Getty Cole Beasley makes a catch in a game against the New England Patriots.
There could soon be another player headed down the pipeline from Buffalo to suburban New Jersey.
Since now-former Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen left to become the general manager of the New York Giants and Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll followed shortly after, a number of Bills players and assistant coaches have found their way to the Meadowlands. An insider suggests that one of the Bills top receivers over the last three seasons could be next.
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Giants Could Become Trade Spot for Top Bills Receiver
As ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg reported, wide receiver Cole Beasley asked the team for permission to seek a trade, and the Bills have given him the green light. She noted that the Bills were likely to seek some kind of relief for Beasley’s $7.6 million cap hit next season, and a trade or release would save the team $6.1 million in cap space.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane wouldn’t say for sure what the future held for Beasley.
“I haven’t spoken to Cole personally or anything like that. We’ll just take it day by day,” Beane said. “Obviously, we’re going to have some tough decisions to make across the roster, again, whether they’re straight cuts, restructures, extensions, we’re going to look at a lot of areas with a lot of these guys as we move forward.”
As Syracuse.com’s Ryan Talbot noted, the Giants would seem to be a logical destination for Beasley. Daboll and Schoen have already plucked a number of players away from the Bills, including backup quarterback Davis Webb, and Beasley has spoken very highly of Daboll in the past.
“With Daboll trying to figure out what he has in Daniel Jones, the former Bills OC should be looking to get the quarterback as many weapons as possible,” Talbot wrote.
Talbot suggested some other teams that could be in the mix for Beasley, including the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Chicago Bears.
Beasley Could Stay With New Contract
Before news broke that Beasley was seeking a trade out of Buffalo, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia suggested that the Bills could find a way to keep him on the roster at a lower price. He noted that Over The Cap pegged Beasley’s value last season at close to $4.6 million, and the Bills could ask the slot receiver to restructure his contract to reach something closer to that number.
“The Bills could offer Beasley a base salary reduction to get his cap hit down to the range of $4.5 million to $6 million and fully guarantee the salary,” Buscaglia wrote. “At his age, Beasley is unlikely to get more on the open market — in total money and guaranteed money — than what the Bills would offer.”
From NFL Now on @nflnetwork: The #Bills have granted permission for WR Cole Beasley to seek a trade, though GM Brandon Beane told me late yesterday the team would welcome him back and “no door has been closed.”
After turning in a career-best season in 2020, Beasley saw his production drop in 2021. He made 82 catches for 693 yards and only one touchdown, missing time down late in the season due to a mix of injuries and COVID-19 infection. Beasley also saw a rising threat to his slot targets from Isaiah McKenzie, who saw his role on offense increase later in the season. McKenzie is now a free agent.
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