Ex-Bills GM Whaley says he left team with 2 1st-round picks as 'parting gift'

Doug Whaley wants to be remembered by his final act of his tenure as the general manager of the Buffalo Bills.

During the opening night of the 2017 NFL Draft, Whaley engineered a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, trading the No. 10 selection in exchange for the No. 27 and No. 91 picks, along with a 2018 first-round pick.

After the draft concluded, Whaley, along with the rest of the Bills' scouting staff, was fired.

The now-exiled executive tried to frame his contributions in a positive light Monday.

"To be able to move around, fill those needs (cornerback, wide receiver) and not overpay, I think again is a testament to all of us being on the same page, and then setting the Bills up in the future by having two first-round picks next year. Obviously we gave up one to go up and get Sammy (Watkins in 2014), but I have to say as a parting gift, we left them with two going into next year," Whaley said on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

Whaley also revealed that he failed to secure a franchise quarterback during his reign with the Bills. Buffalo selected EJ Manuel with its first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft under Whaley's watch but he never materialized as a viable franchise option.

"If I get a shot again, I'm going to try to map out a road map to accomplish both at the same time, but try to get that franchise quarterback as quickly as possible," Whaley said. "Because as they say, when you have that guy under center, you only need one guy that's on every day. But if you don't have that guy under center, then you need 45 guys that are on every single game."

Brandon Beane was hired as the Bills' next general manager and he'll be responsible for the team's personnel decisions. If the Bills find a marquee player with their extra first-round pick, Whaley will likely be satisfied with his last major move with the organization.