Rex Ryan is molding the Bills in his image, which means he’s letting one of their best players — and one of his biggest detractors — leave.
Buffalo is waiving Mario Williams, according to multiple reports, after striking a six-year, $100 million deal with the defensive end in 2012. Williams’ four-year Bills stint was marked by some overpowering dominance — he racked up 26.5 total sacks in 2013 and 2014 — and a sudden flameout, with Ryan’s arrival in Buffalo cooling off one of the league’s top pass rushers.
Williams, who would have been due an exorbitant $19.9 million this season, including a $2.5 million roster bonus if he were on the team March 9, was a square peg in Ryan’s round-hole defense. The 4-3 defense that had seen the 31-year-old pile up 38 sacks in his first three seasons as a bull-headed end rusher disappeared when Ryan was brought on in 2015.
Last season, the former Jets loud-mouth coach instituted a 3-4 defense for the most part, bent on fast linebackers and big defensive linemen. As Williams’ play suffered, and Buffalo’s record suffered, his attitude suffered.
“If this is the turnout of our defense, how does [a pay cut] even sound right?” Williams said after a playoff-eliminating loss to the Redskins, when asked if he’d take a contract hit to stay in Buffalo. “Like I said, you can change. People are scared of change and so forth. I’m all for it, because at the end of the day, if it works, so be it. Because I don’t need to sit here and say: ‘Yeah, I wish Jerry [Hughes] had 15 sacks. I wish Marcell [Dareus] had 15 sacks. I wish I had 15 sacks,’ across the board.
“If we win and we’re 10-4, or whatever, hey, hats off. But if it don’t work, yeah, there needs to be a different change. So if one person is singled out as that needs to be done, then so be it. That’s not my decision.”
The defense wasn’t working, as a heralded defensive front couldn’t generate a pass rush. There were reports of a “clear, fundamental disconnect” between the entire defensive line and Ryan, with Williams leading the unit’s frustration.
Ryan’s Bills are transforming, and he’s had to shed some of the team’s original appeal to cater to his schemes. So while one of his biggest critics is out of the locker room, the heat is on Ryan if 2016 doesn’t work out.