On April 17, 2009, the Buffalo Bills - headed up by Russ Brandon and Dick Jauron - traded disgruntled left tackle Jason Peters to the Philadelphia Eagles. The move ended a year-long saga over which Peters sought, and did not receive (from Buffalo), a lucrative, multi-year contract extension. The saga included a long bout of silence from Peters during a lengthy holdout that caused him to miss the 2008 season opener.
In return for Peters, the Eagles sent Buffalo two 2009 draft picks, the No. 28 overall selection and the No. 121 overall selection. Buffalo used the first of those picks on guard/center Eric Wood, who made ten starts at right guard before succumbing to a gruesome leg injury. The second of those picks was used on tight end Shawn Nelson, who enjoyed a solid NFL debut (2 catches, 13 yards, 1 TD in New England) but caught only 16 more passes the rest of the season. Buffalo also received a 2010 sixth-round pick, which they'll use next Saturday; that pick is No. 192 overall.
In his first season as an Eagle, Peters earned his third straight Pro Bowl berth and helped pave the way for the 11-5 Eagles to make the playoffs. Established as one of the league's premier young linemen in 2007 - according to ProFootballFocus.com data, he gave up just three sacks that season - Peters was horrendous in 2008, allowing 13 sacks in 13 games. He cut that total by more than half in Philadelphia, allowing six sacks last season. Meanwhile, the Bills struggled to replace Peters, playing five players at left tackle throughout a terrible year. Two Bills tackles - Kirk Chambers (who never played left tackle) and Jonathan Scott (who did) - eclipsed Peters' 2009 sacks allowed total, giving up seven each, again according to ProFootballFocus.com.
Heading into the 2010 season, Peters will be blocking for a new quarterback in Philadelphia, while the Bills are searching for an upgrade to the combination of Demetrius Bell and Jamon Meredith on the blind side.