An upbeat and definitive Sammy Watkins met with reporters to kick off Bills camp Thursday and one of his central messages was clear: Stop asking him about the nagging foot injury that torpedoed his 2016 season.
"My job is really to get back in shape and be out there with the guys," Watkins said, via ESPN.com. "I don't want to hear no more about the foot. The foot is fine. I'm healed."
Watkins, who saw his fifth-year option declined just a few months after finishing a season where he caught just 28 balls for 430 yards and two touchdowns over eight games, was also confident about his future with the Bills.
"I love Buffalo," Watkins told the team's official site. "They drafted me first round, fourth pick. My job is to stay here for a while. That's the goal. You don't want to change teams. My job is to stay around here forever. That's the goal."
Watkins' career has taken a few interesting turns in upstate New York over the last four seasons. But even through some of his low moments, like the gripe over targets back in 2015, there have been undeniable flashes of brilliance. I wrote about one of those moments during his rookie season featuring commentary from his receivers coach at Clemson. In a nutshell: Even if he hasn't shown it yet, there are things he can do that no other receiver in football can.