JUST IN: Buffalo Bills GM explains thinking behind controversial trade with rival Chiefs

 

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane stayed true to his draft board on Thursday night, despite Bills fans clamoring for the team to trade up and select a top receiver. Beane did not make any calls to teams in the top 10 to explore trading up, and when the Bills’ pick at 28 arrived, the players they had graded in the first round were already off the board.

The Kansas City Chiefs made the most enticing offer to move up, but Beane ultimately decided to trade out of the first round entirely, sending pick 28 to the Chiefs in exchange for picks 32, 95, and 221. Beane then traded picks 32 and 200 to the Carolina Panthers, moving back five spots to 33 while also acquiring pick 141 in the fifth round.

Beane explained that he was not willing to give up the Bills’ second-round pick to move up, as that would have pushed their first selection too far down the order. He was content to let the board fall as it may, confident that the Bills would find good value in the later rounds.

Now with an extra third-round pick and additional selections in the fifth and seventh rounds, Beane has more ammunition to potentially trade around on Friday. The Bills hold the 33rd overall pick, and Beane acknowledged that they will field plenty of calls about moving that selection as well. Whether they stay put and address a need at wide receiver or defense, or move back again to accumulate more draft capital, Beane is poised to continue following his board and making the moves he believes are best for the team.