Carolina Panthers trade Kelvin Benjamin to Buffalo Bills
By Asher Fair
The Carolina Panthers have traded their star wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin to the Buffalo Bills ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline.
The Carolina Panthers and the Buffalo Bills reached an agreement just before Tuesday’s trade deadline involving wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin and two NFL draft picks. Benjamin is on his way to Buffalo, while the Panthers are set to receive both a third and a seventh-round draft pick from the Bills in the 2018 draft.
Benjamin, 26, is in his fourth season in the NFL after being drafted by the Panthers in the first round of the 2014 draft out of Florida State. So far this season, Benjamin has racked up a Panthers-leading 475 yards and two touchdowns on 32 receptions.
Over the course of his career, Benjamin has tallied 168 receptions for 2,424 yards and 18 touchdowns. Of course, he did miss the entire 2015 season with a torn left ACL. His best career season thus far was his rookie season during which he caught 73 passes for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns, all career-high statistics.
Panthers traded WR Kelvin Benjamin to Buffalo for 3rd and 7th round picks, per source. Benjamin rejoins HC Sean McDermott, GM Brandon Beane.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 31, 2017
While he is not currently on pace to catch any of those statistics this season, the 5-3 Panthers have not had their bye week yet while the 5-2 Bills have, meaning the Bills have nine games remaining this regular season as opposed to eight like the Panthers have, giving Benjamin a potential extra opportunity to set career-highs in those statistics. He could become the sixth NFL player of all-time and first since linebacker Will Witherspoon in the 2009 season to play in 17 games in an NFL regular season.
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The Bills, who lost in Carolina to Panthers in Week 2 of this season, traded away Sammy Watkins, who was also drafted in 2014, before the season began to the Los Angeles Rams, so the addition of the 6’5″, 245-pound Benjamin should bolster their receiving corps, and it proves that they are committed to making 2017 the year they finally earn their first playoff berth of the third millennium.