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Buccaneers: The Five Best Trades in Team History

By Jerry Stalheim

TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 13: Tampa Bay Buccaneers flags are carried on the field after a touchdown during the first half of the game against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium on December 13, 2015 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 13: Tampa Bay Buccaneers flags are carried on the field after a touchdown during the first half of the game against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium on December 13, 2015 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images) /
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5. Two Trades Involving Tight Ends – 1978 (Jimmie Gilles) and 2004 (Kellen Winslow)

In 1977, the second year of the Bucs existence, they finished 2-14 and in doing so ended up with the first pick in the 1978 draft. Needing a quarterback, and not a running back since they had taken one the prior season with the number one overall pick in Ricky Bell, they choose to trade out of the top spot.

They ended up trading the number one overall pick to the Houston Oilers for their first round pick (#17), second round picks in 1978 (#44), 1979 (#33), and tight end Jimmie Giles.

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With the first pick in the 1978 draft the Oilers selected future Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell, while Ricky Bell played in just five season for the Bucs before being traded to the Chargers in 1982.

However, with the seventeenth the Bucs got the player they wanted in quarterback Doug Williams who was the Bucs first real quarterback, and in the 2015 season was selected to the Ring of Honor.

Tight end Jimmie Giles who was also part of the trade, ended up being the Bucs first great tight end. Playing for nine seasons in Tampa, he accumulated 279 receptions for 4300 yards and 34 touchdowns, voted to four Pro Bowls, and became of member of the Ring of Honor in 2010

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A Second Tight End Trade

In February of 2009, after five injury plagued season in Cleveland including missing all of the 2005 season, Kellen Winslow Jr. was on the way out. The Bucs decided that they needed another pass catching tight end, so they sent a second round (#50) and a sixth round (#191) pick in the 2009 draft to Cleveland for Winslow.

Winslow was the leading receiver in Tampa from 2009-2011 compiling a total of 218 receptions for 2377 yards and twelve touchdowns in 40 games started.

Then in May of 2012, due to his high salary he was traded by the Bucs to the Seattle Seahawks, but after refusing to restructure his contract he was released.

During the three seasons with the Bucs he was basically the receiving option in their west coast offense, and he was a large part of the struggling offense but the Bucs did not win many games during his three seasons going 17-31 (.354).

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