Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Kind of a weird trade, with Mitchell being unhappy with his contract in Baltimore, leveling discrimination charges against Bob Irsay, and eventually forcing his way out. The Chargers had been gradually building a talented team under Tommy Prothro and were expected to turn the corner in 1978.

Mitchell wasn't "old" going into the 1978 season, but he had a lot of wear on his tires. He was very productive, the AFC's version of Chuck Foreman, but he wasn't a spectacular player like Foreman. Mitchell wasn't big, wasn't fast, but he was great at setting up his blocks and gaining yards. He caught a lot of passes in Marchibroda's offense, and was coming off a run of 3 straight pro bowl appearances.

Washington sat out his 1976 rookie year with a knee injury, and returned partway through the 1977 season as a spot-duty RB. He didn't really set the world on fire, but I find it odd that a rebuilding team like San Diego would be so willing to part with a player who two years prior had been their 4th overall pick. Maybe they thought that the opportunity to acquire Mitchell was too good to pass up, but Mitchell was definitely on the downside of his RB career (he'd have one productive season with San Diego) and the Colts were obviously just trying to unload Mitchell.

The Colts got the better end of the deal, as Washington gave them 3 good years, and was then flipped for a 2nd round pick in 1981. It would have been interesting to see what Joe Washington would have done in San Diego had they kept him with Don Coryell coming in. Washington might have been the Terry Metcalf/James Brooks RB, and perhaps the whole 1979-1981 Air Coryell timeline would have been different, especially in 1979.

Bryan wrote:Kind of a weird trade, with Mitchell being unhappy with his contract in Baltimore, leveling discrimination charges against Bob Irsay, and eventually forcing his way out. The Chargers had been gradually building a talented team under Tommy Prothro and were expected to turn the corner in 1978.

Mitchell wasn't "old" going into the 1978 season, but he had a lot of wear on his tires. He was very productive, the AFC's version of Chuck Foreman, but he wasn't a spectacular player like Foreman. Mitchell wasn't big, wasn't fast, but he was great at setting up his blocks and gaining yards. He caught a lot of passes in Marchibroda's offense, and was coming off a run of 3 straight pro bowl appearances.

Washington sat out his 1976 rookie year with a knee injury, and returned partway through the 1977 season as a spot-duty RB. He didn't really set the world on fire, but I find it odd that a rebuilding team like San Diego would be so willing to part with a player who two years prior had been their 4th overall pick. Maybe they thought that the opportunity to acquire Mitchell was too good to pass up, but Mitchell was definitely on the downside of his RB career (he'd have one productive season with San Diego) and the Colts were obviously just trying to unload Mitchell.

The Colts got the better end of the deal, as Washington gave them 3 good years, and was then flipped for a 2nd round pick in 1981. It would have been interesting to see what Joe Washington would have done in San Diego had they kept him with Don Coryell coming in. Washington might have been the Terry Metcalf/James Brooks RB, and perhaps the whole 1979-1981 Air Coryell timeline would have been different, especially in 1979.

This goes back to the advances in medical knowledge since the 70s, if a back missed an entire season, his future was a major question mark. Washington certainly proved the doubters wrong, and would have been very capable of flourishing under Don Coryell. The Chargers also made a mistake trading James Brooks, but that's another story.

The Chargers felt that they could compete in the AFC West and figured Mitchell would be a quick fix that would help their passing attack--not to mention having his three straight 1,000-yard seasons entering the season. At the time, Washington was considered a spot player by the Chargers, with Jerry Magee writing: "The Chargers are buying performance; the Colts are investing in potential."

Supposedly, 15 other teams were looking to add Mitchell.