Buffalo Bills release WR Cole Beasley after not finding trade partner

The Buffalo Bills released wide receiver Cole Beasley on Thursday, the team announced.

The Buffalo Bills had granted Beasley permission to seek a trade in early March with the wide receiver set to account for $7.6 million in cap space on the final year of a four-year, $29 million contract.

Beasley, who turns 33 on April 26, finished last season with the same number of receptions as the year prior (82) but 274 fewer receiving yards. He only had one receiving touchdown, his fewest in a season since 2012 (zero).

He missed one game last season after testing positive for COVID-19 while being unvaccinated. Beasley has been vocal on social media about his thoughts on the NFL/NFLPA's COVID-19 policies, including threatening to retire. During the season, he decided to delete his Twitter account after labeling it as a distraction. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Beasley was fined multiple time for COVID-19 protocol violations.

He spent his first seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, and had 319 receptions for 3,271 yards and 23 touchdowns in 103 games for the franchise.

Overall, Beasley has 550 receptions for 5,709 yards and 34 touchdowns in 149 games.

ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg contributed to this report.