Wide receiver Mike Williams was a surprise healthy scratch in Buffalo yesterday. It sounds like he would prefer to play elsewhere.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Williams' agent Hadley Engelhard was given permission to "gauge interest" from other teams to seek a trade, according to a source involved in the situation. Williams was not on the injury report last week, so the Bills chose to keep him on the bench in favor of Chris Hogan and Marquise Goodwin.
Bills general manager Doug Whaley said Monday the team is "not actively shopping" Williams, but confirmed that a trade was requested.
"If he gets me compensation worthy of a No. 1 receiver, which he claimed he is," Whaley said, "then we would entertain it."
Ouch. Williams responded to his benching for Sunday's37-22 loss to the Patriots with an Instagram post (since deleted) that wished his teammates good luck with the hashtag "#wastedjersey." Rapoport reports that the team needed more help on special teams Sunday because of injuries, so Williams wasn't active.
Williams topped 950 yards receiving in two of his first three seasons in the league with Tampa, earning himself a huge contract extension. But he hasn't been productive or reliable since 2012, and Buffalo finds itself in a tough spot. Whaley's comments indicate that the Bills know they will probably have to salvage their relationship with Williams because they don't have great options.
It's hard to imagine Williams having any market. He's due $5.2 million next year, which is a huge number for a guy that has 358 yards in 11 games since the start of the 2013 season. Williams isn't going anywhere; he's a sunk cost for Buffalo.
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