Whaley Fired Following Draft

Entire scouting staff also let go in major changes.

- Mark Ludwiczak 

After weeks of reports and rampant speculation, Doug Whaley’s tenure as Bills general manager officially came to an end on April 30, less than 24 hours following the conclusion of the NFL Draft.

Analysis

“The decision was made now because this is the end of the scouting year for our pro personnel departments,” Bills owner Terry Pegula said. “We ran a process after the season ended and made the decision at this time.”

Whaley, 44, had a rocky four-year stint as GM that featured plenty of high-profile hits and misses. Before being named general manager in May 2013, he was an assistant general manager in Buffalo under Buddy Nix.

Here’s a look at some of highlights and key moments that took place during Whaley’s time as GM.

THE GOOD

Big trades

Player-for-player swaps aren’t particularly common in the NFL. But Whaley pulled off a pair of lop-sided deals that paid off in spades for the Bills.

Shortly before Whaley was named GM, the Bills sent Kelvin Sheppard to Indianapolis in exchange for Hughes. Though Whaley was not GM yet, he played a big role in the deal. Sheppard was a disappointing former third-round pick who has bounced around the league in recent years; Hughes had two double-digit sack seasons under his belt in Buffalo and has proven to be a legitimate threat off the edge.

Whaley acquired an even bigger piece in March 2015 when Buffalo acquired running back LeSean McCoy in exchange for Kiko Alonso. While Alonso has been a productive player in Philadelphia and Miami since then, McCoy has been Buffalo’s MVP on offense over the past two seasons.

That can’t all be home runs, of course. Matt Cassel was acquired for a late-round pick and under whelmed before being released early in the regular season. But the Hughes and McCoy trades sit at the top of Whaley’s Bills resume for good reason.