San Diego received John Baker, Gary Cutsinger, and Pete…
San Diego received John Baker, Gary Cutsinger, and Pete Jaquess from Houston while sending Ernie Ladd and Earl Faison to the Oilers. The surviving record does not securely connect the transaction to a specific additional draft return, and the downstream value is difficult to separate with confidence. The documented player exchange therefore supports a balanced result rather than a clear winner.
Los Angeles Chargers Received
- player John Baker / Johnny Baker
- player Gary Cutsinger
- player Pete Jaquess
Tennessee Titans Received
- player Ernie Ladd
- player Earl Faison
Trade Analysis
Why the Trade Happened
San Diego Chargers and Houston Oilers made this deal during the 1966 football year. San Diego Chargers received John Baker / Johnny Baker, Gary Cutsinger, Pete Jaquess, while Houston Oilers received Ernie Ladd, Earl Faison. The exchange fits the roster-building logic of the era, when clubs regularly moved veteran rights and future draft capital to solve immediate needs. The terms are stated exactly at the level carried by the transaction record, without turning uncertain draft links into facts.
What San Diego Chargers Received
San Diego Chargers came away with John Baker / Johnny Baker, Gary Cutsinger, Pete Jaquess. The grade considers whether that return created usable roster value, a meaningful draft opportunity, or a later asset that can be traced with confidence. The San Diego-Houston record involves unspecified consideration, and later draft ledgers show multiple Houston-San Diego pick movements without securely tying this row to a major downstream asset. The transaction can be published with restrained language, but not with a manufactured decisive winner. Where the downstream path is uncertain, the evaluation stops at the strongest documented point rather than awarding credit for a speculative connection.
What Houston Oilers Received
Houston Oilers received Ernie Ladd, Earl Faison. Its grade is measured by the same standard: practical football value, durability of the return, and any securely traceable later movement. Historical trades from this period can have incomplete paper trails, so the comparison favors documented outcomes over assumptions. That keeps both sides on equal footing and avoids overstating what the surviving evidence can prove.
Final Verdict
The final grades are San Diego Chargers B- and Houston Oilers B-. The verdict is Even Trade. Neither side has a sufficiently clear documented advantage to justify separating the grades, so the exchange lands as an even result. This is a complete historical judgment of the recorded deal while preserving uncertainty where the old transaction trail does not support a stronger claim.