TradeVerdicts records 3 trades between
Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings across 1987–2020. 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
can reach the full chronology without running the interactive
selector. The selector remains available for browsing any matchup.
Complete Matchup Chronology
3 Recorded Trades
Oldest to newest
Trade 1
March 11, 1987
Even Trade
Buffalo BillsC+
Minnesota VikingsC+
Buffalo Bills received
past considerations (details not identified)
Minnesota Vikings received
Steve Freeman
Minnesota acquired veteran safety Steve Freeman from Buffalo on March 11, 1987 for past considerations whose details were not identified in the surviving transaction record. Freeman appeared in 12 games for the Vikings that season and recorded 12 combined tackles, providing short-term veteran depth. Because Buffalo's consideration is not quantified, the modest known return supports a cautious Even Trade rather than a forced winner.
2016 7th round pick (240th overall subsequently traded, Alex McCalister)
Minnesota sent Matt Cassel and a 2015 sixth-round pick to Buffalo for a 2015 fifth and a 2016 seventh. The key was what the Vikings did next: they flipped the fifth-rounder, No. 137, to Atlanta for Nos. 146 and 185, selecting Stefon Diggs and Tyrus Thompson. Cassel barely figured into Buffalo's season, while the pick chain helped Minnesota land a franchise-changing receiver.
Minnesota turned an unhappy-star situation into the No. 22 pick in 2020 and used it on Justin Jefferson, immediately replacing elite receiver production with a younger centerpiece on a rookie contract. The additional fifth-, sixth-, and future fourth-round assets deepened the return. Because Jefferson became a franchise-level receiver rather than merely a serviceable replacement, Minnesota achieved the rare outcome of trading away a star without losing the long-term talent battle.
