Bills GM Brandon Beane Reveals Details of Draft Night Trade
The Buffalo Bills made a splash during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, trading up to select tight end Dalton Kincaid at No. 25 overall.
The Bills were eyeing Kincaid the whole way, and were determined to get him even if it meant trading up. However, the process of making a trade happen wasn't so easy. In an appearance on the Greenlight Podcast, Bills general manager Brandon Beane broke down how the team's draft-night trade came to be.
Beane said that he started looking to trade up once Kincaid fell past the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 21. He added that he wanted to jump ahead of the Dallas Cowboys, who picked one spot before the Bills at No. 26, as they were the only team ahead of them who he thought would take a tight end.
Initially, Beane called the New York Giants and former Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen to try moving up to No. 25. The two sides were progressing towards a deal, but the Giants backed out once the board fell a certain way.
"We kind of worked out a deal through just texting each other that I would hop right in front of Dallas," Beane said. "I think he got a little nervous that 'alright, there was a run on receivers, maybe now there's going to be a run on corners."
Instead, the Giants traded up one spot with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who then became Beane's next target. Beane says the Jaguars were hesitant to move back again, as they were eyeing offensive tackle Anton Harrison. It took some convincing from Beane, including strongly hinting at who the Bills were targeting, but the two sides eventually struck a deal.
"So at that point, jumped on the phone with Jacksonville, and they were a little antsy about moving," Beane said. "They asked a lot of questions trying to figure out who they were going to take."
Beane added that he didn't want to tell Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke who he was taking, but it was necessary to get the deal done. He also added that Schoen told him the Giants went through a similar experience during their trade with Jacksonville.
In the end, though, all three teams got what they wanted. Buffalo got Kincaid, Jacksonville got Harrison and New York got a cornerback in Deonte Banks.
You can follow Jonathan Alfano on Twitter at @JonAlfano_News
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