The Bills have never been strangers to the occasional in-division deal, but those swaps have usually stayed on the small side. Buffalo sent offensive lineman Russell Bodine to the New England Patriots in 2019 for a 2020 sixth-round pick, then in 2024 moved a 2026 sixth-round pick to land CB Brandon Codrington and a 2026 seventh-round pick. Nothing earth-shaking.
This past offseason, though, the AFC East saw a much more notable trade between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, and it brought a proven name into the division. Miami, in the middle of a full rebuild, stripped things down with releases and a few trades, including one that sent safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Jets.
That move is the kind of thing Bills fans shouldn’t brush off.
Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus recently put together a list of “5 underappreciated acquisitions” from the offseason, and Fitzpatrick made the cut. That matters because, even after a rough year for Buffalo and New York last season, the Jets’ defense is usually the toughest unit the Bills see in the division. Now they’ve added a versatile safety who still ranks among the game’s better players.
" 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.
Buffalo will still see Fitzpatrick twice a year, but now it comes against a defense that has often given the Bills problems. Aaron Glenn didn’t get the result he wanted in his first season in New York, but he gets another shot to clean things up, and adding Fitzpatrick to the back end of the defense gives that group a real boost.
Nobody is penciling the Jets in for a major breakthrough, but they can still make life difficult for opponents, Buffalo included. The good news for the Bills is that they don’t face New York until later in the season, which should give a clearer picture of what this Jets team looks like by the time Buffalo heads to New Jersey.
In Other News...
Bills Suddenly Linked To A Win Now Move Fans Will Debate
A surprising front-line name has entered the trade conversation, and it is the kind of move that immediately gets attention from teams looking to stiffen the middle of their defense. Vita Vea has become available in a way few expected, and the discussion around him is already centered on which contenders can actually make the math work as much as which ones could use his presence.
For Buffalo, the fit is easy to understand on paper. The Bills have Deone Walker handling nose tackle right now, but adding a player of Veas caliber would be a clear win-now swing, even if it would require some contract shuffling to get there. The question is whether a move that aggressive would be worth pushing salary-cap issues further down the road, which is exactly the kind of debate that tends to follow Buffalo whenever a big name suddenly lands on the market. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Fan Favorite Faces His Biggest Chance Yet In Buffalo
Joe Andreessen has already carved out a real place on the Bills roster, and it came the hard way. The inside linebacker played in all 17 games last season, started two, and became one of Buffalos most dependable special teams pieces, leading the team in snaps and tackles in that phase while showing the athletic traits that made him an intriguing prospect in the first place.
Now the next step is the tougher one, because offseason work will determine whether Andreessen stays in that role or pushes for more on defense. Buffalo has options around him, and while his energy and range have helped him stick, coverage remains the part of his game that still has to come along if he is going to turn a fan-favorite story into a bigger one in 2026. [Read more 🡒]
Bills New Stadium Is Trying To Become A Gameday Destination
The Bills new home is being built to do more than host football games this season. Along with the stadium itself, the grounds are taking shape as a place fans can linger, with giant bison statues in the Family Circle, new landscaping, and the Highmark Trail, a 1.4-mile walk designed to give the site a more welcoming, open feel around game day.
The trail adds to that idea with interactive touches, including the Musical Rush section, where motion-activated speakers bring another layer of energy to the walk. And the plans do not stop there. Signs along the route point to more fitness-minded features still to come, leaving the stadium district looking less like a simple parking-and-entry zone and more like a destination the Bills hope fans will want to explore before and after kickoff. [Read more 🡒]