The Los Angeles Rams in a surprising move on Friday morning acquired wide receiver Sammy Watkins from the Buffalo Bills.
It has immediately shifted the attention toward the rest of the receiving group, namely veteran wideout Tavon Austin. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Rams do not have any interest in trading Austin at this point in time.
Per multiple sources, the Rams aren’t shopping Austin — and don’t intend to. As one source put it, the Rams believe that the more weapons they have on offense, the better off they’ll be.
Los Angeles is just an offseason removed from signing Austin to a four-year, $42 million extension to remain with the team for the long haul. Although he has yet to put up any flashy numbers that would warrant that type of pay, he has still remained a valuable asset to the team with his versatility in the offense and special teams.
In fact, the addition of Watkins now allows the Rams to utilize him more out of the slot to where he can be a much more effective offensive weapon because of his speed and big-play ability. He has shown to excel in that role when given the opportunity to do so through his first four years in the league.
The 27-year-old is coming off his most productive campaign where he set career highs with 58 catches for 509 receiving yards along with three touchdowns. In his first four seasons, Austin's 23 career touchdowns are tied with Houston Texans' DeAndre Hopkins for the most in the league among wide receivers from the 2013 NFL Draft.
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