Atlanta acquired Peerless Price from Buffalo for the 23rd…
Atlanta acquired Peerless Price from Buffalo for the 23rd pick in the 2003 draft after Price's breakout 1,252-yard season. Price never reproduced that level as the Falcons' featured receiver and lasted only two seasons in Atlanta. Buffalo used the pick on Willis McGahee, who became a two-time Pro Bowler and productive starting back, giving the Bills a substantial long-term advantage.
Atlanta Falcons Received
- player Peerless Price
Buffalo Bills Received
- pick 2003 1st round pick (23rd overall, Willis McGahee )
Trade Analysis
Peerless Price entered the 2003 offseason with maximum leverage after catching 94 passes for 1,252 yards and nine touchdowns in Buffalo. Atlanta, eager to surround Michael Vick with a proven vertical receiver, surrendered the 23rd pick in the draft after the Bills applied the franchise tag to Price. The Falcons then gave Price a major contract and expected him to become the clear first option.
The projection did not work. Price produced 838 yards and three touchdowns in 2003, numbers that were acceptable in isolation but far below the level implied by the acquisition cost. His second season dropped to 575 yards and three scores, and Atlanta released him before the 2005 season. The Falcons paid a first-round pick and significant money for two years of middling production.
Buffalo accepted a different kind of risk. The Bills used No. 23 on Miami running back Willis McGahee, whose devastating knee injury in the Fiesta Bowl made his rookie availability uncertain. McGahee missed the 2003 season but rewarded the patience. He rushed for 1,128 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2004, topped 1,000 yards again in 2005, and later made two Pro Bowls during a 10-year career. Buffalo eventually traded him to Baltimore for additional draft capital, extending the asset's value beyond his four Bills seasons.
Atlanta's underlying idea was reasonable: a young franchise quarterback needed receiving help, and Price was coming off a star-level season. But the Falcons paid at the peak of his market and received almost none of his peak production. Buffalo sold high, replaced an expensive receiver with a premium draft asset and landed a legitimate starting running back. That combination makes the Bills the easy winner and supports a harsh Atlanta grade despite the understandable attempt to accelerate Vick's development.