; San Diego got a starting fullback who generated more than 1,200 scrimmage yards immediately plus a secondary receiving piece.
Final Verdict
The Chargers earn a B and the win; Arizona receives a C+. Edwards is the separator: 1,236 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns in his first San Diego season, followed by two more years of service, outweigh Gillette's solid two-year Cardinals run. Burns and Williams were secondary pieces, but Williams' 1972 production further strengthens San Diego's side.