Buffalo traded running back Larry Watkins to New York on…
Buffalo traded running back Larry Watkins to New York on April 18, 1975 for the Giants' 1976 seventh-round choice, which became No. 195 overall. The Bills selected Texas A&M defensive back Jackie Williams, but he never appeared in an NFL regular-season game. Buffalo therefore converted a veteran reserve into a draft asset that produced no regular-season field value.
Buffalo Bills Received
- pick 1976 seventh round pick (#195-Jackie Williams)
New York Giants Received
- player Larry Watkins
Trade Analysis
The compensation can be identified more precisely than the legacy row suggested. Buffalo's own media guide says the Bills received New York's 1976 seventh-round draft choice for running back Larry Watkins and used that selection on defensive back Jackie Williams. Pro Sports Transactions independently maps the April 18, 1975 deal to pick No. 195. That evidence allows TradeVerdicts to remove the duplicate undisclosed-consideration placeholders and replace the tentative 'possibly' language with the documented seventh-round selection.
Watkins gave the Giants real, if modest, production. NFL records show him appearing in all 14 games in 1975, then 13 in 1976 and nine in 1977. Across those three New York seasons he carried 113 times for 470 yards and four rushing touchdowns. He also contributed as a receiver in a reserve role. The Giants' 1975 media guide confirms that they acquired Watkins from Buffalo for a draft choice and describes his earlier starting experience with the Bills, including his work alongside O.J. Simpson.
Buffalo used the acquired seventh-round choice on Texas A&M defensive back Jackie Williams at No. 195 overall in the 1976 draft. The Bills' all-time draft ledger and Pro Football Reference both identify Williams at that slot. Pro Football Reference lists no NFL regular-season career for him, so the selection did not produce realized game value for Buffalo. A contemporary Texas A&M report said Williams earned a Buffalo roster berth during the summer, but the historical NFL record still shows no regular-season appearances.
That contrast creates a straightforward hindsight result. Buffalo did receive the correct kind of asset for moving a veteran reserve: a future draft choice. The problem is that the selected player did not produce an NFL regular-season appearance, while Watkins remained on the Giants roster for three seasons and supplied several hundred rushing yards plus four touchdowns. The difference is useful depth versus no realized regular-season return.
New York Giants Win. A B grade fits the Giants because they paid only a seventh-round choice and received 36 games of service from Watkins. Buffalo gets a D because the pick was correctly identified and exercised but produced no NFL regular-season value. The result is not a franchise-changing trade, but the realized return clearly favors New York.