Cole Beasley said he has a lot of work to do before facing the Bills on Tuesday.
The veteran wide receiver cut his retirement to re-sign with Buffalo as the AFC East leaders continue their regular playoff run. But first, he had extensive conversations with Bills coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane to “work through issues” that have lingered since his first stint with the team.
“The last two years have been difficult for everyone” Beasley said wednesday “I don’t want to go into everything that me and Brandon and Coach McDermott talked about, but there had to be some conversations there. I’m glad we can all do this as men and talk about it and work things out.
Beasley has been involved in controversy since last year spoke openly on social networks about his pro-choice stance on vaccines, as well as his thoughts on the NFL’s COVID-19 policy. He has reportedly been fined multiple times for violating the league’s COVID-19 protocol.
In December 2021, Beasley tested positive for COVID-19 while unvaccinated and missed one game while on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
“Nobody’s perfect,” Beasley said. “I didn’t do everything the way I wanted. A lot of these things are a big reason for me to come back as well. This is really the world of the internet, because there was nothing negative out there.
Beasley added that he didn’t like how things ended with Buffalo in March, when he was let go by the team after a trade request. The then-free agent signed with the Buccaneers in September, but retired after two games with Tampa Bay to “be a full-time father and husband.”
“I knew I still wanted to play,” Beasley said. “It was more of a retirement, not the situation I thought would be in Tampa. I didn’t like how things ended here. My family fell in love with Buffalo when we first got here. I’d love to get back into it.”
Beasley said he let Bean know after Thanksgiving that he was still open to playing. It followed him he tweeted in early November“You and me” to a fan who said he was glad he wasn’t in Buffalo.
“We talked about some things without getting into our conversation, but I think Cole is a good person deep down, and whether you agree with his views or not, he’s a good person,” Bean said. “And even in his time here, even though things weren’t perfect, he was never a bad guy. It was just his way of communicating and so we got on the same page with him that we wanted him to be here and … he saw it the same way.
Beasley adds a veteran presence and receiving depth to the Bills behind Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis and Isaiah McKenzie. Last season, he had 82 catches for 693 yards and one touchdown in 16 games with the Bills.
The Bills host the Dolphins on Saturday night.
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