Bills GM Explains Lack of WR Upgrades amid Jaylen Waddle, Jakobi Meyers Trade Rumors

Wide receivers like Jaylen Waddle and Jakobi Meyers were popular names in the rumor mill before November's trade deadline, and the Buffalo Bills had a clear need at the position.

On Tuesday, general manager Brandon Beane explained why the team didn't ultimately land either player.

"Last trade deadline we were definitely looking to see, if there's a piece available that we think... can help us take another step, sure, we would do that," he told ESPN's Peter Schrager (29:00 mark). "We had conversations on the players that you mentioned, and here's what I'd say—Meyers at that time was coming from Vegas, his cap number was bigger than what we had available. And Vegas was clear, 'We're not planning to eat any money, you'll have to create enough space.' Which at that time we just weren't able to do. And that takes you out of certain conversations. The year before we were checking on Davante Adams, who was also in Vegas at the time, and they were like, 'No, we can't eat any money.' When you're paying a Josh Allen, you're not going to go into each year with $10-15 million sitting in your bank account. We got Amari Cooper because Cleveland had adjusted his [cap] number down to the minimum. So you kinda have to look at what your options are. And then trading within the division, we did have conversations on both sides of the ball. Defensive tackle, wide receiver. But ultimately, really couldn't get [the Dolphins] to engage in being willing to make a move."

The issue for some Bills' fans might be less that the team didn't pull off a major move for a wideout in November and more that the position wasn't better addressed in the offseason, with Joshua Palmer the main addition.

It hasn't helped that Keon Coleman hasn't developed into a reliable option at the position, but Buffalo didn't provide Allen with many viable options at wideout this season. Changing that should be a top priority of the 2026 offseason.