Bills Get Bad News on Rumored 5,600-Yard WR Trade Target
The Buffalo Bills are expected to seek some help for their wide receiving corps ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, but one big target may now be off the table.
The Bills have struggled to get consistent production out of their receivers this season, leading to reports that the team is looking into adding another pass-catcher for quarterback Josh Allen. Though the Bills have been connected to several receivers, Tennessee Titans pass-catcher Calvin Ridley emerged as one of the most accomplished targets.
But Ridley may be out of reach, a new report revealed.
Titans Not Looking to Trade Calvin Ridley
The struggling Titans are expected to be sellers at this week’s trade deadline as they look to gather draft assets for an expected rebuild. Ridley is seen as one of the top potential targets, an accomplished 31-year-old receiver with 404 career receptions for 5,665 yards and 40 touchdowns.
Despite the potential return they could get for Ridley, ESPN’s Turron Davenport reported on Sunday that the Titans are expected to hang onto the receiver.
“The #Titans are not shopping Calvin Ridley as some reports are saying,” Davenport shared in a post on X. “Confirmed with multiple team sources that is not the case. They have, however, received calls about Ridley and other players.”
Davenport’s report seemed to close the door on speculation that the Titans would be willing to part ways with Ridley for a good return. NFL.com insider Ian Rapoport had reported just a day earlier that the Titans were willing to listen to offers.
“Several playoff-bound teams have a need at WR, and Ridley, still just 30, could be had for the right price,” Rapoport wrote on Saturday. “He is currently battling a hamstring issue, which could complicate things, as could his $23 million due this year, of which most comes in his base salary. There are ways to handle a big salary, though, and trades can always happen if both sides want to do a deal.”
Bills Have Other Potential Targets
With the new report closing the door on rumors the Bills could target Ridley, there are several other receivers expected to hit the trade block that they could pursue.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on Saturday that the Bills already made calls on two other wide receivers.
“The Bills were one of the teams that inquired in recent weeks about Saints WR Chris Olave. New Orleans is still expected to retain its top wideout,” Russini wrote. “The Raiders have fielded calls from the Steelers and Bills on WR Jakobi Meyers, but Las Vegas has set a high price.”
The Bills could have other needs at the trade deadline, especially after a pair of devastating injuries to the defense. The team lost defensive tackle Ed Oliver to a torn bicep that is expected to keep him out for the rest of the regular season, with a potential return at the start of the playoffs.
On Sunday, the team lost defensive end Michael Hoecht to a season-ending torn Achilles. Hoecht made his debut in last week’s win over the Carolina Panthers after serving a six-game suspension, leading an aggressive pass rush.
The NFL is under fire for its handling of Chiefs Rashee Rice's disciplinary hearing
Because one can never be sure what the state of U.S. aviation might be these days, I checked Expedia.com Thursday afternoon to ascertain whether there still are commercial flights available from Kansas City International Airport to New York’s LaGuardia.
On Monday, Aug. 18, albeit for the steep price of $1,187 for Delta Comfort, there are seats available on a direct flight from MCI to LGA at 6 a.m. with a return in the evening at 7:25. One day, in and out, business handled.
If it’s important to save a few bucks, or perhaps to provide everyone the opportunity to play out the exhibition season before making any consequential decisions, the same flight exactly one week later can be had for $1,023.
So let’s not pretend the National Football League could not have arranged for Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice to have his disciplinary hearing prior to the scheduled date of Sept. 30, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Rice was involved in a multiple-vehicle collision in May 2024 in Dallas. Police reported he was driving his Lamborghini SUV at nearly 120 miles per hour and left the scene of the accident. At least four others were injured as a result.
Last month, he pleaded guilty to two felony counts involving a collision causing serious bodily injury and racing causing serious bodily injury. Rice also was ordered to make restitution totalling $115,000 to others involved. He was sentenced to serve 30 days in jail and five years of probation, and he is permitted to do the jail time at any point in that probationary period.
So there are no iron bars between Rice and a more immediate disciplinary hearing with the league.
Instead, he will have the opportunity to participate in games against the Rams, Eagles, Giants and Ravens before potentially facing any punishment from the league.
Why NFL's delay in disciplinary hearing for Rashee Rice is inexcusable
The NFL has encountered years’ worth of accusations now that the Chiefs have become a favored entity within the league. Whether that’s supposedly motivated by wanting Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl or Taylor Swift in the audience, or both, the critics point to the defensive holding penalty in Super Bowl 57 that positioned KC to defeat the Eagles, or the bizarre line-to-gain judgment that ruled the Bills’ Josh Allen short on a QB sneak that might have helped Buffalo extend its fourth-quarter lead.
The league knows this is out there, and still it was as if they grabbed the scoop out of Chief Brody’s right hand and dumped the whole bucket of chum in the ocean. With the Vikings’ Jordan Addison suspended for the first three games for a substance policy violation – it resulted from a 2024 DUI citation that was pled down to “wet reckless driving” – there obviously will be more assertions of favoritism toward the Chiefs.
Commissioner Roger Goodell is paid a salary estimated at $64 million annually, which is more than any player earns for facing the physical punishment and substantial risk of competing in NFL games. In exchange for this preposterous salary, Goodell ought to at least be able to run a functional corporate office.
It shouldn’t take two months to arrange a hearing such as this. Even if the delay from the legal adjudication to now is because there was difficulty in establishing an appropriate penalty and a hearing was required, the point is the hearing should happen soon, before the season, as there remain nearly two weeks before KC opens against the Chargers in Sao Paulo.
If the delay is to accommodate the schedule of a particular arbiter, if it takes that long to find a gap in their schedule, hire someone else. There is no shortage of highly qualified attorneys available in this country, if you’ve been watching the news.
This isn’t about whether Rice will face sufficient punishment for his conduct. We cannot be certain what the judgment will be. But allowing him to compete in high-profile games, including an international contest, a Super Bowl rematch, a primetime game in the nation’s largest media market and a key, late-afternoon AFC showcase against the Ravens is an obvious advantage to KC. In two seasons, he has averaged 5.2 catches per game, which works out to 88 over a full season. He caught six balls in the Super Bowl 58 victory over the 49ers. He matters to the team.
He matters too much for this decision to be delayed for such a substantial period.
From New York, NFL executives can’t control, really, whether two game officials can figure out whether a quarterback sneak pushed the ball the requisite yardage for his team to be awarded a new set of downs to continue advancing toward the goal. They can, however, figure out a calendar app and make flight arrangements.
I’m sure there’s some sort of excuse for this delay, but that doesn’t make this ineptitude excusable.
