WR-Thin Giants Reportedly Showing Interest In Bills' Williams
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mike Williams wants out of Buffalo. The New York Giants need someone to fill Victor Cruz's shoes.
Might there be a fit?
Maybe. Big Blue has "some" interest in the unhappy wide receiver and "will likely at least explore" a trade, according to the New York Daily News.
Williams was upset after being deactivated for Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots. The Bills gave him permission to seek a trade, but it sounds like the asking price will be sky-high.
"We like Mike Williams, we expect him back and we expect big things from him," Buffalo general manager Doug Whaley said Monday. "But like anybody, if he gets me compensation worthy of a No. 1 wide receiver, which he claimed he is, then we would entertain it."
The Daily News said a trade would be a "longshot."
Williams, 27, flirted with 1,000 receiving yards twice in his first three seasons with Tampa Bay. A hamstring tear ended his fourth year prematurely, and haunted by off-field issues, he was traded to the Bills in April for a sixth-round pick.
He has eight catches for 142 yards this season.
The Giants are suddenly thin on targets for quarterback Eli Manning. Cruz underwent season-ending surgery Monday after tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee on a leaping fourth-down attempt in the end zone Sunday in Philadelphia.
"All of us are going to have to step up," Manning told WFAN's Mike Francesa on Monday. "When you lose one of your starters, everybody has to pull a little bit more weight and do their job even better."
Manning, as it stands now, heads into Sunday's matchup at Dallas with Rueben Randle and first-round pick Odell Beckham as his two top options. Rookie Preston Parker could fill Cruz's hole in the slot.
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