Buffalo Bills: Buffalo received Ron Berger, but he did not…
Buffalo Bills: Buffalo received Ron Berger, but he did not make the Bills regular-season roster and therefore produced no meaningful direct return. The D grade reflects only value tied directly to this transaction, including production or draft value the club itself controlled. Against New England Patriots, that supported return leads to the final verdict of New England Patriots Win.
Buffalo Bills Received
- player Ron Berger
New England Patriots Received
- player Ken Lee
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
New England traded Ron Berger to Buffalo for Ken Lee on July 6, 1973. The hindsight comparison stays tied to assets that remained connected to this deal. Later success counts only when the club still controlled the player or draft capital produced by the trade, which keeps a modest exchange from being inflated by unrelated moves.
Buffalo Bills Return
Buffalo received Ron Berger, but he did not make the Bills regular-season roster and therefore produced no meaningful direct return. The D grade reflects the duration, role, and usefulness of that return. Immediate roster value matters, but short stays or assets that failed to produce meaningful game value limit the ceiling. The grade is scaled to the modest acquisition cost rather than judged against a blockbuster standard.
New England Patriots Return
New England received Ken Lee and retained transaction value in him, later including Lee in an August trade package with Chicago. The C+ grade applies the same measure. Draft choices receive credit for what the club actually obtained or directly converted, while player returns are judged by games, starts, role, and sustained usefulness. That creates a consistent comparison across two very different forms of value.
Value in Hindsight
New England preserved more usable value from the exchange than Buffalo did. The result is driven by documented direct value rather than hypothetical alternatives. A low-cost trade can still be a clear win when one side receives useful seasons and the other gets almost nothing, while similarly small returns support an even result.
Final Verdict
The final call is New England Patriots Win. Final grades: Buffalo Bills D, New England Patriots C+. The judgment reflects the supported trade package, direct production, and any downstream draft value the acquiring club itself controlled. It does not assign credit for unrelated later success or penalize either club for outcomes outside this transaction.