Consider, for a moment, the frequency at which verifiable star players are traded in the NFL.

After much pondering, you probably came to the conclusion that the answer lies somewhere between rarely and never. Any other offseason, you would be correct.

But not this off season. Heck, not this last two weeks.

Donovan McNabb, long the face of the Philadelphia Eagles: Shipped off to in-division rival Washington.

Odd as that trade looks, it doesn’t appear downright crazy. It’s not, for example, the sort of thing the artificial intelligence in “Madden ’98” would reject outright.

It certainly isn’t trading a Super Bowl MVP who, at 26, is coming off of his best season. But that’s a ridiculous example, clearly born of either a hyperactive imagination or some severe mental disorder. Such a player would never — could never! — be traded.

Actually, hold that thought.

Santonio Holmes won a Super Bowl MVP, is 26 years old, and collected 1,248 receiving yards last season. And the Steelers just traded him to the Jets.

But clearly, for such a trade to happen, Pittsburgh must have received something spectacular in return. Maybe the Jets offered up a king’s ransom of draft picks, similar to what the Vikings gave the Cowbows for Hershel Walker.

Actually, Pittsburgh will receive only a fifth-round pick as compensation.

And some impact player? Darrelle Revis? Bart Scott?

Try nobody. Not one player. Pittsburgh gets a fifth round draft pick. That’s it. That’s all.

From this, we can infer one of two things: 1. Either everyone in the Steelers’ front office has gone insane; or 2. There are reasons for trading Holmes other than on-the-field concerns.

As it happens, option number two is correct. And the reasons in question are substantial.

First, Holmes was just nailed with a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Were he to violate that policy again, he’d have to miss the entire season.

That, by itself, is problematic. But it probably isn’t enough to get Holmes dealt.

No, but the fact that he’s accused of assaulting a women by throwing a glass of juice in her face might be (the glass also cut her), especially when considering Ben Roethlisberger’s recent troubles.

Finally, we come to the question of lessons. Or more accurately, are there any?

For teams, perhaps. Maybe more decision makers will hesitate to take on players with “character concerns”, so as to avoid this situation altogether.

How about Holmes? What does he — and by extension, other misbehaving players — learn from all of this?

Judging by the consequences he’s incurred, Holmes’ lesson is that drug use and alleged assault get you traded from one AFC contender to another, even better equipped to win.

That’ll teach him.

— Edited by Michael Holtz