Earlier this month, it cost the Broncos a fourth-round pick to acquire Joe Flacco from the Ravens. The former Super Bowl MVP will head into his age-34 season with a chance to rebound in another city.
One of the best possible scenarios for the Broncos would be Flacco giving the team a season like the one Chris Chandler delivered shortly after he was dealt for a package centering around a fourth-round pick.
Twenty-two years ago today, the Falcons landed a long-term starting quarterback for only fourth- and sixth-round picks. Atlanta acquiring a 31-year-old quarterback for late-round picks turned out to be a pivotal exchange. (This was not even the most interesting Chandler trade, with the former Colts third-round pick fetching Indianapolis the 1992 No. 2 overall selection from Tampa Bay in a 1990 swap.)
The primary Houston Oilers starting quarterback from 1995-96, Chandler became expendable after the since-relocated franchise gave the keys to former top-five pick Steve McNair. The latter soon led the Titans to their only Super Bowl appearance, but the player he replaced reached the NFL’s biggest stage first. Chandler piloted the best season in Falcons history, steering the then-32-year-old organization to a 14-2 record and Super Bowl XXXIII.
A journeyman prior to finding his footing in Georgia, Chandler made two Pro Bowls in a 17-year career. Both came with the Falcons. After landing on the NFC’s 1997 Pro Bowl roster, Chandler secured a four-year, $25MM extension. He rewarded that investment by throwing for 3,154 yards and 25 touchdown passes — both career-high marks — and leading the Falcons to the No. 2 seed in the 1998 NFC playoffs. Chandler then threw for 340 yards and connected on three scoring strikes in the Falcons’ upset win over the Vikings to secure the franchise’s first Super Bowl berth.
Although Atlanta did not fare well against Denver in that game and did not post another winning season with Chandler at the helm, the veteran turned a modest investment into a trip to previously unseen heights. After the Falcons traded up for Michael Vick in 2001, Chandler still started 14 games that season. The Falcons, though, began the full-fledged Vick era in 2002 and released Chandler. He retired after the ’04 season.
The Oilers did not do poorly in making this move, either. They used the 1997 fourth-round pick to select Derrick Mason, who became McNair’s No. 1 target for several years in the early 2000s. Mason played 15 NFL seasons, primarily with the Titans and Ravens.