Buffalo Bills Free Agency: Bills Miss on Robert Meachem, Hope for Mario Williams

It is often said that "good things come to those who wait."  But as rocker Tom Petty once wrote, "The waiting is the hardest part."  

For most of Tuesday, Buffalo Bills fans pictured Vincent Jackson running routes opposite Stevie Johnson.  When they slept at night, they had visions of Mario Williams terrorizing quarterbacks and Robert Meachem snatching touchdown bombs.  But upon waking up Wednesday morning, Bills fans will likely feel like Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day.

Dreams are not reality, and for Buffalo, bad news can be a repetitive nightmare.

When the fast and furious free-agency period kicked off Tuesday at 4 pm ET, the Bills were knee deep in it.  And as promised, Buffalo general manager Buddy Nix was aggressive.  The Bills front office worked the phones, and Nix made sure that flight itinerary was correct, for a pair of visitors he planned to host in the afternoon.  The Bills then orchestrated a full-court press for Jackson and Williams, the NFL's two premier free agents, whom Buffalo had high hopes of landing.

Just before 2 pm, the dominoes began to fall, when New Orleans re-signed 6'4", 225-pound wideout Marques Colston to a new five-year contract, worth at least $20 million in guaranteed money.  Then it seemed like the frenzy would never let up.  

A host of other wide receivers signed, and one almost sealed a deal.  In Indianapolis, the Colts will welcome back Reggie Wayne, who decided not to follow quarterback Peyton Manning to a new team.  But the Colts said goodbye to Pierre Garcon, who tweeted about his agreement to play in the nation's capital.  

The Redskins also added San Francisco free agent Josh Morgan and were apparently close to an agreement with Denver wideout Eddie Royal.  But a "done deal" report by The Washington Post proved erroneous, and as of early Wednesday morning, Royal planned to meet with other teams.

For the better part of two weeks, the Bills seemed to have set their sights on San Diego's Jackson.  Nix indicated that he wanted a big, physical receiver, "who is open, even when he's being covered."  And, as of late Tuesday morning, the Chargers free agent received multiple tweets by Stevie Johnson and Jackson's former San Diego teammate Shawne Merriman.

Early Tuesday, reports kept hope alive for Buffalo, when it was announced that the Bills, Bears and Buccaneers were front-runners for Jackson.  The Bills' chances then turned brighter, when Miami's Brandon Marshall suddenly reunited with former Denver teammate Jay Cutler in a Dolphins trade with Chicago. 

But it was not meant to be for Buffalo.  In the late afternoon, Jackson chose the warm confines of Tampa, Florida and the Bills were forced to turn their attention to their two visitors.  

One of those guests was Mario Williams, Houston's star defensive end, who was the NFL's No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft.   With 53 sacks in 82 games, Williams would instantly upgrade the Bills' pass rush, which ranked 27th in the league last year.  He had five sacks in five games last year before ending the season on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle.  

The Bills' other guest was Robert Meachem, a 6'2", 212-pound playmaker, who has caught 23 touchdowns in five years with New Orleans.  He is also just 27 years old.  

The Bills reportedly wined and dined both men and were joined by 2010 Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kyle Williams.  But their efforts may have been all for naught.  

In a strange twist, Meachem left Buffalo without an agreement and quickly signed a four-year deal with San Diego Tuesday night as a replacement for Vincent Jackson.  

Meanwhile, Williams will make Nix and the Bills sweat him out.  According to NBC's ProFootballTalk.com, he chose not to sign with Buffalo Tuesday night and will visit at least one other team this week.  Chicago and Tennessee are among the franchises that have sought to meet with Williams, but the Bears may not have the cap room to add him to their roster, following the signing of Marshall.

If "Super Mario" passes on Buffalo, it would be demoralizing to the Bills and their fans, who are used to being treated as second-class citizens by big-name free agents.

Perhaps Williams will have a heart, but the city and its team should not hold their collective breaths.

Joe Versage is a NFL Correspondent at Bleacher Report.  He previously covered the Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens as a television beat reporter.  Follow him on Twitter at: @dcjoev.