Buffalo acquired Joe Auer from Kansas City for a future draft…
Buffalo acquired Joe Auer from Kansas City for a future draft choice whose round and eventual selection are not securely identified. Auer played 12 games with seven starts for the 1964 AFL champions and remained with the Bills in 1965 as they repeated. That contribution to two championship rosters gives Buffalo more documented football value than the uncertain draft asset Kansas City received.
Buffalo Bills Received
- player Joe Auer
Kansas City Chiefs Received
- pick future draft choice (round and selection not identified)
Trade Analysis
Why the Trade Happened
Kansas City moved Joe Auer to Buffalo at the end of August 1964. The transaction date is well established, but surviving accounts do not consistently identify the exact round of the draft choice, so the return is kept at the level the history supports. This treatment uses the most specific contemporaneous or club-history description available and leaves any genuinely unidentified draft choice unnamed rather than attaching a speculative player.
What Buffalo Bills Received
Buffalo got immediate value. Auer played 12 games with seven starts for the 1964 AFL champions and remained with the Bills in 1965 as they repeated. His Buffalo production was modest, but he contributed to two championship rosters. The return is evaluated on the assets that can be tied directly to the transaction, not on later guesses about uncertain pick chains. That keeps the historical package readable while preserving the limits of what can be established.
What Kansas City Chiefs Received
Kansas City recovered future draft capital for a player who was not central to its backfield plans. Because the exact round and eventual selection cannot be tied down confidently, the Chiefs' return should not be inflated by a speculative pick number. The football result matters because a trade grade should reflect both the price paid and what the acquired asset actually delivered. Immediate roster value, later movement and retained draft capital all shape the comparison.
Final Verdict
Buffalo earns a B+ and Kansas City a C. The Bills received a real contributor for two title teams, while the Chiefs obtained a future choice whose exact value is not securely identifiable. The known football value favors Buffalo. The grade is based on the strongest documented version of the exchange and the subsequent value each club received. Where later histories disagree on a peripheral detail, the uncertain detail is left general instead of being presented as settled fact.