The Buffalo Bills have made some big trades over the years, but there is one that sticks out among the rest.
Of course, that trade is none other than the blockbuster deal that ended up sending Marshawn Lynch out of town to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a 2011 fourth-round pick and a 2012 fifth-round pick.
Lynch was traded in large part due to off the field trouble. He had registered a guilty plea to misdemeanor gun charge ahead of the 2009 season. Fred Jackson ended up taking over his starting job and that led to Lynch being moved.
Obviously, the trade did not end working out so well for the Bills. Lynch went on to be one of the most feared running backs in the NFL and helped lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl and almost a second championship as well.
One can only wonder how things would have looked in Buffalo had they held onto Lynch.
Bleacher Report recently created a list of the top 25 biggest trades in the wide world of sports over the last 25 years. When it came to the Lynch trade, they ranked it No. 16.
When all was said and done for Lynch’s career, he played in 149 games. In those apperances, Lynch racked up 2,453 carries for 10,413 yards and 85 touchdowns. He averaged 4.2 yards per carry.
Not only did Lynch make a big impact on the ground, he was also an underrated receiver out of the backfield. He caught 287 passes in his career for 2,214 yards and nine more touchdowns.
During his 45-game career with the Bills specifically, Lynch ended up with 687 carries for 2,765 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Hindsight is always perfect and keeping Lynch would have been the better decision. However, Buffalo did what it felt was right during that period of time.
All of that being said, this is a painful memory for most Bills fans. Lynch had become a fan favorite in Buffalo and seeing him get traded was disappointing.
