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Buffalo Bills Rumors: Percy Harvin Could Retire After Hip, Knee Injuries Force Him To Injured Reserve

By Nathan Francis
Published on: 06:12 PST, Nov 8, 2015

The Buffalo Bills have lost Percy Harvin for the year, and rumors indicate that the oft-injured wide receiver could end up retiring due to his chronic ailments.

Harvin has been bothered by a bad hip for much of the last four years, a problem that flared up again this season and forced him to miss most of the season. The Bills announced this week that he is headed to the injured reserve list.

Percy Harvin had not played since October 11; an injury was rumored to have him very frustrated. When Bills coach Rex Ryan announced two weeks ago that Harvin would not travel to London with the team for its U.K. showdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Ryan noted that Harvin was gone for “personal reasons.”

Some sources close to the team claimed that those reasons included his growing frustration over the injuries.

It was a disappointing end to a season that started with high hopes, ESPN‘s Mike Rodak noted.

“Rejoining Ryan and wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal — who coached him last season with the New York Jets — Harvin started the first five games of this season, catching 19 passes for 218 yards and one touchdown.

“As a way for the cap-strapped Bills to spread out the impact of his $3 million signing bonus, Harvin signed a three-year deal in March, but the final two seasons of his deal will be voided if he’s on the Bills’ roster five days after the Super Bowl.”

Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Percy Harvin does not plan to retire yet and wants to come back next season, but there have been conflicting reports.

Before the game in London, sources claimed that the frustrated Harvin wanted to retire. It was, apparently, not the first time Harvin thought about retirement. Mike Garafolo reported Harvin had been thinking about hanging up his cleats for at least two years, dating back to the start of his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks in 2013.

Harvin has only played 16 games in a season, once, in 2011 with the Minnesota Vikings. But, not long after his report, ESPN claimed that is not the case.

“Buffalo Bills wide receiver Percy Harvin has grown increasingly frustrated with hip and knee injuries that are expected to sideline him indefinitely but he is not contemplating retirement, a source told ESPN.”

Whatever happens with Percy Harvin, it will more than likely lead to a hole for the Buffalo Bills this season and beyond. In the short term, the team has lost one of its best deep threats. When Harvin was on the field, he added a dimension to the offense not present before, including a long touchdown catch against the Indianapolis Colts in the season opener that started the scoring.

Harvin also served the important role of taking pressure off Sammy Watkins, the former first round pick who has struggled with injuries himself. Having Harvin in the lineup made it more difficult for defenses to double team Watkins.

In the long term, the rumors of Percy Harvin’s retirement mean the Buffalo Bills will likely have to look for a new wide receiver, either through draft or free agency. Even if Harvin does continue to play, he will likely be on a different team next year. Wide receiver was a concern the Bills had hoped they’d addressed by drafting Watkins and signing Harvin, but now it appears to be rising to the top of the team’s offseason to-do list.

[Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images]

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