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Jaylen Waddle #17 of the Miami Dolphins.
The Buffalo Bills went into last season’s NFL trade deadline with a goal of improving their wide receiving corps, but left empty-handed — and a bit frustrated.
Brandon Beane, then the team’s general manager before his promotion to president of football operations, lamented that the team could not find partners willing to trade with them. Beane shed more light on just how difficult it was, outlining how the team tried — and failed — to land wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
Dolphins Played Bills on Jaylen Waddle Offer
Speaking to reporter Adam Schein on Monday, Beane said it is difficult for a team as cap-strapped as the Bills to find solid additions at the trade deadline. He noted that the Bills made a run at wide receiver Rashid Shaheed before the New Orleans Saints dealt him to the Seattle Seahawks at the deadline.
“It’s got to work within our financials, and unless a team is willing to eat money, Cleveland had already converted (Amari) Cooper down, and so you’re able to do that,” Beane said, referring to the 2024 trade that brought Cooper to Buffalo. “If a club’s not willing to do that, that can kind of limit the possibility of making that happen at the deadline. But we talked about a lot of those guys. (Rashid) Shaheed with New Orleans, we were involved in that.”
Beane said the Bills also spoke to some division rivals, hinting that the team had a strong offer for a player believed to be Waddle.
“Obviously, he gets shipped to Seattle, and in division we talked to one or two of those teams about their players, but at the end of the day, I know we had the strongest offer on one,” Beane said. “I know that, but they ultimately decided not to pull the trigger, which maybe they decided wasn’t enough, or maybe they just decided they didn’t want to send them in division. They would have to answer that.”
Reports at the time indicated that the Bills offered a first-round pick for Waddle in 2027, but the Dolphins pushed for a 2026 first-rounder.
Insider Tyler Dunne reported that the Bills may have never been in the running for Waddle, suggesting that the Dolphins front office was using Buffalo’s offer to drive up the price.
“I don’t think Miami was ever serious,” Dunne shared in a post on X. “Tried using Bills as a pawn. And the Jets flatly wouldn’t play ball. Now — with more options — I think Bills are aggressive at receiver.”
Bills Could Try Again This Offseason
The Bills ultimately made two additions after the trade deadline, signing veteran Mecole Hardman and claiming Brandin Cooks off waivers. While Hardman struggled with injuries, Cooks became a major part of the team’s passing attack and became a top target for Josh Allen in the playoffs.
The Bills could make another run at a receiver this offseason. Analyst Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus suggested the Bills could try again to sign Shaheed, whose contract with the Seahawks is up after this season.
“Shaheed owns a career 74.2 PFF receiving grade, including posting a 61.5 receiving mark since being acquired by the Seahawks midseason, but he would be a strong fit with Allen,” Locker wrote. “The 27-year-old has dropped only two passes across his four-year career, and his 95.7 deep receiving grade is the 12th-highest among qualified receivers since 2022. Shaheed would help inject perimeter speed to Buffalo’s offense without breaking the bank.”
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty
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