On this day in 2000, the Buccaneers and Jets completed a deal that worked out well-enough for both sides.
The Bucs received Keyshawn Johnson, a go-to wide receiver for a club looking to bolster its offense and break through in the NFC. They also signed him to an eight-year, $56 million contract. The Jets, meanwhile, got the No. 13 and No. 27 picks in Round One of the 2000 draft. (A look at ProSportsTransactions.com jogged our memory on this deal.)
Johnson gave the Buccaneers two 1,000-yard seasons in what was roughly a 3.5-year stint. Most importantly, he was part of the Bucs’ Super Bowl XXXVII-winning club. While he had a messy breakup with Tampa Bay in 2003, the franchise — once a loser, then just not-quite-good-enough — had its coveted first NFL title.
The Jets used the 13th pick on edge rusher John Abraham, who had three double-digit sack campaigns in six years with the club. The No. 27 pick, tight end Anthony Becht, was a five-year starter for New York. Becht played 12 NFL seasons, while Abraham just wrapped up his 15th pro season.
Incredibly, the Jets had two other first-round picks in 2000. And they hit on both of those, too, selecting defensive lineman Shaun Ellis at No. 12 and quarterback Chad Pennington at No. 18. Ellis and Pennington, like Abraham and Becht, were quality players for New York, and both played for more than a decade in the league.
From 2000 through 2010, the Jets made the postseason six times, winning six playoff games. But in the end, like those 1990s Buccaneers, they could not quite get over the hump.
