Buffalo acquired Kevin Farrell from Philadelphia for cash…
Buffalo acquired Kevin Farrell from Philadelphia for cash consideration in 1978. Buffalo's own media guides confirm the transaction, but no supported Bills regular-season production could be traced to Farrell afterward. With the purchase price unidentified and the player producing no documented Buffalo return, the Bills realized little measurable value from the deal.
Buffalo Bills Received
- player Kevin Farrell
Philadelphia Eagles Received
- cash cash consideration (amount not identified)
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Buffalo acquired Kevin Farrell from Philadelphia for cash consideration in 1978. Buffalo's official transaction history identifies the deal as a purchase, correcting the older draft-pick framing. The amount of cash is not identified in the surviving sources, so the exchange has to be judged from the limited information that can be supported rather than by assigning an invented dollar value.
Buffalo Bills Return
Farrell did not produce a traceable regular-season return for Buffalo. The available Bills histories document the acquisition, but the surviving pro record does not establish meaningful games, starts, or production for him with the club. That leaves Buffalo with a player acquisition that generated little measurable on-field value. The appropriate treatment is to say exactly that rather than turn the absence of statistics into a stronger claim about why he did not contribute.
Philadelphia Eagles Return
Philadelphia received cash consideration. The amount is not identified, so there is no defensible basis for treating the payment as a significant financial return. Still, the Eagles did convert Farrell into something tangible while Buffalo did not realize a documented regular-season contribution from the player. The uncertainty around the amount prevents that modest distinction from supporting a decisive grade gap.
Value in Hindsight
This is a low-information, low-impact transaction. Buffalo obtained a player without a supported regular-season payoff, while Philadelphia received an unidentified amount of cash. Neither side created durable roster or draft value that can be measured with confidence. The historical correction matters more than the competitive result: the return was cash, not an unidentified draft choice.
Final Verdict
The trade remains an Even Trade. Buffalo earns C and Philadelphia earns C. Those grades recognize that Philadelphia received a tangible but unquantified payment while Buffalo received no supported regular-season production, yet the evidence is too limited to justify a stronger directional verdict.