TradeVerdicts records 8 trades between
Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills across 1972–2022. Historical
franchise identities are normalized to the current franchises here,
while each underlying trade keeps its own sourced date, assets,
grades, and verdict.
This page includes every public TradeVerdicts record in which both
current franchises participate. Multi-team trades remain in the
chronology when both clubs are part of the transaction.
The page is rendered at build time, so search engines and readers
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Complete Matchup Chronology
8 Recorded Trades
Oldest to newest
Trade 1
March 4, 1972
Even Trade
Arizona CardinalsD
Buffalo BillsD
Arizona Cardinals received
Joe O'Donnell
Buffalo Bills received
Irv Goode
Arizona Cardinals received Joe O'Donnell, while Buffalo Bills received Irv Goode. Joe O'Donnell retired rather than play for St. Louis after the trade. The Cardinals likewise failed to turn their return into meaningful on-field production. In hindsight, that direct return supports a D grade for Arizona Cardinals. The grade reflects realized football value from this exchange rather than reputation alone.
St. Louis acquired running back Willie Belton from Buffalo for a 1974 tenth-round pick that became Art Cameron. Belton appeared in three games for the Cardinals in 1973 and five more in 1974, giving St. Louis at least some backfield service. Cameron did not produce an NFL regular-season career for Buffalo. The return was modest on both sides, but the Cardinals received the only documented game-day value.
Arizona Cardinals received Dennis Shaw. Dennis Shaw played only sparingly for St. Louis across the 1974 and 1975 seasons, limiting the Cardinals' return from the quarterback they acquired. That outcome supports a D+ grade because the return is measured by the direct football value Arizona Cardinals actually received after the deal, compared with the asset sent the other way.
St. Louis acquired former No. 1 overall pick Walt Patulski while sending Buffalo the second-round choice used on Joe Devlin. Patulski did not establish a meaningful Cardinals career, while Devlin became a 13-season Bills fixture with 191 games and 179 starts. The enormous difference in longevity makes the Cardinals' gamble a costly one in hindsight.
St. Louis sent Buffalo the 1982 fourth-round pick used on Van Williams and received Buffalo's 1983 third-rounder. The Cardinals quickly flipped that future choice to New Orleans for veteran defensive end Elois Grooms. Grooms started 26 games for St. Louis from 1982 through 1984 and produced 7.5 sacks in that span, giving the Cardinals a slight edge over Williams' useful return work for Buffalo.
Buffalo acquired safety Leonard Smith from Phoenix in September 1988 for cornerback Roland Mitchell and a 1989 sixth-round pick. Smith became an immediate starter and played 60 games with 59 starts over four Bills seasons, recording eight interceptions while helping anchor the secondary during Buffalo's rise to four straight Super Bowls.
Arizona acquired defensive back James Williams from Buffalo in March 1994 for a 1995 fourth-round selection. Williams played 15 games for the Cardinals that season and provided useful short-term defensive depth. Buffalo used the returned No. 113 pick on Justin Armour, who remained in the NFL for multiple seasons and produced the longer downstream contribution from the exchanged asset.
Arizona Cardinals received Cody Ford in the exchange with Buffalo Bills. Cody Ford played 11 games with three starts for Arizona in 2022, giving the Cardinals a modest but tangible veteran return. Against Buffalo Bills' return of 2023 5th round pick (137th overall subsequently traded, K.J. Henry), that outcome supports a B- grade. The transaction is judged as Arizona Cardinals Win, with the mark based on the football value that actually followed from the deal.
