Going into the team's Week 6 game against New England, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Mike Williams had only taken around 50 percent of the team's offensive snaps. In Sunday's 37-22 loss, he saw zero, reportedly benched for strategic purposes in favor special teamer Chris Hogan.
A day later, Williams' agent was contacting the team requesting permission to test the waters on a trade.
The 27-year-old wideout, a veteran presence for the young receiver group in Buffalo, attempted to quash the outcry by fans on social media Monday after the news broke, saying he has no plans to leave the team he grew up wanting to be a part of as a child.
"Chill everybody I'm happy with being a Buffalo Bill," he posted on his Twitter feed. "I mean come on it's my dream my agent just did what a agent supposed to do."
The former Bucs star has been largely absent from the team's offensive game plan, tallying only eight receptions in his five games played thus far. His role on the perimeter has been mostly filled by sophomore Robert Woods, with rookie Sammy Watkins holding down the opposite side.
Coach Doug Marrone explained the situation with Williams' benching Monday, while being sure to mention that he has had "zero problems with him" this season.
"The decision wasn’t Chris Hogan or Mike Williams," Marrone said. "Those are two different types of players. Chris is more of an inside guy. He had to help us on the outside yesterday and Chris plays a bigger role in special (teams). The question was, like I said before, really was the three tight end package that we had that we worked on and that we put the work in during the week.
"Kyle (Williams) was able to come up. If you had to put a percentage on what the main reason was, it was the three tight ends up. That was the main reason and then, after that, it’s a trickle down effect to special teams, covering yourself."
Williams came to Buffalo this season for a sixth-round pick from Tampa Bay, with the team inheriting five years of a $40 million contract. He's currently slated to make $1.2 million this season and $5.2 in 2015.
