Los Angeles Chargers received 1981 eleventh round pick…

The Exchange

On 1980-09-01, The Giants acquired quarterback Cliff Olander from San Diego for a 1981 eleventh-round pick. The result is best measured through the service each club actually received afterward, including games, starts, production and draft value that can be connected directly to the exchanged assets. That approach keeps a smaller transaction proportional to what it ultimately produced. Los Angeles Chargers Return San Diego used the eleventh-round selection on Matt Petrzelka, who did not establish meaningful NFL production. The Chargers received little direct value from the draft asset. The D grade reflects that outcome against the price Los Angeles Chargers surrendered. Longer tenure, starting work and productive downstream draft use raise the return, while brief service or little direct contribution keeps the grade lower. New York Giants Return Olander's final NFL regular-season appearance came in 1979, before this transaction, so he produced no Giants regular-season value afterward. New York received no measurable game contribution. The D grade applies the same standard to New York Giants. The focus stays on value tied to this transaction rather than later accomplishments that cannot be connected confidently to the assets exchanged here. Value in Hindsight Neither side generated a consequential football return. The Giants got no post-trade regular-season service from Olander, and San Diego's late-round selection did not become a meaningful NFL contributor, supporting equal low grades. The comparison remains centered on duration, starts, production and useful draft outcomes. A modest trade does not need a dramatic grade spread unless the documented returns clearly moved in opposite directions. Final Verdict The final call is Even Trade. Los Angeles Chargers receives D, and New York Giants receives D. The decision follows the contribution each side received and the downstream value that remained connected to the original package. Those grades keep the result grounded in realized football value and appropriately scaled to the size of the deal.