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The Buffalo Bills have been active in free agency and on the trade market this offseason and that pattern continued on Friday afternoon. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Bills reached an agreement on a one-year contract with wide receiver Percy Harvin.
Oh boy: Bills reached agreement on 1-year deal with WR Percy Harvin, per source. Buffalo spending bills; add Harvin, McCoy, Incognito.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2015
By joining the Bills, Harvin lands with his fourth team in as many years. The speedy wide receiver and return man has been a major disappointment since a very promising start to his career with the Minnesota Vikings. Harvin was drafted with the No. 22 pick in the first round of the 2009 draft by Minnesota.
This deal reunites new Bills head coach Rex Ryan with his former wide receiver. Ryan coached Harvin for the second half of the 2014 season with the New York Jets after Harvin was traded to New York from the Seattle Seahawks for a sixth-round pick. Ryan must have told Bills management that he liked what he saw from Harvin during their time together with the Jets, culminating in the two sides coming to an agreement.
He’s still one of the most talented players in the league, but Harvin hasn’t done much since 2012. He missed all but one game of the 2013 season with the Seahawks due to a slight labrum tear in his hip, but returned for the final two games of the team’s postseason Super Bowl run. According to reports, Harvin was a major distraction in the Seahawks locker room, so Seattle shipped him to the Jets in the middle of the 2014 season as a result.
The Bills offense gets even faster by adding Harvin. They traded linebacker Kiko Alonso to the Philadelphia Eagles for running back LeSean McCoy earlier this month, and still have last year’s first-round pick, wide receiver Sammy Watkins. It’s somewhat of a gamble, but the Bills made a wise decision only signing Harvin for one year. If Harvin acts up again, as history suggests he will, the Bills can release Harvin without too much regret.
Seth Lassen is a writer for RantSports. “Like” him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @Seth_Lassen.
