Lending a Player to Another Team For a Specified Time
Posted: Sat Jun 03, 2023 2:27 am
I know QB Jacky Lee was loaned out in 1963 from the Houston Oilers to the Denver Broncos. He played 1964-65 seasons in Denver, then was returned to Houston. Wikipedia states that he was the only player ever to be "lend-leased" to another team. I recall reading somewhere (wish I could cite the source, but I don't recall it.) that Rudy Bukich was also "lend-leased" from the Chicago Bears to the Pittsburgh Steelers where he played in 1960 & 1961 then was returned to Chicago.
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Questions: What was the compensation that the Oilers received for Lee's services? Was Bukich really "lend-leased" or was that 2 separate trades or waiver deals? If he was, what compensation did the Bears receive? Is this still a legal practice in the NFL or has it been abolished? (2 teams could easily circumvent a league rule by agreeing on the QT to trade the player for low draft choice, then trade him back for the same low choice. So a ban makes little sense.) Finally, has it ever happened any other time besides this 1 or 2?
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Questions: What was the compensation that the Oilers received for Lee's services? Was Bukich really "lend-leased" or was that 2 separate trades or waiver deals? If he was, what compensation did the Bears receive? Is this still a legal practice in the NFL or has it been abolished? (2 teams could easily circumvent a league rule by agreeing on the QT to trade the player for low draft choice, then trade him back for the same low choice. So a ban makes little sense.) Finally, has it ever happened any other time besides this 1 or 2?