Herschel Walker

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Lore & Background

In 1989, while still regarded as one of the league's premier running backs, Herschel Walker was the centerpiece of a deal that would reshape the National Football League. Four games into the season, Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson, having taken over from Tom Landry, sought a new direction and identified Walker as his only viable bargaining chip. Although the New York Giants expressed interest, divisional rules made them unfavorable partners. The Cleveland Browns offered significant compensation, which Jerry Jones used to leverage a deal with Minnesota Vikings general manager Mike Lynn. Lynn, desperate for a missing piece to secure a Super Bowl run after consecutive playoff losses, agreed before Johnson's 6:30 p.m. deadline. To facilitate the agreement, the Cowboys paid Walker a $1.25 million "exit bonus." The original proposal involved Walker and three picks moving to Minnesota for five players and draft assets, but it expanded when Darrin Nelson refused to report to Dallas. This led to a revised transaction involving the San Diego Chargers, ultimately moving 18 players and picks between the three teams.

In Their Own Story

The trade was met with immediate backlash in Dallas, where writers like Randy Galloway criticized the move and Frank Luksa described the return as "a bag of beans and a cow to be named later." Coach Johnson, however, openly bragged about the deal, calling it "The Great Train Robbery." He immediately signaled his true intent by waiving Stewart in November 1989 and instructing coaches not to start Solomon, Howard, or Holt. The Vikings had assumed Dallas would keep these players to rebuild their roster, but Johnson intended to cut them all to claim the conditional draft compensation offered by Minnesota for any player not on the roster by February 1, 1990. Although Vikings GM Mike Lynn later made a side deal allowing Dallas to keep three players in exchange for two picks, the Cowboys ultimately secured eight draft picks from the transaction. These assets were instrumental in acquiring key players like Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson, and Russell Maryland, fueling a dynasty that won three Super Bowls.

Reader's Guide

The aftermath of the Walker trade is defined by its lopsided nature. At the time of the deal, the Cowboys were one of the league's worst teams, finishing the 1989 season with a 1–15 record, their worst post-merger showing. In contrast, the Vikings fell to 6–10 in 1990 and did not win a playoff game with Walker on the roster. Walker played only two more seasons for Minnesota before departing following the 1991 season. He later signed with the Philadelphia Eagles (1992) and New York Giants (1995), eventually rejoining Dallas in 1996. The trade is now regarded as the start of Dallas's 1990s dynasty. ESPN columnist notes from 2007 that free agency replaced such significant trades, effectively removing "one of the greatest shortcuts to becoming a Super Bowl champion: fleecing the Vikings." The event was later detailed in an ESPN 30 for 30 film titled "The Great Trade Robbery."

Did You Know?

• The trade involved a total of 18 players and draft picks between the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, and San Diego Chargers.
• Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson paid Herschel Walker a $1.25 million "exit bonus" to secure his agreement to the trade.
• Johnson waived or cut every player acquired from the Vikings except for three, which were kept only after a side deal with Minnesota GM Mike Lynn.
• The Cowboys utilized the draft picks from this single transaction to acquire Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson, and Russell Maryland.
• Despite being called "The Great Train Robbery" by Johnson, the trade was initially described by Dallas Times Herald writer Frank Luksa as receiving "a bag of beans and a cow to be named later."