Buffalo obtained Boston College lineman Jim O'Brien after…
Buffalo obtained Boston College lineman Jim O'Brien after Oakland lost its AFL signing rights, but the Bills did not send the Raiders a first-round pick. The AFL instead awarded Oakland part of a two-pick package in the 1962 12th round covering the lost rights to O'Brien and C.J. Alexander. This row is corrected from a direct trade to a league compensation action.
Buffalo Bills Received
- player Jim O'Brien — Buffalo obtained him after Oakland lost its AFL signing rights
Las Vegas Raiders Received
- pick AFL compensation — part of two 1962 12th-round picks awarded for lost signing rights to Jim O'Brien and C.J. Alexander
Trade Analysis
Oakland Held the AFL Rights
Jim O'Brien was a Boston College lineman drafted by both Detroit in the NFL and Oakland in the AFL. Pro Football Archives lists O'Brien among Oakland's selections from the unusual 1960 AFL allocation process. The existing record says Buffalo obtained him on June 7, 1961 by sending Oakland an unidentified first-round pick. The available AFL transaction history does not support that first-round payment.
The AFL Supplied the Compensation
The Raider Logbook gives the key dated event on June 9, 1961. It records that the AFL awarded Oakland two choices in the 12th round of the 1962 draft as compensation for losing the signing rights to C.J. Alexander to Boston and Jim O'Brien to Buffalo. Both players had originated in the Minneapolis/St. Paul draft group that became part of Oakland's inherited rights pool. That description makes the league, not Buffalo, the source of Oakland's compensation.
What Buffalo Actually Gained
Buffalo gained O'Brien without the direct first-round-pick cost shown in the old row. Boston College's Hall of Fame entry confirms Oakland drafted O'Brien, while a later biographical account notes that his brief professional career included time with Buffalo. The precise division of the two 12th-round compensatory picks between O'Brien and Alexander is not stated, so this record should not assign one specific selection solely to O'Brien.
Final Verdict
This was a rights-and-compensation action rather than a conventional Bills-Raiders trade. The corrected date is June 9, 1961, when the AFL compensation was recorded. An Even Trade label with C grades keeps the verdict neutral because Buffalo and Oakland did not directly exchange the listed player and pick. The important correction is removing the unsupported Buffalo first-round choice and describing Oakland's return as league-awarded compensation shared across two lost signing-rights cases.