Buffalo sent running back Terry Miller to Cleveland for a…
Buffalo sent running back Terry Miller to Cleveland for a 1982 seventh-round pick that became No. 171, Gary Anderson. Miller was released before appearing in a Browns regular-season game. Buffalo drafted Anderson but waived him before his rookie season, and his later success came elsewhere. Neither club realized meaningful team-specific production from the transaction.
Buffalo Bills Received
- pick 1982 seventh round pick (#171-Gary Anderson)
Cleveland Browns Received
- player Terry Miller
Trade Analysis
The Compensation Correction
The older record listed both a 1982 fourth-round pick and a seventh-round pick going from Cleveland to Buffalo. Cleveland’s official draft history, however, identifies its seventh-round choice as the pick traded to Buffalo for Terry Miller, while its fourth-round pick was used by Cleveland on Dwight Walker. Buffalo’s 1982 media guide describes the Miller trade as being for a future draft choice in the singular. The defensible completed compensation is therefore the seventh-round selection that became No. 171.
What Buffalo Received
Buffalo used No. 171 on Syracuse kicker Gary Anderson. Anderson became one of the longest-tenured kickers in NFL history, but not for the Bills. Pittsburgh records note that the Steelers claimed him after Buffalo cut him before the 1982 regular season. For this trade verdict, his later Steelers, Eagles, 49ers, Vikings and Titans production is not credited to Buffalo.
What Cleveland Received
Miller never played a regular-season game for the Browns. Pro Football Archives records the May 5, 1981 trade and Cleveland’s August 31 release. He briefly appeared with Seattle later that year, but Cleveland received no regular-season production from the player it acquired.
Final Verdict
The corrected direct outcome is nearly empty on both sides. Cleveland received no games from Miller, and Buffalo received the draft right to Anderson but waived him before realizing his NFL value. Both teams receive D+ grades and the verdict remains Even Trade. Anderson’s later excellence makes the transaction memorable, but trade grades should follow the value each original club actually kept, not the career created after Buffalo waived him.
That distinction also explains why Anderson's famous career should not inflate Buffalo's side. The Bills possessed the pick and briefly possessed the player, but they did not receive regular-season production. Cleveland likewise received none from Miller, leaving little realized value.