Bills GM, Brandon Beane responds to criticism over Chiefs trade-down: ‘You’re Always Going to Get Criticized’
Brandon Beane, the General Manager of the Buffalo Bills, addressed fans’ negative reception towards his choice to trade down with the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2024 NFL Draft.
In the world of sports, there exists a timeless saying whose author is unknown but its message predates organized athletics itself: “Playing scared won’t cut it.” This mantra encourages one to act with courage and freedom, taking calculated risks that offer multiple outcomes without focusing on potential drawbacks. Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane embodies this mentality, as evidenced by his recent choice to trade down with the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Beane spent much of Thursday night anxiously waiting by the phone, only starting to have meaningful discussions with other league executives as his No. 28 overall pick drew closer. As an experienced executive who has moved up in the first round on four separate occasions during his tenure, Beane chose to let the clock run down on Buffalo’s pick and examined a group of similarly valued players listed on their scouting board without any one particular player standing out. Deciding he wasn’t enamored with anyone at that specific spot, Beane made the call to trade down instead which meant they could still nab one of their preferred players while also improving future draft picks for Buffalo’s arsenal – truly a win-win scenario!
The plan was effective, although a few individuals had reservations about the dance partner.
Beane made a trade with the Chiefs, who had kicked Buffalo out of the playoffs in three of the previous four postseasons (most recently during January’s NFL Divisional Round). The exchange consisted of six picks: Kansas City went from No. 32 to No.28 and gave up selections at Nos. 95 and 221 in return for choices at Nos. 133 and 248 that Buffalo possessed before. Because they were able to improve their position by trading with Beane, the Chiefs snagged Xavier Worthy, a Texas wide receiver who broke an event record when he ran an incredibly swift timeof4.21seconds over 40 yards at this yearโs NFL Scouting Combine. Amazingly fast!
As anticipated, the decision was met with strong opposition from a group of Bills supporters on various social media platforms. They adamantly opposed Beane’s involvement in assisting the Chiefs to acquire a player they believed would further strengthen their already formidable and challenging-to-combat offensive lineup. In an episode of The Pat McAfee Show, Beane spoke about the response and indicated that Kansas City might have secured their desired acquisition regardless of his interventions.
According to Beane, whenever we engage in a trade and people suggest that we should acquire a certain player – whether it be an offensive or defensive, receiver in this case – there will always be criticism. Ultimately, the success of the trade depends on how well these new players perform on the field compared to those they replaced. Moreover, he made clear that if we had traded Stefon Diggs to Kansas City instead of acquiring him from them earlier last year then there would have been questions raised about our decision making as some may argue why give such good talent away?
It’s impossible to determine who a person will choose when trading with them. They won’t disclose their pick beforehand, even if they’re moving up in the draft board. Additionally, declining to trade and picking another player doesn’t prevent them from finding someone else willing to deal with them. The idea that teams only reach out to one potential partner is bewildering; surely, the Buffalo Bills were approached by multiple teams during the process.
Beane’s statements about a team being unsure of their rival’s pick after trading with them bring back memories of the 2023 NFL Draft first round. During this draft, the Bills traded up with Jacksonville Jaguars to acquire Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid. Beane has frequently discussed how Trent Baalke, general manager for Jacksonville was hesitant to agree to the trade until assurances were given that Buffalo would not select their intended target before finalizing it.
During his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Beane discussed the draft from last year and pointed out the abundance of high-quality prospects who were available towards the end of this year’s first round in contrast to a shortage of reliable choices that occurred during last year’s event.
“At the time we were at pick 28, there were some promising players available on our draft board,” Beane explained. “We found that there were certain individuals on offense and defense who shared similar value. Unlike last year, when Dalton Kincaid was clearly standout prospect for us and prompted a trade-up to secure him; this year we had multiple options that intrigued us across both sides of the ball. We wanted to proceed with caution so instead of taking an enormous risk – as in trading up significantly- ,we downscaled from 28th overall selectionto ultimately choose at32nd position.”
Although they had already dropped four spots, “Big Baller Beane” wasn’t finished just yet. By trading with the Carolina Panthers late on Thursday evening and moving from pick number 32 to 33, Buffalo was able to transform their original selection at No.200 into a much higher one: No.141–a difference of an impressive 59 positions!
According to Beane, as they approached pick No.32, they were still examining their board and realizing that there were some good options available. However, Carolina made a move by trading up for Xavier Legette forcing them to weigh the decision of maintaining their value or gaining more draft capital whilst avoiding downgrading in quality.
By choosing Keon Coleman from Florida State with their 33rd pick, Buffalo made a final decision. While this selection may unfairly associate him with Xavier Worthy in the future, Beane stands behind his choice to trade down on draft day and is confident in Coleman’s potential as a pass-catcher for the Bills.
Beane stated that the individuals who are scrutinizing the decision to trade down lack complete information. According to him, they may not be aware of our extensive knowledge regarding players suitable for our DNA and system – their intelligence level or compatibility with us. Thus, these people do not possess enough facts to make a sound judgment on whether trading up or back is appropriate.
In the past, I’ve been known to prefer trading up rather than down. However, some have criticized me in the past for parting with valuable assets. Unfortunately, no matter what decision you make as a leader, there will always be someone who questions it. This year we chose to trade back and even that received backlash from certain individuals; sometimes you just can’t win!
