Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins is easily one of the best offensive players on the team. When he's healthy, there is almost nobody in the league who can cover him. He's one of the Bills best offensive weapons and has the quickness and skill to be a top player in the league. In recent seasons, his campaigns have unfortunately been derailed by injuries. Because of this, the Bills decided not to pick up the 5th year option on Watkins.
Declining a 5th Year Option.
Earlier in the day, the Buffalo Bills gave an official statement on the future of Watkins in Buffalo.
Sean McDermott spoke with the wide receiver and he will be a part of the Bills offense in 2017.
The Buffalo Bills have declined to pick up Sammy Watkins' fifth-year option. pic.twitter.com/zS3xZT7tWt
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) May 2, 2017
Whether or not Watkins remains with the team past the 2017 season is a function of how well he plays during it. If he emerges as a healthier top wide receiver target, Watkins will cash in on a contract year from either the Bills or another organization looking for a quality free agent. If not, the Bills may be able to sign him to a low value contract.
In any case, Watkins' future with the Buffalo Bills looks uncertain. But the reasons why he faces an uncertain future should have Bills fans concerned.
Watkins Came Back Too Early Last Year?
According to Sal Cappacio of WGR, Bills coaches forced Watkins to come back before he was truly ready. This led to a decline in play and left Sammy even more injury prone. The Buffalo Bills may have declined Watkins' option purely due to a poor decision by Rex Ryan's coaching staff.
Bills rushed Sammy Watkins back this season and were forced to put him on IR for 10 weeks only to once again bring him back under 100%??
— Padrick Elem (@PatEnt07) November 27, 2016
The Bills rushed Sammy Watkins back too soon.... this is what happens. The injury gets re-aggrevated. Tore my calf once- 9 months recovery
— Kevin Randall (@_Buffalo_Sports) October 2, 2015
It is true that the Buffalo Bills were trying to make a playoff push late in the season, but at what point do you conserve the health of one of your best players?
Watkins has had numerous injury issues in the past, and he won't recover from them if he doesn't get ample time to rest and get healthy.
Learn from Mistakes.
The Buffalo Bills will hopefully learn from past mistakes and avoid rushing star players back from injuries too early. Long term preservation of players is more important than short term gains, especially when the team really isn't competing for a Super Bowl.
Crucial players like LeSean McCoy, Sammy Watkins, and Tyrod Taylor can't be rushed back before they're ready in the future, or the Bills will pay the price. These key pieces are extremely important for Buffalo and the organization needs to trust medical evaluations rather than placing one game above long term health. Sammy Watkins has been injury prone throughout his career, but it doesn't help when the Bills don't manage the injuries well.
