Buffalo Bills

Worst Trade in Buffalo Bills History: Marshawn Lynch

In one of the drought defining moments, we take a look back at one of the worst trades in team history. The Marshawn Lynch trade.

Published

2 years ago

December 8, 2021

Bryce Martino

In this series, we will look at some instances where the Buffalo Bills completely botched a trade. While there has been a lot of sketchy Bills trades in recent memory, we’ll take a look at a few of the trades that make you contemplate life. In this article, we will focus on the Marshawn Lynch deal. Lynch was a first-round pick by the Bills in 2007. His college career was spectacular, totaling 3,230 yards, 29 TDs, and a 6.6 average in his three years at California.

The Trade

Buffalo Bills trade: Marshawn Lynch

Seattle Seahawks trade: 2011 fourth round pick (OT Chris Hairston) & 2012 fifth round pick (LB Tank Carder)

The Results

Lynch wound up having a HOF career after leaving Buffalo, totaling 6,381 yards, 58 TDs, and a 4.3 average with the Seahawks through seven seasons. Along with four Pro Bowls, a 1st team All-Pro, and second-team All-Pro. Lynch helped lead Seattle to 5 playoff appearances and 1 Super Bowl victory. After leaving his mark in Seattle, Lynch tried jumpstarting his career with the Oakland Raiders. He totaled 1,267 yards, 10 TDs, and a 4.3 average in two seasons. And we can’t forget about his 4 seasons with the Bills, where he totaled 2,765 yards, 17 TDs, and a 4.0 average, to go along with one Pro Bowl appearance.

Bleacher Report on Twitter: “Marshawn Lynch is back at Cal and back on the cart 😂(via @seanjwagner) pic.twitter.com/62pTEGm6Jf / Twitter”
Marshawn Lynch is back at Cal and back on the cart 😂(via @seanjwagner) pic.twitter.com/62pTEGm6Jf

Now, let’s take a look at the players Buffalo acquired with the draft picks, starting with Chris Hairston. After being drafted in the fourth round in the 2011 draft, Hairston had a brief two-year career before suffering an injury in 2013, effectively ending his Bills career after being waived in 2014. In his career, Hairston started 15 out of 41 games in Buffalo. After Buffalo, Hairston signed with the Chargers, where he spent three seasons with the team from 2015-2017.

Tank Carder had an extremely brief stint with the Bills. He did not even make it to the final roster cuts in his rookie year. After his Bills career abruptly ended, Carder signed with the Cleveland Browns. He played in 30 career games, mostly contributing on ST. In 2017, his season ended in the preseason after suffering a torn ACL. In 2018, Carder re-signed with Cleveland but was released that same off-season in June.