The New Orleans Saints have more than enough misery and strange goings-on for multiple NFL franchises etched into their history, but no personnel move is more baffling and unusual than what went down during the 1999 NFL Draft when Mike Ditka fixated on Texas running back Ricky Williams.
Knowing there was no shot at grabbing the former Heisman Trophy winner with the No. 12 overall pick, Ditka decided that no price was too steep to pay for Williams' services. When Washington was willing to entertain his trade offer, Ditka pushed the button on one of the worst trades the league has ever seen.
To acquire Williams, Ditka and the Saints traded every pick they had left in the 1999 Draft (the No. 12 pick and one third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh round selection) in addition to their 2000 first-round pick (which was No. 2 overall) and third-round pick.
The weirdest Saints moment was the NFL Draft trade for Ricky Williams
Williams signed what was widely regarded as one of the worst contracts in NFL history, forgoing a large amount of guaranteed money for an incentive-based deal that cost him dearly in the long run. Williams' Saints went 3-13 in his first season as a pro, and Ditka was fired one year after making the trade.
Not only were the Saints a bad team despite Williams putting together some solid seasons, but they were now unable to reinforce many of those key areas of need because much of their premium draft capital was in Washington.
This trade has been regarded as one of the worst transactions in NFL history, as it is in the same tier as infamous moves like the Herschel Walker trade that built the Cowboys into a dynasty and the Buccaneers giving away Steve Young to the 49ers for pennies on the dollar.
The Saints did manage to put together two more respectable seasons under Jim Haslett, both of which saw Williams run for 1,000 yards, but this front office had some trepidation about giving him a long-term contract. Just three years after pulling off one of the most stunning trades in NFL history, the Saints selected Williams' replacement in Deuce McAllister and traded Ricky to the Miami Dolphins.
Miami benefited the most from Williams' early career, as he turned into an All-Pro immediately after touching down. New Orleans got a scapegoat for their turn of the millennium failures, and Washington was unable to build a contender out of all of the picks they were handed in the Williams deal.