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Report: Daryl Williams, Bills Agree to New 3-Year, $28.2M Contract Before FA
March 12, 2021
The Buffalo Bills and offensive tackle Daryl Williams have agreed to terms on a new three-year contract, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the deal is worth $28.2 million with nearly $14 million guaranteed.
Williams earned the Bills' starting right tackle job for 2020 in training camp and produced one of the best seasons of his six-year NFL career. He started all 16 games for the 13-3 squad and received a strong 79.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.
The 28-year-old University of Oklahoma product spent his first five seasons with the Carolina Panthers, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2015 draft.
Williams was named a second-team All-Pro selection by PFF in 2017 but suffered a knee injury that required surgery the following season. He returned to the Panthers on a one-year deal for 2019, playing multiple positions along the line to help the team fill injury voids.
"I've been through a rough two years with 2018 getting hurt and then 2019 was probably the worst year of my whole football career, as far as high school, college and everything," he told reporters in December.
His move to Buffalo and subsequent resurgence gave the Bills one of the best tackle tandems in the league as Dion Dawkins blocked quarterback Josh Allen's blind side as the left tackle.
"It's crazy, with COVID and everything, I really didn't expect to be here right now at this point in the season, and playing like I'm playing right now," Williams said.
His success made him one of the Bills' most important free agents heading into the offseason, and the front office got a deal done to avoid creating a major hole at right tackle. The team may still look to upgrade along the interior of the line before the 2021 campaign.
Williams will play an important role in Buffalo's success next season as it leans heavily on pass protection to give Allen time to work his magic.