Two Bills Drive

February 24, 1965 – BILLS TRADE COOKIE GILCHRIST TO DENVER

The Bills traded running back Cookie Gilchrist to the Denver Broncos for running back Billy Joe, the AFL's rookie of the year in 1963.

‘Hollis was consistent for the Bills this season. Although he didn’t always have many field goal chances, he accumulated a good number of PAT’s (40) and finished with 115 points.’

‘Presumably, both Price and the Bills want a long-term deal. And that’s the tricky part: McGee is free to shop his client’s services to any team (and there are several interested), but if another club signs Price, it has to compensate the Bills with either two first-round draft picks or a different package that fits president Tom Donahoe’s liking.’

‘According to several coaches and scouts, as many as 12 defensive linemen could go in the first round and up to 20 in the first two rounds combined.’

‘Harris started four games for a bad Bills team in ’69 and only a couple the next two years in Buffalo. He said racism was a constant obstacle. "There was a lot of hate mail, a lot of name-calling during that time, a lot of postcards with negative pictures," he said. "Those were things I had to work through and play through. I had to look beyond that."’

‘But the more serious problems to be addressed in the offseason are on defense, where there was very little pass-rush. Buffalo’s defensive linemen accounted for only 20 sacks and tackle Pat Williams, their best defensive player, didn’t have one of them.’

"I'm a Peerless Price fan. The fact that we know he's going to be back with us next year, I'm excited about the fact we are not going to decrease our offensive explosiveness. The way we're able to keep the football offensively by doing the things we want to do and to continue to expand on what we did offensively this year, helps our defense also. We'll continue to work this offseason on improving our defense. But he was a pivotal part of keeping our offense intact."

‘According to sources close to the negotiations, the Bills are offering more than $3 million per year with a split signing bonus of $4.5 million this year and a little more than $2 million in 2005. It is believed McGee wants more up-front bonus money.’

‘[Q:] Reasons for franchising Peerless: [A:] "We still feel we can sign him. We wanted to have more discussion. We’re hopeful that the discussion starts to be two way instead of one way. The only way we could do that, the only way we could guarantee that we could do that was to put the tag on him. Our intentions are still to try and sign him to get a long-term deal done, and we’ve been very upfront with the agent right from the beginning. We’d like to keep Peerless, but it has to fit within the framework of what we’re trying to do."’

Franchise (FFA): Unrestricted free agents who have been designated as the "Franchise" player. Current team has the right to match any offer. If they refuse they are given compensation by the new team the player has signed to play for.

‘Donahoe, who plans to meet with McGee today, said there’s no urgency to hammer out a new contract before Feb. 28.’

‘The franchise tag was his way of saying “I like you.” Now it’s up to Price to put his hurt feelings aside and work toward a long-term deal that benefits both sides.’

‘The Bills have left the door open for trading Price, who would have been coveted by several teams as an unrestricted free agent starting Feb. 28. Under what’s called a “sign-and-trade” clause, teams can sign a franchise player to a contract, deal him to another club, and not incur a salary cap hit if all of the paperwork is done on the same day.’

‘Essentially, the Bills weren’t about to allow Price to escape and have zero to show in return. If they cannot get him to agree to a long-term contract, rest assured, the Bills will dangle Price in trade talks. They feel that Price is right for some team, themselves or another franchise, and will work hard to find an option that makes sense.’

”’We would like to try to keep the player, and the only way we can ensure that we continue to talk to the player is that he has the tag.”’