Ricky Williams
RB #34 — New Orleans Saints
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About Ricky Williams
Ricky Williams arrived in New Orleans as the centerpiece of the most lopsided trade in NFL draft history. Mike Ditka wanted him so badly that he traded every single pick the Saints had in the 1999 draft, plus first and third rounders in 2000, to move up and select Williams with the fifth overall pick. Ditka then posed with Williams for the cover of ESPN The Magazine wearing a wedding dress and veil, holding Williams like a bride. The photo remains one of the most surreal images in professional sports history. It was supposed to signal the beginning of a new era in New Orleans. It signaled the beginning of Ditka's firing.
Williams rushed for over 1,000 yards in both of his full seasons with the Saints, which was impressive but not "we gave up our entire draft for you" impressive. He was traded to Miami, where his career took an even stranger turn. Multiple suspensions for marijuana use led to his temporary retirement from football in 2004, years before the cultural conversation around cannabis shifted. Williams became an advocate for plant medicine, earned a degree in Chinese medicine, and built a cannabis brand. He went from wedding dress cover model to the NFL's most famous cautionary tale to a man who was simply ahead of his time on a policy issue the league eventually softened on.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Ricky Williams trade and why is it so famous?
In the 1999 NFL Draft, Saints head coach Mike Ditka traded every pick the team had in that draft, plus a first and third rounder the following year, to move up to the fifth pick and select Ricky Williams. It remains one of the most aggressive and widely criticized trades in draft history. The Saints won three games the next season, Ditka was fired, and the trade became the permanent example of what happens when a coach falls in love with a prospect and nobody in the building stops him.
Why did Mike Ditka pose in a wedding dress with Ricky Williams?
The ESPN The Magazine cover was meant to be playful, showing how committed Ditka was to Williams as his franchise player. Ditka wore a full wedding dress and veil while Williams stood next to him in a tuxedo. In context, it was supposed to be funny. In hindsight, given that the trade destroyed the roster and Ditka was fired a year later, the photo became a monument to hubris. It gets resurfaced every draft season as a reminder of what not to do.
Last updated: April 2026