Mario Williams reportedly wants out of Buffalo

Mario Williams is not happy with his current situation with the Buffalo Bills.

Conor Orr of Around the NFL writes that former No. 1 overall pick, defensive end Mario Williams, of the Buffalo Bills is not happy and wants to leave Rex Ryan and the Bills at the end of the 2015 NFL season.

Williams is a four-time Pro Bowl with two coming since joining the Bills in 2012 (2013-14). He has 94.0 career sacks and has been one of the league’s top 100 players since 2011. Williams has been a franchise caliber defensive player and at 30 years old still may have some great season left in the tank.

The issue Williams reportedly has with the Bills is that, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Ryan has put more responsibility on his defensive players than last year’s scheme did under defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. At 30 years old, it makes sense to use Williams in obvious pass rushing situations to conserve energy rather than play him as an every-down player on the Buffalo defensive line.

Rapoport says, “that there is a ‘clear and fundamental disconnect’ between Ryan and the defensive line and Williams might be at the heart of the trouble.” Sources close to the Bills have said that Williams was a likely candidate to be cut by the organization due to lack of scheme fit with the Ryan hiring, but the second half of his six-year, $96 million contract was too big of a burden for the front office to make a trade.

Williams may do what is in his best interest and walk away from the Bills, but after a down 2015 and entering his 30s, he likely won’t get anywhere near the lucrative offer he got from Buffalo in 2012. However given his high-end track record, other teams in the NFL will look at Williams should he command significantly less than what Buffalo is currently paying him.