Parrish is “finished” in Buffalo

While Adam Schefter’s ESPN comments revolved this past week on rationalizing a Terrell Owens trade, the Buffalo Bills are very likely to move a receiver within the next 48 hours. That receiver however, will not be Owens.

I spoke to someone knowledgeably close to the organization and the  Bills are looking to cut ties with disgruntled wide receiver/kick returner Roscoe Parrish, and a move will be coming by the middle of the week at the latest.  I’m told the team has absolutely no plans to trade Owens.

But I’m told that Parrish is “finished” as a Buffalo Bill.

The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday afternoon. The Bills are frantically trying to accommodate a deal to move Parrish. The reported rumors of getting a third or fourth round draft pick are highly unlikely. The entire league knows the Bills are trying to move him. At this point the Bills will take anything they can get for the disgruntled five-year veteran. A sixth rounder is more feasible.

However, deal or no deal Parrish has played almost certainly his last game in a Buffalo uniform. If they can’t find a partner before the deadline they will likely cut him this week.

Wide receiver James Hardy is scheduled to begin practice (knee surgery) and return from the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list. The organization has to find a roster spot for him. He becomes the seventh receiver on the roster. The team is simply not going to carry that many receivers.

Although he’s rarely seen the field this season, the Bills still like Stevie Johnson, especially with Josh Reed and Owens scheduled to become free agents after this season.

Justin Jenkins has value on special teams and comes much cheaper than Parrish, who has a cash-to-cap number around $2.5-million.

Parrish’s frustration over his lack of a role in the offense has boiled over to allegedly becoming a distraction to head coach Dick Jauron. While he was limited in practice on Thursday and Friday with a sore thigh, he reportedly was fine to play yesterday had the team needed him.

Parrish has only one catch for five yards this season and his fumbled punt return against Cleveland was the final dagger in Buffalo’s abysmal 6-3 loss the Cleveland last week.

While select teams may consider Parrish a playmaker in the league, he’s spent his career in Buffalo being little more than an outstanding kick returner. Parrish only has 98 receptions in 60 games with Buffalo and has never had more than 35 receptions or 352 yards in a season (2007).

Still, it’s anticipated the Bills have an interested partner, and holding him out of the lineup Sunday could be indication the team may have already found his next destination. Either way, Parrish is all but done in Buffalo.



(buffalosportsdaily.com)