Former Bills 2nd-round draft pick officially retires after 13-year career

During the Buffalo Bills’ horrendous playoff drought from the early 2000s to 2016, the team did not do well with free agent signings or developing their draft picks. There are small sample sizes of success for the Bills before Sean McDermott arrived in 2017.

However, not every move was a bad move. There were times when the Bills brought in solid talent to try and build up the team during their playoff drought.

While the moves they made weren’t ultimately franchise-defining, Buffalo did have a great eye for recognizing talent and acquiring it. One of those players that the Bills drafted to try and change their franchise was wide receiver Robert Woods, whom the Bills drafted in the second round in the 2013 draft.

According to Omar Ruiz on NFL Network, Woods has officially called it a career after spending 13 seasons in the NFL with the Bills, Rams, Titans, Texans, and Steelers. The Rams would later report that Woods signed a one day contract to retire as a Ram.

Former Bills' WR Robert Woods officially retires from NFL

Buffalo drafted Woods out of USC in 2013, in hopes that he could become a key player in the hopeful turnaround of the franchise. The very next season, the Bills had both Woods and Sammy Watkins as their 1-2 punch on the outside for quarterback EJ Manuel.

In only four seasons with the Bills, Woods had no more than 699 yards and 5 touchdowns in a season. To his credit, the quarterback play was not great so Woods was not able to contribute as much as fans were hoping for.

His real success started after leaving Buffalo and joining the Rams where he became an instant go-to guy in the offense for Sean McVay, catching for over 1,000 yards in two of his five seasons with the Rams and ultimately winning a Super Bowl with them in 2021/2022. 

Woods was then traded to the Titans, spending just one season in Tennessee before signing a two-year deal with the Houston Texans in 2023. Woods finished his career with the Steelers, but was only ever on the practice squad and never making a regular season game appearance.

Woods walks away from the NFL after a successful 13-year career, but wasn’t able to be part of any major success with the Bills. The Bills were the ones that gave him the opportunity to begin his career, and now he retires as a Super Bowl champ.