Mario Williams Signs with Bills: What His Historic Contract Means for Buffalo

In football, as in life, there are firsts for everything. 

Defensive end Mario Williams crossed off another first this afternoon when the Buffalo Bills made him the first defensive player in NFL history to receive a $100 million contract.

The final numbers are staggering: six years, $100 million, $50 million guaranteed. 

The guaranteed money is also the most for a defensive player and tied for the second most all-time with Sam Bradford's rookie contract. Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson secured a record $62 million in guaranteed money just this week with his contract extension. 

What do these numbers mean for the Bills? Let's take a quick look. 

Money Up Front

The Bills have a lot of money tied into the defensive line. Mario Williams ($100 million), Kyle Williams ($39 million, $17 million guaranteed) and Marcell Dareus ($20.4 million, fully guaranteed) will eat up a sizable chunk of the Bills' salary cap for 2012 and beyond.

If the Bills pursue a defensive lineman in an early round of April's NFL draft, more money and guarantees will go to that area. While the money has added up for Buffalo, pass-rushers are worth every cent.

As the New York Giants showed last season, a dominant defensive line changes everything.  

Capped?

What about the Bills' salary cap for 2012? According to NYJetsCap.com, a site that breaks down the cap for Buffalo and the three other AFC East teams, the Bills had roughly $23 million in cap room before Williams' deal. Williams' deal shouldn't threaten that entire surplus, even if it is front-loaded. 

Still, regardless of whether the contract is front- or back-loaded, the Bills have drastically cut their spending power in 2012 and beyond. But when you sign a player of Williams' caliber, you expect that kind of sacrifice.

When the dust settles, Buffalo shouldn't have to worry about going off the top end of the 2012 cap.

Stop Sign for Free Agents?

Big deals like the one Williams received can sometimes handcuff a team from signing other free agents in the same year or subsequent ones. That could potentially be the case here.

Williams is due to make $53 million of his $100 million in the first three years, which is a staggering number to kick off the contract. It's possible that the Bills might have to get creative with the cap in upcoming seasons.

Overall, a Win?

Forget the numbers for a second. It's hard to ignore that the signing of Williams in Buffalo is somewhat reminiscent of the Packers' move to get Reggie White back in 1993.

In the end, the Bills needed a player of Williams' caliber to lift them back into NFL relevancy. It took some money to accomplish, but there's no arguing that Buffalo is now back on the map.