Many consider the Dallas Cowboys’ trade for Herschel Walker from Minnesota to be one of the greatest trades in NFL history.
Walker was sent by Dallas to the Vikings as a huge haul. This helped them kickstart their Super Bowl dynasty of the 1990s.
Johnson almost sent Walker to another place, however.
In an episode of “NFL Icons,” the Hall of Fame coach revealed that Walker was almost sent to the Cleveland Browns by him.
“[Former Browns general manager] Ernie [Accorsi], of course, he was with the Cleveland Browns at that time. He called, and we worked out a trade and — and [it] sounded pretty good,” Johnson says. “And he said, well, the only thing is, you know, he’d have to get [Browns owner] Art Modell to sign off on it that night.”
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Eight draft picks were returned to the Cowboys by the Vikings. Among other players, Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland defensive tackle, cornerback Kevin Smith, and safety Darren Woodson were among those draft picks.
In the 1990s, Dallas won three Super Bowls.