Steve Largent Was Acquired For An Eighth Round Pick

Published on March 17th, 2024 4:41 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


Wide receiver Steve Largent was taken in the fourth round of the 1976 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers.

After being selected, Largent thought that his dream of playing in the NFL was coming true.

After just four preseason games in 1976, Largent was called into the coaches office in Houston and was told that he was being released.

Largent thought that his career in the NFL was over.

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The expansion Seattle Seahawks heard that Largent might be given the chop and picked up the phone.

Would the Oilers consider moving Largent for an eighth-round pick in the 1977 NFL Draft?

For the Houston Oilers, this was found money - after all, they were planning on releasing Largent, so if course they wanted the pick.

Steve Largent was a Seattle Seahawk.

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Over the course of his storied career in the NFL, the 5'11, 187 pound wide receiver was a 7x Pro Bowler, a 1x first-team All-Pro, a 4x second-team All-Pro, and a 2x NFL receiving yards leader.

Largent wasn't super quick, but he was very good at finding openings and hanging on to the ball. Largent's sure-handed nature meant that he always received plenty of targets, and his QBs were very confident in Largent's ability to bring the ball in.

Over the course of his career, Largent caught 819 passes for 13,089 yards and 100 touchdowns.

Largent's best year came in 1985, when he caught 79 passes for 1,287 yards and 6 touchdowns. Largent posted four 100+ yard games that season, despite having no games with more than 8 catches.

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Steve Largent remains one of the most popular players in the history of the Seahawks franchise, and he was certainly one of the best trade values in the history of the league, as he was acquired for just an eighth-round draft pick.