The LA Chargers have some good and bad trades with the San Francisco 49ers.
In what has become an ongoing series here at Bolt Beat, we are breaking down the greatest trade that the LA Chargers have made with every other NFL franchise. Today, we break down the best trade in team history with the San Francisco 49ers.
The Chargers have made some decent trades with the 49ers but they have made some really bad ones as well. The most notable awful trade that the Bolts have made with the 49ers was in 1981 when the Chargers traded standout, and Hall of Fame, pass-rusher Fred Dean because of contract disputes.
The Chargers had the offense to be successful in the early-to-mid 1980s but never got over the hump because of issues on the defensive side of the ball, something that Dean would have helped solve drastically.
The best trade that the LA Chargers have made with the 49ers is a recent one involving a player that not too many Charger fans are fond of anymore.
The LA Chargers’ best ever trade with the San Francisco 49ers:
After five seasons with the LA Chargers, Melvin Gordon signed with the Denver Broncos and has made several comments about his old team that has turned Charger fans against him. That is, the Charger fans that did not already turn against him because of his holdout at the beginning of the season.
However, there is no denying that Gordon was a big part of the Chargers’ offense while he was healthy and while he may not have ever reached the top-five in the league status that Charger fans knew he was capable of, he was a solid back for the team.
RELATED: The best trade in team history with the Miami Dolphins
There are two things that make this a great trade for the Chargers. First is that Gordon worked out and was much better than the rest of the running backs taken after him, so moving up was obviously worth it.
The other thing is that the Chargers did not really give up all that much. They traded a fourth and fifth-round pick, both of which were inconsequential to the team, to move up two spots and get the guy they liked.
Sure, they did not move very far and the 49ers did a good job at getting added value in the draft, but it is not like the 49ers landed any sleepers with those picks or that the Chargers were drastically hurt by not having two late-round picks.
It’s a good trade. The LA Chargers got their running back for the next half-decade and made the right choice in moving up to get him.