If there is 1 prevailing rule NFL teams need to follow, it’s this: never miss with a good thing, and never mess with a winning streak.
The Buffalo Bills are the very definition of a good thing right now, with a 3-0 start to the regular season and seemingly 1 player after another coming out of the woodwork to make plays to help them win.
That’s why 1 recent trade pitch from ESPN’s Ben Solak is so wild — he thinks the Bills might be the team to trade 1 of their standout wide receivers to help another Super Bowl contender, and he suggests a pair of names to possibly send to the Los Angeles Rams.
“Despite the fact that the Rams traded almost an entire year’s worth of picks for two players, they’re still in a position at which one more trade makes sense: specifically, for a pass catcher,” Solak wrote on September 29. “So where to look? The Rams aren’t the team that should kick the tires on a discontented first-round pick such as Marvin Harrison Jr. or Quentin Johnston — they need a steady producer who can eat volume if needed … do the Bills need both Joshua Palmer and Keon Coleman?”
Bills Overpaid Josh Palmer in Free Agency
The Bills drastically overvalued Palmer in free agency before the 2025 season, signing him to a 3-year, $30 million contract.
Palmer responded with the worst season of his career — 33 receptions for 304 yards and no touchdowns while missing 5 games due to injuries.
“While it’s worth noting that (Palmer) was limited by ankle and knee injuries, his production left plenty to be desired,” Knox wrote on August 10. “While Buffalo couldn’t reasonably expect a big return for Palmer in a trade, it could get something from a receiver-needy team to go with some valuable cap savings. The Bills have just over $10 million in cap space, and they could save $10.2 million in cap room by trading Palmer.”
In this scenario, getting back a 5th-round pick for Palmer might be a reasonable expectation.
Josh Palmer Rare Canadian to Make NFL Roster
Palmer, 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, is the rare Canadian to make an NFL roster. He starred in high school in Ontario before transferring to high school football powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for his final 2 seasons.
Palmer was a 3-star recruit and landed at Tennessee, where he seemed on the verge of stardom until his senior season got shortened to 9 games in 2020 because of the pandemic.
In 4 seasons, Palmer never had more than 500 receiving yards in a single year, but was still drafted in the 3rd round (No. 77 overall) by the Los Angeles Chargers.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein had Palmer projected as a 4th-round pick.
“While he was hurt by inconsistent quarterbacking during his time at Tennessee, the production totals are still disappointing,” Zierlein wrote in 2020. “However, the more tape you watch of Palmer, the more you like him. He has size, clearly works on refining his route-running and has a good understanding of how to help himself with contested catches. While he doesn’t appear to have great long speed, he did beat future NFL cornerbacks at Georgia (DJ Daniel) and Alabama (Patrick Surtain Jr.) down the field for scores. He’s an instinctive pass catcher on all three levels with above-average ball skills, but beating press and finding separation will be his toughest challenges in the NFL.”
Buffalo Bills Trade Pitch Sends $30 Million WR to Rams