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After yet another season with the Buffalo Bills failing to make it to the Super Bowl, general manager Brandon Beane has some difficult decisions to make.
Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis is one of the team’s top pending free agents. Davis was a polarizing figure in Buffalo, as many lamented his inability to become a true WR2. However, he was a locker room favorite. While voted to team captain this past season, Davis remained consistently inconsistent on the field.
The Bills’ fourth-round pick from the 2020 NFL draft is projected to earn a four-year, $54.4 million contract in free agency, according to Spotrac.com. The Bills enter the offseason approximately $55 million over the salary cap. And for Davis, he strongly hinted his time in Buffalo was up.
On February 19, Davis posted an 8-minute video on Instagram addressed to Bills Mafia. He simply captioned the post, “🫶🏽🦬.” Davis gave a shoutout to Josh Pohlman on Twitter for producing the video and Cover 1 for providing stats.
After the Bills’ postseason journey came to an end, Davis expressed his desire to stay in Buffalo. Speaking to reporters on January 22, “Always open to coming back I mean this is my first place, I’ve been with the Bills for the past four years,” Davis said.
“I love Buffalo, I love everything about it. But again, I feel like definitely gotta go to March and see also the other options as well, I feel like that’s the business side of it and I gotta take advantage of it.”
After seeing his Instagram video, Pro Football Talk’s Michael Davis Smith wrote, “It’s possible that Davis and his agent have engaged in preliminary contract talks with the Bills, and that Davis has realized the sides are far enough apart that he’ll be signing elsewhere when he becomes an unrestricted free agent next month.”
Gabe Davis was Called Out for Skewed Stats Provided in His Video
Davis’ video features highlights from his tenure in Buffalo. In four years, he caught 163-of-299 targets for 2,730 yards and 27 touchdowns. Davis ended the video with specific stats that appear to promote himself as a true WR1.
Two years ago, Davis broke an NFL playoff record by catching four touchdowns against the Chiefs during the infamous “13 seconds” collapse. However, that explosiveness was few and far between. During the 2023 season, he recorded five games with zero catches. His 5.1% drop rate was the worst of Bills receivers, per The Athletic.
CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin commented on how Davis promoted his first-down rate, touchdown rate, average depth of target, and explosive reception rate amid his much lower target rate.
“It’s probably worth noting that those things are connected,” Dubin wrote. “Davis’ high average depth of target plays a large role in why he had so many first downs and explosive plays when thrown the ball. It also explains why his catch rate across four seasons was 54.5% and never exceeded 56.5% in any individual season.
“It’s also worth noting that Davis’ 1.41 yards per route run average (per Tru Media) checked in 50th out of 91 receivers who ran 1,000 or more routes during the four years Davis has been in the NFL, while his yards after catch average checked in 60th among the same group of players.”
Gabe Davis Suffered a Knee Injury Ahead of the Playoffs
After injuring his knee during the Bills regular-season finale, Davis couldn’t participate in the postseason. It’s a frustrating development for a pending free agent looking to show flash before free agency.
Making matters worse, a video was posted on X, that showed Davis arguing with fans after the Bills lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. “Sit the f*** down. You can’t even run a route right,” a man at Highmark Stadium shouted to Davis. “Get the f*** outta here.” The 25-year-old receiver is seen yelling back, but his words can’t be heard.
After the video went viral, Davis’ mother, Alana Davis, shared her strong thoughts on this unfortunate interaction. She reposted a message that called the hecklers, “Loser entitled fans acting like scumbags.” She claimed her son was sticking up for kicker Tyler Bass, who missed the game-tying field goal.
Alana hated that a fight with fans might be one of Davis’ final memories at Highmark Stadium. Davis’ mom posted, “And to think it was probably his last night on that field 💔 and he was gutted he couldn’t be out there! We hated how it all ended! He gave it his all these past 4 years! HIS ALL!! No matter the outcome, this disrespect is unacceptable.”
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