2012 NFL Free Agency: Buffalo Bills Can't Afford to Let Mario Williams Get Away

Mario Williams is going to be the most important player the Buffalo Bills have ever courted in free agency. He is one player that this franchise can't afford to let him leave town without a contract, probably one of the biggest in NFL history for a defensive player. 

Tim Kavanagh of ESPN.com wrote about the situation involving Williams and the Bills, saying that Williams' decision is going to have a ripple effect that this franchise will feel for a long time to come. 

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If the Bills have pushed an offer across the table that includes financial compensation greater than any other NFL defender, spent days wining and dining Williams and his fiancee, and attempted to sell the DE on the idea that the team is on the upswing and he still declines to join the team? It could be a bad sign when it comes to Buffalo's ability to attract other top talent, and a devastating blow to a fanbase that has been nervously excited this week.

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Therein lies the great dilemma that the Bills are facing. Everyone knows that they are pushing hard for Williams, He was in Buffalo for two days, getting treated like royalty by ownership and the front office. So what's holding him up?

If the offer is as good as Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News reported—one that will exceed the deal the Chicago Bears gave Julius Peppers—Williams would be hard pressed to find another team that will be able to match it. 

What would it say to other players and personnel around the league if Williams had this mega-offer on the table from the Bills and walked away for less money somewhere else?

The Bills are trying to prove to everyone, including themselves, that they are on the rise in the AFC East. It looked like that was the case early last season, but a bad defense and inconsistent play on offense eventually caught up to them. 

Williams is THE key to the Bills' future. He brings instant credibility to a defense that finished 26th in yards allowed and 27th in sacks. 

The team has the money and desire to make this deal happen. Williams has to decide if the financial gain will provide him with a consistent opportunity to win. If he doesn't like what he sees and hears, he can go somewhere else. 

For the Bills, they would have a lot of explaining to do to their fans and players about why this didn't happen and what they can do to lure big-name players to Buffalo. 

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