You hear terms like “climb” and “go down” during the draft. You learn that an NFL player has been exchanged for a draft choice. Everything about NFL exchanges.
Example of a draft choice exchange
In 2017, despite the presence of Quarterback Alex Smith in the workforce, the Chiefs covet Patrick Mahomes. Too low in the draft to obtain it, they manage with Buffalo to give the choice 27, a choice of the 3rd round 2017 and their choice of the 1st round 2018. Kansas City thus recovering the number 10 choice, to recruit Patrick Mahomes.
The charters
When a manager wants to recruit a university player but fears that another franchise will take it before, he calls a colleague with a choice higher. The compensation varies depending on the interlocutors, but they can rely on a base, or rather several!
In the 1990s, Geep Chryst developed a system giving a number of points for each draft choice. Inspired by the way of negotiating from Jimmy Johnson to Dallas, this charter bears the name of this legendary coach: university champion as in NFL.
Thus during the Draft 2024, Minnesota gives the jets the choices 11, 129 and 157. According to this charter, this lot is worth 1321 points. In exchange, the Vikings receive the choices 10 and 203: 1309 points. It agrees and the two managers agree.
There are also three other systems: Rich Hill's Charter, that of Harvard, as well as the most used by staff. The Fitzgerald-Spielberger Trade Value Chart is more recent, so it takes into account the wage grid for rookies: established in 2011, 20 years after the Jimmy Johnson system.
This new calculation further values the choices of the 3rd day: Tours 4 to 7. Where the Jimmy Johnson Charter is completely declining the value of the choices, from the middle of the 4th round. The choices of the 6th round and even more of the 7th round being worth almost nothing! This is very different with the Fitzgerald-Spielberger system, and that is why it is now the most used.
Following this new standard, the Vikings gave 2,760 points to the jets, against only 2140 points. Because these charters are only bases to start negotiation. Other factors take into account!
Negotiations
A tacit agreement between managers plans to inform his interlocutor of the player whom he will select if agreement: a franchise ready to descend into the hierarchy, does not wish to be checked for the coveted player. And there is also a second reason explaining the need to know, for which player a franchise wants to “go up”.
Thus, Minnesota manager informed his New York counterpart, whom he wanted to choose the Quarterback JJ McCarthy: the price is always more expensive when it comes to a quarterback of the 1st round! Although only winning a place, the Vikings have given, in a charter or the other, more than the jets.
“You want to take a player who can potentially change the destiny of your franchise, so you pay!” “: It's the game my poor Lucette. And this also applies when a manager covets a player from a premium position like Tackle offensive and Edge Rusher.
There is also another way to exchange draft choices: include an NFL player in the case.
NFL player against draft choice
During the 2025 offseason, the raiders recruited the quarterback Geno Smith. Under contract for another season with Seattle, the Las Vegas franchise exchanged a choice of the 3rd round of the Draft 2025 to obtain it. This choice number 92 had itself been acquired from jets a year earlier, in an exchange sending Davante Adams to New York.
The price assessment of an NFL player is done on his level of play. As well as his age and the number of years remaining on his contract. This is why Pittsburgh had to give a choice of the 2nd round (52) for the receiver DK Metcalf, while Washington paid only a choice of the 5th round (160) for Deebo Samuel. The first is better and 23 months younger.
A win-win exchange
The price also depends on the value granted to a position. Thus, to acquire the Quarterback Matthew Stafford in 2021, the Rams of Los Angeles compensated Detroit with essentially two choices of the 1st round, two of the second round as well as the Quarterback Jared Goff.
The exchange proved to be paying for rams winning the Super Bowl 56! And with all these additional draft choices, the Lions were able to build a conquering workforce: Jameson Williams (WR) and Josh Paschal (DE) in 2022, Jahmyr Gibbs (RB) and Sam Laporta (Te) in 2023. Not to mention a Jared Goff knowing a second rebound in his career, to become a Top 10 in Quarterback.
