Getty Former Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley at Highmark Stadium on December 17, 2022.
Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley is not ready to hang up his cleats just yet.
Back in April, Beasley tweeted, “If I’m not in a Training Camp I’m retiring.” While free agency has thus far been quiet for the former undrafted player out of SMU, he told Outkick in an interview shared on Wednesday, July 12 that he’s been training with Bills All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano and wide receiver Gabe Davis in preparation for a tryout.
“I have a workout on the 21st [of July],” Beasley said. “I’m not going to say who because I don’t know if they want me to mention that right now. That’s why I’m here. Been preparing for that. And trying to stay ready.”
Former #UCF Knights Gabe Davis and Jacob Harris working out with Matt Milano and Cole Beasley here at UCF.
While Beasley isn’t naming the team, the veteran’s comments about his tenure in Buffalo amid COVID strongly insinuated that a return to Orchard Park is off the table. “Buffalo changed for me after that,” the 34-year-old said of his refusal to get vaccinated.
“It was different in the organization, it was different in the facility and it was different with the fans as well. I went from, like my first year there, I loved Buffalo and I found my love for football again there. And I appreciated that. But once Covid hit, all that kind of changed.”
“I mean the fans are one thing, but the people in the building is another thing,” Beasley continued. “That affected me more so than the fans. I’ve always dealt with fans giving me [crap], even in Dallas. So that was something I could deal with. But when you start seeing changes within the organization, with how people are treating you there, that’s a different deal.”
Despite his misgivings with the Bills organization during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Beasley ultimately returned to Buffalo during the 2022 NFL season. After the Bills were eliminated from the playoffs, Beasley told The Buffalo News that he’d “definitely” return for another season with the Bills should he receive an offer.
Cole Beasley Said Things In Buffalo Were ‘Tough’ For Him
Beasley said he was never one “to get involved in politics,” but the NFL’s vaccine requirements changed everything. “And it’s all politics. It’s crazy,” Beasley told Outkick. “It’s almost like they forgot who I was before that. I don’t know, there was just a big change after that. It was kind of tough for me after that.”
A reunion in Buffalo: WR Cole Beasley is coming out of retirement and expected to sign with the #Bills’ practice squad, sources say. After a brief stint with the #Buccaneers earlier this season, Beasley returns to Orchard Park to provide Josh Allen with another trusted target.
After getting released by the Bills last offseason, Beasley appeared in two games with Tampa Bay Buccaneers before announcing his retirement from the NFL. However, when the Bills’ slew of receivers failed to deliver in the slot last season, Beasley came out of retirement to sign with the team’s practice squad in December. Buffalo eventually elevated him to the active roster and during the playoffs, he recorded nine receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown.
In 2019, Beasley recorded 67 receptions for 778 yards and six touchdowns. In 2020, he tallied 82 catches for 967 yards with four touchdowns. During the 2021 NFL season, Beasley once again caught 82 receptions, but for 693 yards and only one touchdown. His yards per catch (8.45) was the worst of his career.
Beasley suggested his vocal resistance against the league’s vaccine policy made it difficult for him to get another job. “I don’t think any organization, or at least the one I played for at the time liked me doing that,” he said. “They definitely didn’t. So I’m only assuming other organizations feel the same way. They like guys to be quiet and not say anything and go with the flow. And I haven’t been a guy to really do that at times. So it definitely works against me a little bit.”
Cole Beasley Claimed He’d Be the Bills’ Best Slot Receiver If He Returned to Buffalo
GettyBills wide receiver Cole Beasley warms up prior to the AFC Wild Card game against the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium on January 15, 2023.
Beasley sounded off on Twitter about how he’d be “the best slot” receiver on the Bills “by a long shot” if he were to return to Buffalo for the 2023 NFL season. While fans had strongly mixed reactions to Beasley’s bold statement, Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs gave his former teammate a full endorsement.
Diggs tweeted, “I’ve never seen a better slot receiver than @Bease11.”
Buffalo got creative in finding their new slot receiver, trading up to land pass-catching tight end Dalton Kincaid in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Afterward, Beasley was asked on Twitter about returning to the Bills and he responded, “I think them drafting that TE in the first round put an end to that man. He’s gonna be on the field. It was fun while it lasted though.”
While Beasley’s tweets insinuated that Kincaid was basically his replacement, after seeing tweets about how Bills’ general manager Brandon Beane compared Kincaid to Beasley, he tweeted, “Please don’t compare me to any tight end. Lol… I think every WR gets offended if they’re compared to tight ends…”
Found ourselves a playmaker. 😈 #NFLDraft
Following some pushback from fans, Beasley clarified, “I didn’t criticize the rookie. I just said don’t compare me to a tight end. Dude could be great. We just aren’t similar. The end.”
While it historically take awhile for rookie tight ends to adjust to the NFL, the Bills also have Khalil Shakir, Trent Sherfield, and Deonte Harty as candidates to step as WR3.
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Former Bills WR Shades Bills Organization Amid NFL Comeback