Buffalo Bills Release Ryan Fitzpatrick, Potential Trade Partner For Jaguars?
By Luke Sims
Dec. 23, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) during the second half against the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Draft trades are interesting things. Sometimes it requires holding the right pick at the right time. Other times it requires leveraging your influence and picks in order to convince another team that your pick is what they value. The Jacksonville Jaguars will have to do the latter if they hope to get something out of the Buffalo Bills following their release of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
The free agent quarterback market is slim at best and the Bills will likely turn to the draft to fill their new need after releasing Fitzpatrick. If they really covet an early quarterback like West Virginia’s Geno Smith or USC’s Matt Barkley, it may make sense to leapfrog up to one of the top two picks, ensuring they pick before the QB-deficient Oakland Raiders. Here is where it gets tricky for the Jaguars.
While there is no guarantee that the Bills do want to trade up (they would likely get a quarterback where they are, no matter what), but if they did they would be able to jump to first overall by trading with the Kansas City Chiefs or they could leap a little less far and hope they are safe at number two by trading with the Jags. The Jags are trying to collect a lot of picks this draft so it will be up to them to sell their pick to the Bills to make such a trade seem beneficial to Buffalo.
Can they do it? Is this all just daydreaming? Perhaps to both. Maybe even a little overreaction to go with.
As a Jags fan, I would love to see the team trade back to anywhere from 7-15 and still get good value first round picks in the “sweet spot” of the round. With no elite talent (so they say) at the top of the first round, I’ll be rooting for a trade back with Buffalo for a while. Well, maybe one with the Arizona Cardinals, Oakland Raiders, or some other QB-starved team as well. Here’s to hoping for some trades!
– Luke N. Sims