Buffalo Bills Officially Decline Sammy Watkins’ 5th Year Option
By Paul Taylor
Sammy Watkins’ is now eligible to become a free agent in 2018, after the Buffalo Bills decide against picking up the fifth year option on his contract, but was it the right move?
If there was any doubt about who’s running the Buffalo Bills, it has now been removed. This is Sean McDermott’s show.
That much is clear, after the Bills officially confirmed on Tuesday that they will not pick up the fifth year option on Sammy Watkins‘ rookie contract. As reported by Bills insider Chris Brown, McDermott explained his decision in a team statement:
"“Sammy and I have had good conversations about this decision,” McDermott said. “There is no question that Sammy is a very good football player and has worked very hard during his rehab this offseason. We look forward to seeing a healthy Sammy Watkins on the field in 2017.”"
Of course, the key word in that statement is “healthy”, with this decision alluding to the Bills’ concerns about Watkins ongoing durability issues. He is currently recovering from a second surgery on his foot and has missed 11 games during the previous two seasons.
The Bills have clearly decided they don’t want to take any chances with the 23-year old, regardless of how much they gave up to acquire him in the 2014 draft. His fifth year would have cost the team $13.258 million and is fully guaranteed against injury.
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No doubt a lot of people will agree with this decision by the Bills. And yet, it still feels like they’re backing themselves into a corner.
Understandably, this is dependent on Watkins having a big year in 2017. However, would you really bet against his ability to do this, with his undoubted talent?
This doesn’t mean the Bills are without options as, for example, they could place the franchise tag on the Fort Myers, Florida native. However, this would ironically cost them more than his fifth year option.
The counter argument to this could be that the team can also sign Watkins to a contract extension. And yet, it’s entirely possible the wide receiver will react negatively to Tuesday’s decision, no matter how McDermott presents the situation in his statement.
Yes, the Clemson product will now be even more motivated to prove himself. However, he may well now have lost trust in the organization, perceiving their move as a loss of faith in him.
Of course, Watkins may well remain healthy this coming season, have a big year and be rewarded with a contract extension. However, whether it’s fair or not, this is the Bills – since 1999, they don’t exactly have a good record of things working out well for them.
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What’s your take on the Bills’ decision? Do you agree with the move to decline Watkins’ fifth-year option, or would you have picked it up? Share your thoughts in the comments section.