The Buffalo Bills and CJ Spiller have been mentioned in trade rumors this summer and while no deal is imminent, the two sides have not been able to agree on a contract extension with the RB and that could lead to a trade with teams like the Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, NY Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears or Vikings at the deadline in 2014.
Spiller spoke about the trade rumors earlier in the preseason and he said that he was putting all the reports out of his mind and that he is concentrating on the upcoming season. The Bills have not made a decision yet about looking to trade Spiller or not, but chances are they will try to keep him for as long as they can. Spiller has great speed and explosive ability and he gives the team a great one-two punch in the backfield with Fred Jackson.
According to NFL.com, four teams made their interests known about Spiller earlier in the summer and while no deals have come close to happening, thing could change at the trade deadline. If the Bills are not playing well heading into the deadline or any other issues come up, the team could look at trading Spiller. The team gave itself some insurance behind Spiller, as they traded for Bryce Brown in the offseason and also gave Jackson a one year extension.
Spiller is one of the most explosive backs in football, but he is coming off of a down year and that could be one reason why the Bills have not moved so quickly on a contract extension. The team just drafted Sammy Watkins and while he is a WR and Spiller is an RB, the team may feel that some of the production lost in the future if they had to trade Spiller could be made up by Watkins. The team has a lot invested in Watkins and EJ Manuel and if Spiller asks for too much money, a trade could be the end result.
Spiller will be a major target if the team actually decides to trade him and it is due to the fact that he can be a game changer on offense. Last season Spiller played in 15 games and decreased his numbers in receptions and yards for the season, but he was still very good with 933 yards and 33 catches for 185 yards. Fantasy owners were looking for more last season and so were the Bills and coming off that year, Spiller now is expected to bounce back as he comes into his contract season.
Spiller had a fantastic year in 2012 and he has been very healthy during his career in the NFL, missing just one game in the last three seasons. Two years ago Spiller had 1244 yards on the ground and averaged six yards per carry and that was very impressive and that is why his 4.6 yards per carry was as impressive last year. The Bills also used Spiller a ton out of the backfield, making 43 catches that year for over 450 yards and that is the type of production the team wants. He averaged 10 yards per catch that season and was a major factor scoring TDs.
