Buffalo acquired veteran cornerback Earlie Thomas from the…
Buffalo acquired veteran cornerback Earlie Thomas from the New York Jets on July 18, 1975 for an undisclosed draft choice. The Bills released Thomas on September 3 before he appeared in a Buffalo regular-season game. He later signed with Denver and played ten games there, but Buffalo realized no on-field return from the acquisition.
Buffalo Bills Received
- player Earlie Thomas
New York Jets Received
- pick 1976 seventh-round pick, No. 199 overall, used on James Richards (probable linkage)
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Buffalo acquired cornerback Earlie Thomas from the New York Jets on July 18, 1975 for an undisclosed draft choice. ProSportsTransactions records the trade and identifies the later 1976 No. 199 selection as the possible draft return, while contemporary team draft records show that pick moving from Buffalo to New York.
Buffalo's Return
Thomas had been a five-year Jets starter, but he never played a regular-season game for Buffalo. Pro Football Archives records his trade to the Bills on July 18 and his release on September 3. NFL and Pro Football Reference career data show his 1975 regular-season games came with Denver, where he appeared ten times and started six after signing in October. Buffalo therefore received no realized regular-season value.
New York's Probable Return
The Jets owned Buffalo's seventh-round pick in the 1976 draft and used No. 199 overall on Florida running back James Richards. ProSportsTransactions links that pick to the Thomas trade but labels the connection unconfirmed, so the lineage should be treated as probable rather than certain.
What the Pick Became
Pro Football Reference lists Richards as the Jets' No. 199 selection but credits him with no NFL regular-season games. The likely draft return therefore produced no realized NFL value for New York.
Final Verdict
Even Trade, with C grades for both teams. Buffalo received zero regular-season games from Thomas, while New York's probable drafted return also produced zero NFL appearances. The matching realized outcomes support an even result, but the less-than-certain pick lineage keeps confidence at medium.