San Francisco 49ers: Ranking top 10 trades in franchise history

No. 1: 49ers Wide Receiver Jerry Rice

49ers traded a first-round pick (28th overall) in the 1985 NFL Draft, a second-round pick (56th overall), and a third-round pick (84th overall) to New England Patriots for a first-round pick (16th overall) and a third-round pick (75th overall)

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It’s crazy to think the greatest NFL player of all time, wide receiver Jerry Rice, might have actually enjoyed his career with, gulp… the Cowboys?

Then-head coach Bill Walsh wanted the promising wideout from Mississippi Valley State. The only problem was Rice was pegged as a mid-round pick in Round 1, and the Niners owned the final pick in the round after coming off a Super Bowl win the previous season.

No worries, though. Walsh calmly touched base with the Patriots who had the No. 16 overall pick, one spot ahead of the dreaded Cowboys.

Fortunately, 15 other teams elected to pass on Rice, and Dallas never got the chance to land the greatest

wide receiver

player in NFL history.

Thank you, Walsh. Your choice and trade jockeying made for one of the greatest moves in sports history.