Brandon Beane on trading pick to the Chiefs: ‘It’s not like we traded the player to Kansas City’

The Buffalo Bills caught a lot of fans’ attention by trading with the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Now, Buffalo GM Brandon Beane has pushed back on that criticism.

The specific concern with trading with Kansas City is that the Chiefs have won two Super Bowls in a row and they’re the main team Buffalo has struggled to get over the hump against in the playoffs. Then, Kansas City used the pick on Xavier Worthy, a wide receiver whom many fans felt made sense for Buffalo to pick in that spot.

However, as Beane explained on The Pat McAfee Show, there will always be criticism of moves that you make in the draft, especially when fans want to see something else happen.

“Listen, any time we trade with someone, if people think you should take a player there — offense, defense, in this case, receiver — you’re always gonna get criticized,” Brandon Beane said. “And it’ll have to play out on the field, ultimately, with the players we acquired. The players they acquired.”

This offseason, the Bills saw wide receivers Gabriel Davis and Stefon Diggs depart the team. Because of that, wide receiver was seen as a major need and Xavier Worthy had garnered a lot of attention, primarily for his speed on the outside. He made sense as the pick there and the trade down to Kansas City, only for Kansas City to take him was a point of frustration.

Brandon Beane also pushed back on the idea that Buffalo handed Xavier Worthy to Kansas City, arguing he doesn’t understand the narrative.

“But it’s not like we traded the player to Kansas City. I get that narrative. Like, if we had traded Stefon Diggs to Kansas City, well why would you trade him there? You don’t truly know who someone is going to select when you trade with them. They’re not going to call and say, ‘Hey, we’re trading up and we’re gonna take this player.’ And if you don’t trade with them and you pick a different player, they can still trade up with someone else. So, I’ve never understood that narrative,” Beane said.

“You know, I’m sure they didn’t just call the Buffalo Bills to trade up. They probably called some other teams too.”

Buffalo ended up with the 32nd pick in the first round thanks to the trade with Kansas City. Brandon Beane then traded that pick as well, with that pick going to the Carolina Panthers who drafted another receiver, Xavier Legette. The Bills waited until the first pick of the second round to get their wide receiver, taking Keon Coleman.