Bledsoe bound for Buffalo

A deal has been struck between the Patriots and Bills for veteran QB Drew Bledsoe

By Trent Modglin, Associate editor
April 21, 2002

The Bills announced Sunday they have acquired Bledsoe’s services for a first-round pick in 2003. Bledsoe has spent his entire nine-year career with the Patriots and has made three Pro Bowl appearances, but Tom Brady’s emergence in guiding the Patriots on their improbable Super Bowl run and Bledsoe’s large salary-cap number opened the door for the Patriots to pursue various trade possibilities.

"Let me speak as a Patriots fan: Drew Bledsoe is a special player," Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. "I have great respect for all he has done for this franchise, not only for his contributions on the field, but also his contributions off the field. He gave our fans some of the greatest memories in the franchise’s history, and there will always be a special place reserved for him in the hearts of Patriots fans. For many reasons, and at many levels, this was a difficult trade to make."

Cincinnati, Washington and Buffalo, among many others, showed interest in Bledsoe in recent months. While it comes at a bit of a surprise that the Patriots would deal the former cornerstone of their franchise to a team in the same division, Bills GM Tom Donohoe has long been enamored with the possibility of landing Bledsoe.

Alex Van Pelt, who showed some promise down the stretch in place of the injured Rob Johnson last season, will be relegated to a backup role. The Patriots drafted Louisiana State QB Rohan Davey in the fourth round Sunday, which signaled something may indeed be in the works for Bledsoe, who was the first pick in the 1993 draft out of Washington State and owns nearly every Patriots passing record.

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