Buffalo Bills–Chicago Bears Trade History

Chicago received Billy Newsome; Buffalo received Connie Zelencik. Official team histories place the exchange on September 1, 1977, not August 31. Newsome started all 14 games at defensive end for Chicago that season, while Zelencik supplied Buffalo with a much smaller return. The hindsight grades are C+ for Buffalo Bills and B for Chicago Bears, producing a Chicago Bears Win verdict.

Buffalo sent the 42nd and 73rd picks to Chicago to move to No. 26 in the 2006 draft for defensive tackle John McCargo. McCargo played only 44 career games, started once and never became the interior force Buffalo envisioned. Chicago used No. 42 on Danieal Manning, who became a versatile defensive back and elite returner, and No. 73 on Dusty Dvoracek, making the Bears' trade-down an emphatic win.

Buffalo traded defensive tackle Darwin Walker to Chicago in July 2007 for a 2008 fifth-round pick that became No. 143 overall. The Bills later packaged No. 143 with a third-round pick to acquire Marcus Stroud from Jacksonville.

Buffalo moved up eight spots for Reggie Ragland, sending Chicago No. 49, No. 117 and a 2017 fourth-rounder. Ragland tore his ACL before his rookie season and was traded to Kansas City a year later. Chicago repeatedly moved the acquired picks, with the return helping produce Cody Whitehair, Deon Bush, Nick Kwiatkoski and Eddie Jackson. That depth of value overwhelms Buffalo's brief ownership of Ragland.

Buffalo sent picks 168 and 203 to Chicago for No. 148 and selected Khalil Shakir. Shakir developed into Josh Allen's dependable slot target, led Buffalo with 76 catches and 821 receiving yards in 2024 and signed an extension through 2029. Chicago used No. 168 on Braxton Jones, who has started 44 of 46 career games at left tackle and earned PFWA All-Rookie honors. Both teams found long-term starters, making this an excellent even trade.

Buffalo traded Ryan Bates to Chicago for the 2024 fifth-round pick that became No. 144. The Bills did not select Austin Booker with it; they traded No. 144 back to Chicago for a 2025 fourth-round pick, which is the proper Buffalo return to trace. Bates played 19 Bears games across 2024-25 but made only two starts. Buffalo wins on preserved draft value and Chicago's limited offensive-line return.

Chicago traded its 2025 fourth-round pick to Buffalo during the 2024 draft to reacquire No. 144 and select edge defender Austin Booker. That future fourth became No. 109, which Buffalo used on defensive tackle Deone Walker. Both teams turned the exchange into young defensive contributors, but Walker's immediate starting role gives Buffalo a slight edge.

Buffalo jumped from No. 56 to No. 41 in the 2025 draft and came away with T.J. Sanders, while also receiving Nos. 72 and 240. The Bills used those additional selections on Landon Jackson and Kaden Prather. They paid Nos. 56, 62 and 109, making this a substantial consolidation of capital rather than a simple move up fifteen spots.

Buffalo moved back up to No. 109 in the 2025 fourth round to select Kentucky defensive tackle Deone Walker, sending Chicago Nos. 132 and 169. The Bills had previously sent No. 109 to the Bears in their larger Day 2 trade, then decided Walker was worth reacquiring the pick. Buffalo's return is one high-upside defensive lineman whose career remains in its early stages.

Buffalo paid the No. 60 pick for D.J. Moore and Chicago's No. 165 selection, giving Josh Allen an established receiver while preserving a later draft asset. Chicago converted a veteran contract into a second-rounder. With Moore yet to play a regular-season game for Buffalo, the exchange remains balanced between immediate offensive help and meaningful young-cost-controlled capital.

Buffalo Bills received two seventh-round rookies who both made Buffalo's initial 53-man roster: punter Tommy Doman at No. 239 and guard Ar'maj Reed-Adams at No. 241. The team earns a C, compared with C for Chicago Bears, and the hindsight verdict is Even Trade. That judgment reflects the concrete team-specific production, role and tenure created by the assets in this deal.