“They Wanted Xavier Worthy Badly”: Michael Lombardi Reveals Buffalo Bills Rejected Patriots Offer to Let Chiefs Draft Texas WR

The one decision that Brandon Beane made on the night of April 25th still haunts the whole of the Buffalo Bills fanbase. The Buffalo Bills not only lost their speed merchant Xavier Worthy at No.28 but they also gave the one weapon Andy Reid needed, a good WR. Scoffing away would be a mild reaction to this since the Bills presented a formidable WR on a silver platter to their arch-AFC nemesis the Chiefs especially when the Patriots were on pins and needles to secure a trade-up all this while.

It was no secret that the Patriots ‘badly‘ wanted a trade-up from their second-round pick in this year’s NFL draft to get their hands on a good wide receiver and Head Coach Jerod Mayo has put in tremendous effort to sculpt the roster. However, their WR vacancy is the biggest pressing issue for him. Surprisingly, the Bills could have avoided trading Xavier Worthy to the Chiefs and traded him to the Patriots instead which adds fuel to their AFC rivalry.

How the Patriots landed Xavier Worthy

Michael Lombardi, the former coaching staffer at New England, describes how the Patriots had to draft a WR of Worthy’s caliber. “They had an opportunity to take the deal from New England. New England was in high-speed pursuit of [Xavier] Worthy. They wanted Worthy badly,” Michael Lombardi said on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’, explaining how the stars aligned for the Patriots.

Since the Patriots already have a touted QB like Drake Maye on board, Jerod Mayo thought a WR with such speed would be the perfect pair with Maye’s abilities. May’s ad-libs with Worthy’s ability to maintain speed through the game can prove to be a killer combination for the Pats. Of course, the Patriots decided to draft down with the Los Angeles Chargers, giving them pick No.34 in exchange for pick No.37.

Through this, they picked Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk, who was a part of the runner-up team in the 2023 National Championship. The expectations from both the rookies, Maye and Polk, remain high for now. Polk acts as a star after-catch playmaker but the team needs a field-stretcher which Worthy can provide. However, the real threat is brewing away in the Arrowhead Stadium.

Did the Buffalo Bills make a mistake?

Per Michael Lombardi and several other analysts, a loud and big yes. Adam Schultz of the Bills Nation believes that the Bills will regret the trade since they have “helped” their AFC rivals gain a destructive weapon in Worthy.

Patrick Mahomes’ gridiron excelled just needed that thrust from the WR department, one that has been lacking since Tyreek Hill left. With Xavier Worthy now handling the reins, Mahomes can easily expect to achieve the unthinkable.

Even Michael Lombardi thinks that it will come back to the Bill to “Bite in their *ss.” Now that the Chiefs have both Mahomes and the Texas WR bolstering up their O-line, Kansas City would easily become an even menacing force. Not only will it easily aid the Chiefs in refining their game further, but it will also be a building stone in their quest towards the three-peat this season.