Cole Beasley Released by Bills After Team Fails to Find Trade Partner

The Buffalo Bills announced Thursday they've released wide receiver Cole Beasley.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported the Bills failed to find a trade partner, noting a deal "never came together" after Buffalo held conversations with a "few teams."

Beasley and his representatives requested a chance to seek a deal during the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine. Bills general manager Brandon Beane told Garafolo at the time the team was open to the wideout's return in 2022 if no deal was found.

Instead, the 32-year-old SMU product is on the move after a three-year tenure in Buffalo. He started his career with seven seasons as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

Beasley remains one of the NFL's premier slot receivers. He posted 82 receptions each of the past two seasons, his career high, but his per-catch average dropped to 8.5 yards in 2021, matching his career-low mark from his rookie season in 2012.

Even if he's losing a step—he also recorded just 34 first-down grabs in 2021 compared to 53 the previous year—he can consistently get open against both man and zone coverage. That's a major benefit in any offense.

Beasley generated headlines last season for what he described as a "pro choice" stance on COVID-19 vaccines. In October, he suggested Bills fans were booing him because of his unvaccinated status.

"Only place I get boo'd is at our home stadium," he wrote on his since-deleted Twitter account. "Then some of the same people want me to take pictures and sign autographs. I thought Bills fans were the best in the world? Where'd they go?"

The NFL and the NFL Players Association jointly agreed to suspend COVID-19 protocols March 3, so that storyline should be less of an issue next season.

In all, the 2020 second-team All-Pro selection has tallied 550 catches for 5,709 yards and 34 touchdowns across 149 career regular-season games.

He'll head to free agency, where he should have a "solid market," per Garafolo.

The Texas native is no longer at the peak of his physical powers, but he made enough key plays over the last few years in Buffalo for teams to believe he can be an impact player in 2022.