Los Angeles Chargers received Rick Partridge from New Orleans…

The Exchange

On 1980-08-31, Los Angeles Chargers received Rick Partridge, while New Orleans Saints received 1981 eighth round pick (#215-Kevin Evans). The exchange is judged by the regular-season service, draft value, and durability each club actually obtained from those incoming assets. The relatively modest stakes matter when setting the grades, but the comparison still rewards the side that converted its return into more useful football value. Los Angeles Chargers Return Rick Partridge handled the Chargers' punting duties across the full 16-game 1980 season, delivering a clear one-year special-teams return. The B grade reflects the length and quality of that contribution relative to what Los Angeles Chargers surrendered. It does not require a star-level outcome; it measures whether the incoming asset created dependable value for the club that controlled it. New Orleans Saints Return New Orleans held the eighth-round choice used on Kevin Evans, who did not create a comparable Saints regular-season return. The D grade applies the same standard to New Orleans Saints, emphasizing actual games, starts, production, or retained draft value rather than hypothetical upside. That keeps both sides of the exchange on the same scale. Value in Hindsight The comparison favors the return that became more useful and lasted longer, while giving appropriate credit when both clubs received real contributions. San Diego acquired punter Rick Partridge from New Orleans and received a full 16-game 1980 season from him. New Orleans held the 1981 eighth-round choice used on Kevin Evans, who did not create a comparable Saints regular-season return. The Chargers realized the useful direct football value, and the corpus also needs the player's standard Rick Partridge identity and a cleaned canonical key. The hindsight call remains proportional to a minor transaction: useful depth, a productive late-round selection, or a short starting stint can matter without being treated like a franchise-changing move. Final Verdict The final call is Los Angeles Chargers Win. Los Angeles Chargers earns B, and New Orleans Saints earns D. Those grades reflect the documented package, the service or draft value that followed, and the relative durability of each club's return. The result stays focused on what the teams actually received from this transaction rather than on unrelated later events.