Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley has insisted that the decision to trade Stevie Johnson to the San Francisco 49ers was not an easy one to make.
Johnson became expendable for the Bills after they traded up five places to select fellow wide receiver Sammy Watkins with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Johnson was subsequently traded to San Francisco in return for what is believed to be a conditional fourth-round pick that could become a third-rounder in next year's Draft.
"Today's decision was not an easy one to make, especially involving a player like Stevie, who leaves everything he has on the field and is an emotional leader in our locker room," Whaley said in a statement.
"All of the decisions we make are done so in the best interest of our team."
Johnson suffered with an array of injuries last season but was the team's leading receiver from 2010 to 2012.
