NFL Rumors: New England Patriots To Pursue Free Agent DE Mario Williams?

Speculation continues to pour in on the New England Patriots' interest in soon-to-be free agent defensive end Mario Williams.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated connected the Patriots and Williams in his Monday Morning Quarterback column.

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I think I'm more convinced than ever: The Patriots, who need major help on defense, should be at the front of the pursuit pack for Mario Williams, assuming the Texans don't put the franchise tag on him.

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National Football Post's Dan Pompei also weighed in on the interest the Patriots may have in Williams in free agency.

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Speculation around the league has it that the Cowboys and Patriots might be among the interested parties...As for the Patriots, signing Williams would be out of character, but they need to do something dramatic to help their defense. There is no move any team could make that would help a defense more. 

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The plot took another turn Monday when the Houston Texans re-signed running back Arian Foster, who was scheduled to be a restricted free agent this offseason. The deal is for five years and $43.5 million, a total that pushes the Texans even closer to the $120 million NFL salary cap. 

Assuming a franchise tag worth $22 million is completely out of the question for the Texans, it's almost a given now that Williams will enter free agency on March 13 without a new contract from Houston.

If that's truly the case, would the Patriots be one of the many teams willing to take a run at Williams?

New England got 10 sacks apiece from Andre Carter and Mark Anderson in 2011, but both are free agents and the Patriots can't be expected to retain both next season. For a team that struggled so mightily against the pass last season, the Patriots would be crazy not to look for more pass-rush this offseason even if Carter and Anderson were both retained.

The reward for acquiring Williams could be a great one.  

If the Patriots did somehow sign the 27-year-old pass-rusher, you would have to assume New England would start the 2012 season as the clear-cut favorites to return to the Super Bowl from the AFC. 

Owner of 53 career sacks since the Texans made him their No. 1 overall pick in 2006, Williams is the kind of impact pass-rusher that could transform the Patriots defense almost immediately. Few pass-rushers his age are as accomplished as Williams, and he'd almost certainly be the top pass-rusher available on the free-agent market. 

Williams is also a much better fit in a 4-3 scheme. Over the last two seasons in which the Texans played the 4-3 defense, Williams registered a combined 26 sacks. The Patriots have slowly transitioned back to the 4-3 defense over the last 12 months.    

On paper, it seems like a match made in free-agent heaven.    

However, ESPN's Adam Schefter is a little more wary of the Patriots' perceived interest in Williams.

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No question the Patriots need to add pass rushers, Jerry, and Williams will be the No. 1 free agent out there (if Peyton Manning isn't available). But it's usually not the Patriot Way to pour their resources into one marquee player such as Williams. He would be great in their system, and the Patriots certainly could use him, so it's logical to make the connection between the two sides -- it won't be the first time it happens. But my sense of it today -- and senses seem to change many days during free agency -- is that he will wind up elsewhere.

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The fit between Williams and the Patriots is a very logical one. However, as we've seen a million times before, matches on paper don't always equate to matches in reality.

The Patriots would have to invest a lot of money to sign Williams (remember, Julius Peppers signed a $91 million deal with the Chicago Bears in March of 2010), and that could be too much for the Patriots to swallow.

New England may also take a long look at adding a free agent receiver, an investment that would almost certainly take them out of the Williams sweepstakes.

While it is safe to assume that Williams will reach free agency on March 13, it's not as clear cut to say the Patriots will have a strong interest. There's definitely two sides to this coin.

We'll have to wait until free agency opens to get a better read on whether or not the Patriots will try to make this kind of free-agent splash.