Arizona acquired defensive back James Williams from Buffalo…
Arizona acquired defensive back James Williams from Buffalo in March 1994 for a 1995 fourth-round selection. Williams played 15 games for the Cardinals that season and provided useful short-term defensive depth. Buffalo used the returned No. 113 pick on Justin Armour, who remained in the NFL for multiple seasons and produced the longer downstream contribution from the exchanged asset.
Arizona Cardinals Received
- player James Williams
Buffalo Bills Received
- pick 1995 4th round pick (113th overall, Justin Armour )
Trade Analysis
Why the Deal Happened
Arizona acquired defensive back James Williams from Buffalo in March 1994 and sent the Bills a 1995 fourth-round pick. Williams was a former first-rounder who had already played four seasons in Buffalo, so the Cardinals were buying an experienced defender while the Bills were recapturing future draft value from a player they were ready to move.
What Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills Received
Williams played 15 games for Arizona in 1994 and generated useful short-term defensive value. Buffalo used the acquired No. 113 pick in 1995 on wide receiver Justin Armour. Armour played 39 NFL games and finished with 64 receptions, 861 yards and seven touchdowns. His career was modest, but the Bills turned a departing veteran into a younger player who remained in the league for multiple seasons.
How the Value Developed
The value gap is not large because Arizona did receive a full season from Williams, and Buffalo's drafted return never became a major offensive piece. Buffalo gets the higher mark for converting a veteran nearing the end of his tenure into a fourth-round selection that produced a multi-season NFL receiver. Arizona's side was defensible for immediate depth, but it did not create enough lasting value to win the exchange.
Final Verdict
Buffalo Bills Win. Arizona Cardinals receives a C and Buffalo Bills receives a B. The result weighs only value tied to the assets each club actually controlled, including a later transaction when the acquired pick itself was moved. That keeps the comparison centered on team-specific football contribution rather than assigning another franchise's eventual selection to the wrong side.
Arizona received one season of useful defensive-back work from James Williams, while Buffalo turned a departing veteran into a future fourth-round selection and extracted the stronger multi-season value from the asset chain. Buffalo therefore preserved the more durable long-term asset value.