Buffalo Bills

Bills WR Marquise Goodwin will attempt to qualify for 2016 Olympics

Published Jan. 4, 2016 11:15 a.m. ET

Cameron DaSilva

When the Buffalo Bills took wide receiver Marquise Goodwin in the third round of the 2013 draft, they expected to get a track star who could play football. He's lightning quick and was seen as the fastest player in the draft, but the transition to the NFL has been a challenging one.

He's only played in 24 games in three seasons, recording a total of 20 catches in that span. While he's not giving up on football, he's hoping to use his talent in another realm of the sports world. Goodwin told Mike Rodak of ESPN that he plans to attempt to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil.

The only issue with that is it will cut into his time at training camp, something he'll have to consider.

"That's for me to discuss with Coach Rex [Ryan] and the staff," Goodwin said Monday. "But if that's what it takes, and if everybody's on board, then that's what's gonna happen."

He still expects to focus on football as well, but he doesn't see a reason to play one sport when he can excel at two.

"I'll be doing track this offseason," he said. "Just trying to accomplish all the dreams I set out to do, while I can, while I'm still able-bodied. As I mentioned plenty of times before, I got a sister who never walked a day in her life. And if she had the ability to do something, she'd do it to the best of her ability, everything she could. So why not take advantage of what I have, the blessings that I was blessed with, instead of just limiting myself to football, when I could be [competing in] two sports."

Goodwin was placed on injured reserve early in the year due to a rib injury, ending his 2015 season far too early. He won't let that deter him from continuing to play the game, though -- whether it's with the Bills or another team.

"I don't worry about anything," he said. "I'm the fastest dude in the league. So somebody would want me -- hopefully the Bills would want me -- but somebody gonna want me at the end of the day, but if not, that's just the plan that God has for me."

This won't be the first time Goodwin will compete in the Olympics (if he qualifies). He was a member of the U.S. team for long jumping in 2012, but he's open to competing as a sprinter, too. The balance between track and football will be interesting to watch, especially with the possibility that he misses training camp time.