Best trade in Buffalo Bills history: Acquiring Jim Kelly
Somehow, someway the Buffalo Bills managed to trade a player who hadn’t played a single game in the NFL and one who, many weren’t sure would play in the league at all, for a bevy of picks.
After drafting Tom Cousineau in 1979, with the first overall pick, the Linebacker decided against playing for the Bills. Instead, Cousineau signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. For years the Bills sulked as Cousineau continued to display his talents on the other side of the world.
When he decided to finally take his talents to Buffalo, the Bills traded him to Cleveland for a first, second and third-round pick.
The second and third-round picks turned into insignificant players, the first-rounder however, turned into quarterback Jim Kelly. Much like Cousineau, Kelly didn’t join the team the moment he was drafted. Instead, he played with the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League. Once the league collapsed, Kelly finally made his way to Buffalo and proved he was worth the wait.
Kelly was a stud the moment he stepped foot on an NFL field. He was named to five Pro Bowl teams, made the first and second-team All-Pro in back-to-back years and was the NFL passer rating leader in 1990 as well as the touchdown leader in 1991. More than anything, Kelly will always be remembered for carrying those Bills teams to four consecutive Super Bowls. He was never able to take his team over the hump however but he was rewarded for his great play with a Hall of Fame nod in 2002.
As for Cousineau, he played a total of six seasons and made a marginal impact.