Buffalo Bills’ Stevie Johnson believed his days on the team were numbered following the 2011 season finale (Credit: AP Photo/David Duprey)
After Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey pulled wide receiver Stevie Johnson out of the team’s last game of the 2011 NFL season, the star wide receiver thought he had seen his last game as a part of the Bills organization.
“At that point, I was thinking I was done with Buffalo,” Johnson told Yahoo! Sports’ Michael Silver. “I was like, ‘They benched me? Really?’ I figured I’d go back to Hunter’s Point (to play for the 49ers). But the (Bills) stepped up and paid me. And it felt so good to be wanted.”
The team must have realized that Johnson’s antics were worth it or believe they can change the wide receiver’s behavior. The Bills re-signed Johnson to a five-year, $36.25 million contract ($18.05 million guaranteed) in March. Johnson had groin surgery in the off-season, but he’s expected to be a full-go when training camp begins this week.
“I want to do right by them,” Johnson says. “I want to prove I can celebrate without getting penalties. I work hard to get in the end zone. My attitude is, ‘Why can’t I have some fun when I get in there?’ But I have to do it in a way that doesn’t hurt the team.”
Buffalo has to hope that Johnson has learned his lesson or celebrates in a more appropriate fashion like that of New York Giants Victor Cruz.
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July 23, 2012
