It’s very rare to see an in-division trade in the NFL, but they have happened before. The Buffalo Bills have made some trades with the New York Jets and New England Patriots before, but not involving anyone significant.
In 2019, the Bills traded offensive lineman Russell Bodine to the New England Patriots and acquired a 2020 6th-round pick. Then in 2024, the Bills traded a 2026 6th-round pick in exchange for CB Brandon Codrington and a 2026 7th-round pick. As you can see, these trades weren't anything major.
However, another AFC East trade did go down this past offseason between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins which involved a player that has had a significant impact on the game throughout his career. With the Dolphins going into a full rebuild, they cleared house through player releasings and a couple of trades as well. One trade that they made was sending safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets.
Jets' acquisition of Minkah Fitzpatrick is something that Bills fans shouldn't ignore
Bradley Locker from Pro Football Focus (PFF) recently listed “5 underappreciated acquisitions” from this past offseason and the Jets getting Fitzpatrick was on the list. While last year was a different story for the Bills and the Jets, the Jets' defense is usually the toughest defense that Buffalo plays in the division. Now, they added a quality safety who is very versatile and still one of the better players in the game.
"After a down 2024 season in Pittsburgh, Fitzpatrick regained his foothold in 2025 back in Miami. His 81.9 overall PFF grade was the fifth-best among qualifiers, and Fitzpatrick was one of five safeties with a 77.0-plus coverage and run-defense grade. A more versatile and well-distributed role for the three-time All-Pro proved fruitful, as his coverage grade in the slot increased from the 55th to the 74th percentile." said Locker.
The Bills will still have to face Fitzpatrick twice a year, but just on a defense that typically gives Buffalo some trouble. Even though Aaron Glenn did not have a great first year in New York, he will get another chance to correct his mistakes and adding someone like Fitzpatrick for the backend of his defense helps a lot.
While no one expects the Jets to make any great noise this year, they could very well give teams trouble, including the Bills. Luckily, the Bills don’t have to play the Jets until later in the season so we will have a better idea of how this Jets team will look when Buffalo goes to New Jersey to face them.
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