Getty Elijah Moore runs after making a catch in a New York Jets game.
The Buffalo Bills could stand to gain from some dysfunction within an AFC East rival.
Several insiders have pegged the Bills as buyers at the trade deadline, with reports that they made an unsuccessful offer for Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey before he was ultimately dealt to the San Francisco 49ers. One insider believes the Bills could look closer to home, making a bid for New York Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore after his request for a trade.
Bills Advised to Target Rival Player
As ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported, the relationship between the Jets and Moore appears to be irreparably fractured. Moore had a blow-up with a Jets coach on Thursday and was sent home, leading to his request for a trade.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh said on Friday that Moore won’t be playing on Sunday against the Denver Broncos.
“To ask him to play a football game with where he is from a mental standpoint wouldn’t be fair to him, in my opinion,” Saleh said. “But that’s strictly my decision.”
Saleh added that the team had no plans to trade Moore, who was taken with the No. 34 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
“It’s part of what we deal with every day,” Saleh said. “We’ve had our discussions with Elijah. Trading him is not an option. We’ll just continue working with him.”
Saleh tried to downplay any potential tensions and publicly defended Moore on Friday, calling him a competitive player and characterizing the incident that led to him being sent home as a mistake. But one Bills insider believes he could be a strong target for Buffalo. Joe DiBiase, a host on the team’s flagship station WGR 550, advised Bills general manager Brandon Beane to try making a deal with the Jets.
Moore made 43 catches for 538 yards and five touchdowns in his rookie season, and has 16 catches for 203 yards so far this season.
Bills Could Pursue Other Targets
While it may be difficult to convince the Jets to trade Moore — let alone to a divisional rival — there could be some other targets more attainable for the Bills. They have already been connected to some other players, including a report that they made an ultimately unsuccessful offer for McCaffrey before he was shipped to the 49ers.
NFL insider Albert Breer reported that the Bills were active in talks with the Panthers but weren’t willing to meet their asking price.
“Been asked about the Bills’ interest. My understanding is Buffalo was among the first to call late last week,” Breer tweeted. “And they stayed in touch with Carolina throughout, waiting to see where it went. But the price never came down to a place where the Bills were moved to make an offer.
Ryan O’Halloran of the Buffalo News noted that the Bills may be more likely to trade for help at the offensive line rather than taking a swing for a skill player. He noted that the Bills could be more likely to make a splash in free agency by going after Odell Beckham Jr.
“If the Bills do make a trade, it should be of the no-frills variety and start and end with offensive line depth because the status of right tackle Spencer Brown is unclear after he was injured at Kansas City. The idea of Beckham joining the Bills for the stretch run, like he did the Rams last year, is enticing because it won’t cost the club a draft pick or very much money.