Bills' NFL Draft trade decisions with Chiefs backfire in the worst way in AFCCG

One trade. That one trade. That one single trade. Go back to 2017, when the Buffalo Bills held the 10th overall pick, with a need for a franchise quarterback. A golden opportunity was there in the NFL Draft.

Then came the trade. The Bills sent the pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for a package of selections, including a future first-rounder. It looked like a good move on paper—until Roger Goodell stepped to the podium.

"With the 10th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select... Patrick Mahomes, quarterback, Texas Tech."

Buffalo had, quite literally, handed Kansas City a generational talent. To their credit, they landed Josh Allen a year later, but the damage had already been done. Every heartbreaking playoff loss since, including Sunday's 32-29 AFC Title Game loss, only reinforces what Bills fans already knew: They gave him to the Chiefs.

Fast forward to 2024 in Detroit, and once again, Buffalo was on the clock. Then, the phone rang, and who else? Kansas City. The Bills, picking ahead of the Chiefs in the first round, found themselves in a dilemma. Xavier Worthy, the electric speedster out of Texas, was sitting there. But instead of drafting him, they did the unthinkable.

Once again, they traded the pick to Kansas City. The Bills had just given the fastest man in college football to a team that had once coined their wide receiver room as "The Legion of Zoom." Once again, the Chiefs took full advantage of the deal. Worthy, paired with Mahomes, became another nightmare for Buffalo.

Bills' NFL Draft trades with Chiefs backfire, result in another AFC Championship Game loss

Fast forward to the 2025 AFC Championship Game. The Bills had battled all season for this moment, fueled by years of playoff heartbreak. But once again, it was Mahomes against Allen. And once again, the Chiefs marched down the field in the fourth quarter, looking to ice the game.

And who was the man making the biggest plays? Xavier Worthy. The same Xavier Worthy Buffalo had handed to Kansas City on draft night. And who was his quarterback? Yes, Patrick Mahomes. Six catches for 85 yards and a touchdown for the night for the rookie. Harrison Butker with the winning kick. A key fourth-down stop.

Samaje Perine would run down the clock, and red and yellow confetti soon flew into the air. Lamar Hunt was home. Arrowhead Stadium erupted in celebration. Highmark Stadium? Silent, save for the groans of Bills fans watching their nightmares play out in real time. Buffalo had fallen to Kansas City again. And worse? They had helped build the very team that took them down.

What is the possibility that Sean McDermott stood on the sideline, walked off the game, stared at the scoreboard in disbelief, with one thought crossing his mind? "We are never trading with the Chiefs again." Bills fans? They had already been saying it for years. yet Brandon Beane didn't get that memo.