Season reference · 2015–2019
Year by year
AP honors: Offensive Player of the Year
AP honors: Offensive Player of the Year
AP honors: Offensive Player of the Year
AP honors: Offensive Player of the Year
AP honors: Offensive Player of the Year
01 / Biography
Life and background
Choosing football
Lambert was pushed into basketball because he stood seven feet tall, but he had no passion for the sport and considered himself a poor player. He quit and chose football as an adult without a high-school or college football background.
Five seasons in Buffalo
From 2015 through 2019, Lambert played for the Buffalo Bills alongside Matthew “Hollywood” Hall. He finished with 724 receptions, 9,486 receiving yards and 84 receiving touchdowns, surpassing 1,800 yards in every season.
His established honors include five receiving Triple Crowns, five Offensive Player of the Year awards and a runner-up finish for the 2017 NFL MVP award. In 2017 he caught 155 passes for 1,988 yards and 23 touchdowns. His reputation rests on the dominance of that short peak.
Retirement on his terms
Repeated concussions, damaged knees and concern about future CTE led Lambert to retire after five seasons. He chose to leave at his peak rather than pursue longevity at the expense of his health.
UConn basketball · 2011–2014
2011: 14.4 PPG · 1.1 APG · 8.3 RPG · 1.1 BLK. 52% FG / 23% 3PT / 68% FT. 32–9 · NCAA National Champions.
2012: 4.4 PPG · 2.6 APG · 12.3 RPG · 1.9 BLK. 54% FG / 26% 3PT / 77% FT. 20–14 · NCAA Second Round.
2013: 6.5 PPG · 1.3 APG · 10.7 RPG · 2.2 BLK. 63% FG / 25% 3PT / 79% FT. 20–10 · Postseason ineligible.
2014: 8.8 PPG · 1.1 APG · 11.9 RPG · 2.4 BLK. 55% FG / 26% 3PT / 77% FT. 32–8 · NCAA National Champions.
Miami drafted him; he never signed
The Miami Heat selected Lambert in Round 2, Pick 29 of the NBA draft. He never signed with the team. His NFL entry was separate: Buffalo signed him as an undrafted free agent.
Bills receiving seasons · 2015–2019
2015: 139 receptions · 1,922 receiving yards · 14 touchdowns.
2016: 136 receptions · 1,816 receiving yards · 14 touchdowns.
2017: 155 receptions · 1,988 receiving yards · 23 touchdowns.
2018: 150 receptions · 1,887 receiving yards · 18 touchdowns.
2019: 144 receptions · 1,873 receiving yards · 15 touchdowns.
Additional biographical details
NBA draft: Round 2, Pick 29 · Miami Heat · never signed.
NFL entry: Undrafted free agent · signed by Buffalo Bills.
End status: Alive · age 103 · described as ‘on death’s door’.
Athletic testing: 4.89 speed.
02 / Career & Football Identity
The player and the résumé
Lambert played basketball at UConn from 2011 through 2014, winning two national championships. Miami selected him in the second round of the NBA draft, but he never signed with the Heat. He instead entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent signed by Buffalo, despite never playing high-school or college football.
03 / Personality
The person behind the record
Lambert is very outspoken and says what he thinks. Choosing football gave him the enjoyment and sense of independence that basketball had lacked.
He treats both departures as his own decisions: leaving basketball allowed him to choose his sport, and leaving football allowed him to choose the life that followed it.
04 / Relationships
People in the record
05 / Legacy & Analysis
What the life and résumé mean
Derek Walls holds the career receiving GOAT case through longevity and all-time records; Lambert holds the BOAT case through his five-year peak.