Well, since Adam Schefter reported that the Ravens will be cutting Willis McGahee this week, it seems fair to assess which team won the trade. As it stands, none of the players involved in the deal are on the Ravens or Bills.
Following the 2006 season, the Bills needed to get rid of workhorse running back, Willis McGahee, following his negative comments towards the city of Buffalo and his contract being up the following year. The Bills were the only team to give McGahee a shot after he blew out his knee in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, as the sure-fire top five pick slid to Buffalo, who held the 23rd overall selection in the 2003 NFL Draft.
McGahee was a solid back for the Bills, rushing for 1,128 yards and 13 touchdowns in his rookie year, and gaining a career high 1,247 the following season. In his third year, he failed to crack the 1,000 yard mark, rushing for 990 yards and six touchdowns.
However, McGahee continued to be plagued by various rib, knee, and stomach injuries, and coupled with his statements regarding his playing city, he became dispensable. The Bills traded him after the 2006 season to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for two third round draft picks (2007 and 2008) and a seventh round draft pick (2007).
The Bills used those selections on quarterback Trent Edwards and C.J. Ah You, and the third round pick was part of a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars to acquire defensive tackle, Marcus Stroud.
But who came out on top with that deal?
The Ravens signed McGahee to a lucrative seven-year, $40+ million contract, making him one of the highest paid running backs in the league. He replaced Jamal Lewis, who went to the Cleveland Browns, and was a solid performer until being notified of his release Monday afternoon, following the agreement to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
McGahee was productive in his first season in Baltimore, rushing for over 1,200 yards, while scoring seven touchdowns, but never reached 1,000 yards again. In 2009, he found the endzone 12 times as a solid goal line back, but regressed again in 2010.
Trent Edwards played well for a four game stretch in 2008, before going down with an injury, and never really came back like his previous self. He was named the Bills starting quarterback in 2010, only to lose the job after two weeks, and was subsequently released.
C.J. Ah You never made an impact for the Bills at any time.
Marcus Stroud was a veteran at the age of 30 when he came to Buffalo, but that didn’t stop him from appearing in 46 of 48 possible games with the Bills, racking up 150 tackles and 7.5 sacks while playing defensive tackle and switching to defensive end in 2010 when the defense switched to a 3-4 front.
Overall, it appears the Ravens came out on top in that trade, as the Bills were forced to use another first round draft pick to select another running back, Marshawn Lynch, in 2008. Trent Edwards and Marcus Stroud both had their shining moments for Buffalo, but both are with new franchises now. McGahee contributed 31 touchdowns and over 3,000 yards for the Ravens, while adding a complement to youngster Ray Rice.
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