TradeVerdicts records 6 trades between
Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks across 1980–2012. 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
6 Recorded Trades
Oldest to newest
Trade 1
April 29, 1980
Even Trade
Buffalo BillsA-
Seattle SeahawksA-
Buffalo Bills received
1980 first round pick (#16-Jim Ritcher)
1980 third round pick (#71-John Schmeding)
Seattle Seahawks received
1980 first round pick (#10-Jacob Green)
Seattle moved from No. 16 to No. 10 in the 1980 draft and selected defensive end Jacob Green, a future Seahawks Ring of Honor cornerstone. Buffalo moved back, took guard Jim Ritcher at No. 16, and added a third-round pick. Ritcher became a Bills Wall of Famer and started on four Super Bowl teams, making this a rare trade with major value on both sides.
1982 third-round pick (75th overall, Pete Metzelaars)
Seattle traded guard Tom Lynch to Buffalo on October 13, 1981, for a 1982 third-round pick that became No. 75 overall and tight end Pete Metzelaars. Metzelaars spent three seasons with the Seahawks before a long NFL career, giving Seattle useful player value from a meaningful Day 2 selection. That return surpassed Lynch’s comparatively limited starting impact in Buffalo.
1985 twelfth-round pick (333rd overall, Paul Woodside)
Seattle Seahawks received
Reggie McKenzie
Buffalo moved veteran guard Reggie McKenzie to Seattle for a 1985 twelfth-round pick, No. 333 overall, later used on Paul Woodside. The Bills did recover an asset from an aging lineman, but twelfth-round capital carried limited expected value. McKenzie then provided Seattle with starting snaps during a breakthrough period, making Buffalo’s return clearly weaker in hindsight.
Buffalo sent guard Jon Borchardt to Seattle on April 26, 1985, for a 1986 seventh-round selection, No. 180 overall. The Bills used the pick on tight end Butch Rolle, who spent six seasons in Buffalo and became a productive red-zone specialist. Borchardt supplied Seattle with reserve line depth for three seasons, but Buffalo extracted the more durable return.
2011 4th round pick (122nd overall, Chris Hairston)
2012 5th round pick (147th overall, Tank Carder)
Seattle Seahawks received
Marshawn Lynch
Seattle acquired Marshawn Lynch from Buffalo for a 2011 fourth-round pick and a conditional 2012 choice that became a fifth-rounder. Lynch became a franchise icon, rushing for 6,347 yards and 57 touchdowns during his initial Seahawks run while helping Seattle win Super Bowl XLVIII. Buffalo received Chris Hairston and Tank Carder from the picks, but their value could not approach Lynch's transformational impact.
Buffalo acquired quarterback Tarvaris Jackson from Seattle in August 2012 for a conditional 2013 selection that settled as the seventh-round pick at No. 214. Jackson never appeared in a regular-season game for Buffalo and was released in June 2013. Seattle later included No. 214 in the Percy Harvin trade, giving the Seahawks clear realized value.
