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The Panthers-Bills Kelvin Benjamin Trade Was an All-Around Disaster for Both Teams

By Scott Rogust

Looking back at when the Bills foolishly traded for receiver Kelvin Benjamin.
Looking back at when the Bills foolishly traded for receiver Kelvin Benjamin. / Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The Buffalo Bills have successfully turned around their luck. They were once known as the joke of the league, but are now the cream of the crop in the NFL. They have a stout defense and added to their offensive arsenal by acquiring star receiver Stefon Diggs from the Minnesota Vikings.

While the Bills are good now, we can't gloss over some of the mistakes they made in years past. The transaction that stands out the most is the team trading for former first-round bust Kelvin Benjamin in 2017.

The Bills were having a shockingly good season and looked to bolster their passing attack by acquiring a once reliable target in Benjamin. So, they called the Carolina Panthers, and sent over third- and seventh-round selections in the 2018 NFL Draft to bring Benjamin up to Buffalo.

That trade turned out to be a disaster for the Bills. Benjamin was hampered with injuries, most notably a torn meniscus in his right knee, limiting him to just six games with the team. In that stretch of games, Benjamin caught 16 passes for 217 yards and only one touchdown -- not the type of return they expected from the former star receiver out of Florida State.

Benjamin was released by the team late in the 2018 season, after he recorded 23 catches for 254 yards and a score through 12 games. Oh, and his catch rate was was an abysmal 35%, the worst in the entire NFL that year.

To make matters even worse for Benjamin, the Panthers offense actually improved once he left! That certainly didn't help his reputation as being a supposed impact player.

If the Bills can take any solace, the Panthers used their two selections on cornerback Rashaan Gaulden and linebacker Andre Smith. Gaulden is now with the New York Giants, while Smith has yet to start a game in his career.

While the trade essentially canceled itself out, the Bills are the biggest losers of this deal. They thought they were acquiring a new No. 1 receiver, but instead got a player who was quickly fizzling out of the league.