Getty Cole Beasley warms up before a Buffalo Bills game.
Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley set a deadline on his retirement decision earlier this spring, and his self-imposed decision date is fast approaching.
After initially retiring last fall and then coming back to rejoin the Bills in December 2022, Beasley said he would be willing to give the NFL one more shot — if a team would have him. Taking to Twitter in April, Beasley said he would only play another season if he were signed to a team with enough time before the season starts.
“If I’m not in a Training Camp I’m retiring,” he wrote. “Coming in when the season has already started doesn’t give me a chance to be implemented and make an impact. I need camp to develop chemistry with everyone and build confidence. If they won’t give me that then they don’t want me there.”
With training camps now a matter of weeks away and Beasley still a free agent, the decision could be coming soon.
Cole Beasley Sounds off on Future With Bills
While the Bills were able to tempt Beasley out of retirement last season after a spate of injuries left them thin at wide receiver, the veteran does not appear to be holding out much hope of another return to Buffalo. After the Bills used a first-round pick on tight end Dalton Kincaid — who is expected to play significant time at Beasley’s position in the slot — the receiver wrote that it likely sealed his fate with the team.
“I think them drafting that TE in the first round put an end to that man,” Beasley tweeted to a fan asking if he might be back with the Bills again in 2023. “He’s gonna be on the field. It was fun while it lasted though.”
The Bills signed Cole Beasley back to the active roster this week. He joked today that at first he was just trying not to do anything stupid running routes in practice, like stumbling and falling over.
“Now I feel like I really never left.” #BillsMafia
Beasley had a rocky relationship with the team and its fans over the course of the last two years, with the receiver. In 2021, he claimed that fans were booing him during home games, a claim that was disputed by many fans who said they were instead chanting an abbreviated version of his last name.
Fans later accused Beasley of taking a dig at Josh Allen after the wide receiver shared some praise for Dak Prescott, prompting Beasley to push back against “sensitive” fans.
But Beasley also spoke highly of fans and the team at times, and remained close with quarterback Josh Allen and others.
Insider Predicts End for Cole Beasley
Some insiders agree with Beasley’s assertion that his time with the Bills has likely come to an end. Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News noted that the Bills appear to have moved on when they drafted Kincaid, who will take over Beasley’s former place in the slot. The Bills also signed other younger players expected to see targets in the coming season, he added.
“Perhaps most telling is the team’s approach to free agency and the draft,” Skurski wrote. “[Tight end] Dalton Kincaid figures to work out of the slot a good deal as a rookie, which is where Beasley operates. Additionally, the team signed Deonte Harty and Trent Sherfield, both of whom should make the 53-man roster. Second-year veteran Khalil Shakir is also going to get a chance to have an expanded role, so there simply might not be room for Brown and/or Beasley on the active roster.”