Buffalo Bills: 7 Best Free Agent Signings in Team History
By Ryan Brennan
WR James Lofton – 1989
James Lofton is most known for his time with the Green Bay Packers, which was the main reason he made it to the NFL Hall of Fame. That’s not to mention he didn’t have a good career with the other teams he played for.
In fact, the four years he spent with the Bills after signing as a free agent near the end of his career were still very productive.
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The Buffalo Bills signed Lofton in 1989 and was with the team for three of the franchise’s trips to the Super Bowl. He was a great compliment to Andre Reed and turned out some nice numbers himself.
In his first year with the Bills, which ended in a loss in the divisional playoffs, Lofton only started 2 games and had 166 yards and 3 TD on 8 catches — sound like Justin Hunter at all? Given a bigger role, he started 14 games in 1990 and finished with 35 catches, 712 yards and 4 touchdowns. He helped the team to their first Super Bowl in franchise history, which started a string of four straight.
In his third season with the Buffalo Bills (1991), James Lofton became the oldest player to finish a season with 1,000 yards receiving, a feat he hadn’t accomplished since 1985 with the Packers. He started 15 games that season and finished with 57 catches, 1,072 yards and 8 touchdowns.
In his final season with the team, he had 51 catches for 786 yards and 6 touchdowns. Unfortunately, the 1992 season would mark the end of his career. He spent the 1993 season with two different teams, but only started in 2 games.
Lofton retired in 1993 and was later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.