One of the biggest surprises of the 2025 NFL season has been the emergence of the New England Patriots. They've been a real thorn in the Buffalo Bills' side as well, considering that they are leading the AFC East by 1.5 games.
Much has been made about the Patriots' favorable schedule, as they finished last in the division in 2024. By and large, they have beaten (and even lost to) a fairly weak slate of opponents, but as Bills Mafia remembers all too well, they pulled out a victory in Buffalo back in Week 5.
This wasn't New England's first win over the Bills this year, however. No, we're not talking about the end of last season when the Patriots' backups beat Buffalo's second-stringers in Week 18. During the preseason, the Bills wanted a player that the Patriots ended up with, but that's not the whole story.
Bradyn Swinson turned down Bills to stay on Patriots' practice squad
New England drafted edge rusher Bradyn Swinson in the 5th round of April's draft, but after a solid showing in the preseason, he was a surprise release during roster cutdowns. Swinson recently spoke with Mass Live, and apparently, he turned down a chance to be on Buffalo's 53-man squad.
"I’ll just tell you one - Buffalo was one of them,” Swinson said. “A lot of division rivals were reaching out, trying to get you off your division squad, but you know how that goes. But other than that, everything was pretty good. I’m squared away being a Patriot, and I love being here."
Eke. It sounds like the Bills wanted Swinson on their active roster, which would, of course, come with the perks of more stability and a sizeable pay increase. But Swinson wanted to stay on New England's practice squad and wait his turn instead of getting an immediate opportunity in Buffalo.
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While it is honorable for a young player to want to finish what he started, it confounds reason a bit that he would rather grind through what, at the time, was a team perceived to be down in the dumps, instead of a guaranteed roster spot on an AFC front-runner.
It stings doubly that Swinson wanted to be in New England instead of Buffalo because if he develops into a great player one day, Bills fans will get a close look at him twice a year and will always wonder what could have been.
Swinson hasn't exactly been a difference-maker for the Patriots, as he was just promoted to the active roster for the first time all year in Week 11 and did not make an impact. But his choosing to stay in New England also hurts because Buffalo could use some defensive line help right about now.