
6. Baltimore Colts Trade John Elway To Denver Broncos:
This mess of a situation ended up being arguably the most defining moment in Broncos history looking back. Former Stanford star Elway was adamant that he wouldn’t play for the Baltimore Colts if they drafted him with the first overall pick in the 1983 draft, but they did anyway. True to form, he refused to play. So they traded him to Denver for two players and a first-round pick.

All Elway did was become a two-time Super Bowl champ, a Super Bowl MVP, and a nine-time Pro Bowler. He made three total All-Pro teams and won an NFL MVP award. All told, he threw for 51,475 yards and 300 touchdowns. Elway is justifiably one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, making this one of the worst trades ever based on the compensation the Colts received in return. They knew he wouldn’t play for them, yet created this situation unnecessarily.