The Buffalo Bills were historically bad for a long time starting at the beginning of this century. Hey went 17 years without making the playoffs and they had a revolving door with many players over the years. Not to mention, they couldn’t get the head coach right either.
However, the Bills had talented players over the years but they didn’t get to experience overall success as a member of the Bills, specifically getting into the playoffs. One of those players was running back Marshawn Lynch. Drafted out of California, 12th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft, Lynch was a fantastic player his first two years in Buffalo.
He had back-to-back 1000+ rushing yard seasons and 15 rushing touchdowns in his first two years with the Bills. In his second season, he was voted as a Pro Bowl player. He looked like he was a franchise back for the Bills, but then things started going downhill. With a mixture of injuries, off-the-field issues, and eventually being replaced by teammate Fred Jackson, Lynch’s time in Buffalo came to a short end where he only last 3.5 seasons with the Bills.
In the middle of the 2010 season, the Bills traded Lynch to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a 2011 4th-round pick and 2012 5th-round pick. That was one of the best deals the Seahawks were involved because Lynch became one of the cornerstone players for the franchise for almost five full years.
The Bills were on the wrong side of this trade with Seahawks
Bleacher Report recently came out with an article, ranking the “25 Biggest Trades in the Last Quarter Century” and the staff at Bleacher Report ranked the Lynch-to-Seattle trade at No. 16.
"In four full seasons with the team from 2011-14, he had at least 1,200 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns every year, tallying 5,357 yards and 48 touchdowns total on the ground during that stretch while earning a Pro Bowl selection each year.Bleacher Report Staff
The Seahawks won the 2014 Super Bowl and might have repeated in 2015 if they had just handed the ball to Lynch on the 1-yard line on their final drive.
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Lynch’s time in Buffalo was very short and it ended with issues and the Bills had no choice but to deal him away. The Bills already had Fred Jackson on the roster and they drafted C.J. Spiller in the 2010 NFL Draft, making Lynch the odd-man out. However, Lynch proved all doubters wrong by become the best running back the Seahawks had since Shaun Alexander.
While the Bills weren’t exactly hurting at the running back position after Lynch’s departure, Lynch for sure had a better career and went on to win a Super Bowl with the Seahawks while the Bills are still chasing their first one.