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Cole Beasley #11 of the Buffalo Bills against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on October 18, 2021.
Cole Beasley isn’t ready to end his NFL career just yet.
The former Buffalo Bills wide receiver spoke out about his NFL future this week and reiterated that he intends to keep playing. Beasley remains a free agent with less than a month to go until the start of the regular season, but took to Twitter to say he still has plans to play and believes he has a lot to contribute.
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Beasley Speaks Out
Beasley has been without a team since he was released by the Bills in March. The 33-year-old receiver had requested a trade, but the Bills were unable to find a partner and instead he became a free agent after his release on March 17. Although Beasley has still not signed with a new team, he said on Twitter that he intends to keep playing.
“I’m not retiring,” he said tweeted in response to a fan asking whether he planned to hang up his cleats.
Beasley added that he believes he can still contribute to a team this season.
“I still feel like I have a lot left in the tank man,” he said tweeted.
Beasley made 82 catches for 693 yards and one touchdown last season, a dropoff from the 82 yards and 967 yards with four touchdowns he had the previous season.
Beasley missed some time in the 2021 season due to a COVID-19 infection, which allowed Isaiah McKenzie to step into his role as the slot receiver and show off his potential. In a key Week 16 game, McKenzie made 11 catches for 125 yards with a touchdown, which has set him up to be the team’s leading slot receiver in the coming season. He will be competing with free agent acquisition Jamison Crowder, who was signed after the Bills released Beasley.
Leaving Buffalo
Beasley has already spoken out on his decision to ask for a trade from the Bills, saying he believed something changed within the organization.
“I appreciate the fans who supported me,” Beasley tweeted on August 7. “The most fun I’ve ever had playing football in Buffalo. My family and I will never forget the memories. Love all of my teammates there. I won’t regret leaving though. Things changed within the organization. It was time for me to move on.”
Beasley had plenty of tension with the league in his final season in Buffalo. His vocal stance questioning the COVID-19 vaccine earned him criticism, and ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that he was fined multiple times for breaking COVID-19 protocols. The fines added up to close to $100,000, Mortensen reported.
Beasley also took aim at Bills fans at times, saying that he was booed at home games due to his stance.
“Only place I get boo’d is at our home stadium,” Beasley tweeted on October 4. “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? If the vaccine works then why do vaxxed people need to be protected from unvaxxed?”
Many fans pushed back, saying that they were chanting “Bease” at him rather than booing.
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