Cincinnati Bengals trade Pete Johnson to the San Diego Chargers for James Brooks
Heading into the 1984 NFL season, the Cincinnati Bengals and San Diego Chargers had two disgruntled running backs on their hands.
For the Bengals, Pete Johnson had a been a great player, rushing for 64 touchdowns through his first seven seasons in Cincinnati. However, he began to get a big head, and threatened to play in the USFL if he wasn’t given a new contract.
In San Diego, James Brooks was a stud young running back, who led the NFL in all-purpose yards in 1981 and 1982. After the 1983 season, Brooks began to feel undervalued, as the Chargers were throwing a ton in their “Air Coryell” system.
By the time the 1984 season had kicked off, both players were in new cities, and the Bengals definitely got the best of the trade. Brooks was only 25 years old at the time, while Johnson was already 30. Johnson would play only two seasons with San Diego, while Brooks enjoyed a great eight-year run in Cincinnati.
For the Bengals, Brooks went to four Pro Bowls, while rushing for over 1,000 yards three times. In 1988, he helped the Bengals make it all the way to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the San Francisco 49ers and “The Drive.”
While Johnson was a nice player for the Bengals, he was a 30-year-old back with an attitude problem. Brooks found a home in Cincinnati, and helped the franchise reach the next level.
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