Bills Running Back Henry Wants Out of Buffalo

[Walter Cronkite]

Travis Henry is coming off back-to-back 1,300 yard seasons.

Travis Henry wants out of Buffalo because he's unhappy with the prospect of spending another season as Willis McGahee's backup.

"I want to go somewhere where I can be a starter and play, and be a big contributor," Henry said Monday, a day after the Bills' missed the playoffs with a season-ending 29-24 loss to Pittsburgh.

Henry, who started for three years and has a year left on his contract, made it clear he wouldn't accept another season with a secondary role.

"I'm a starter. I've been starting since I've been in this league," Henry said. "I know the role that I was given this year. I didn't like it, but I dealt with it."

Asked whether he considered himself as good as gone, Henry said: "Yeah, most definitely."

Henry added he's confident there are other teams that would be interested in acquiring him.

Henry's comments aren't exactly surprising. In August, he said he would be unhappy if he lost his starting job, adding he expected the Bills to trade him or McGahee, Buffalo's first-round pick last year.

Henry lost his starting position to McGahee in October after the Bills got off to a 1-5 start.

McGahee, who missed his entire rookie season after blowing out his left knee in his final college game at Miami, was credited with sparking the Bills turnaround, in which the team won six straight and nine of 11 before Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh.

Buffalo (9-7) was 9-2 with McGahee as a starter, and 7-0 when he rushed for 100 yards.

Henry had started since the team selected him in the second round of the 2001 draft out of Tennessee. He was coming off consecutive 1,300-yard seasons, and showed resilience last year playing through a rib injury and a broken bone in his right leg.

But he had a tough start this year, due in part to the Bills unsettled offensive line.

In five starts, Henry had 300 yards, no touchdowns, and missed one game with a foot injury. He spent five games as a backup before missing the remainder of the season after tearing ligaments in his right ankle in Buffalo's 38-9 win at Seattle on Nov. 28.

Although he eventually befriended McGahee, Henry initially described the Bills' decision to draft McGahee as a "slap in the face."

Henry kept quiet about his demotion over the past two months, but Monday, he said "I don't think I lost my job. It was given away... so let's get that straight."

He then added, "It is what it is. They made the decision when they drafted him. That's what they want, that's what they got. I don't know what else to tell you.

"I had a good career here," Henry said. "I learned a lot here... I look at it as a good experience."

Source: AP