Bills' Kelvin Benjamin Trade Lands Among NFL's Worst Deadline Mistakes
Buffalo weighs deadline needs
The Bills enter the 2026 trade deadline at 6-1 and holding the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Their pass defense is described as a weakness, with help needed at safety and cornerback.
A costly deal for Benjamin
In Beane’s first season as Buffalo’s general manager, the Bills sent Carolina a 2018 third-round pick and a 2018 seventh-round pick for wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin. Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report included the deal among the ten worst deadline trades of the past decade.
Benjamin had shown promise early in his career. Sobleski wrote that he had 1,949 receiving yards over his first two healthy seasons and that Carolina had several wide receivers with upside.
Limited impact in Buffalo
The article also says Benjamin played only 16 games for Buffalo. It does not explain the difference between that figure and the 18 appearances cited in Sobleski’s account.
Career after the Bills
Benjamin, who recorded 1,008 receiving yards as a rookie in 2014, joined the Kansas City Chiefs after leaving Buffalo. He appeared in three games for Kansas City and caught two passes. He tried to return to the NFL in 2021 with the New York Giants, including a tryout at tight end, but did not play in another regular-season game after his Kansas City stint.
Key points
- Buffalo traded 2018 third- and seventh-round picks to Carolina for Kelvin Benjamin.
- Benjamin recorded 39 catches and two touchdowns before the Bills released him in 2018.
- The trade was named among the NFL’s ten worst deadline deals of the past decade.
- The Bills are 6-1 and hold the AFC’s No. 1 seed as the 2026 deadline approaches.