Free-agent defensive end Mario Williams agreed to a deal with the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday. March 8.
According to Fox Sports, the deal is for two years and is worth $17 million. The deal has a maximum value of $20 million. Williams is expected to make $8 million a year in the deal. He visited with the Dolphins over the weekend and the Dolphins were considered to be the frontrunners to land Williams.
Williams was drafted by the Houston Texans in 2006 and spent his first six years in the NFL with them. He played for the Buffalo Bills the last four seasons. On March 1 the Bills released Williams, who had two years left on his six-year contract. He was set to count $19.9 million against the salary cap for this year before he was released. Last year he had 19 tackles and five sacks, which were the second-lowest totals in his 10-year career, according to ESPN. The Bills had an NFL-high 54 sacks in 2014 and 21 sacks last year, which was the second-lowest total in the NFL.
The addition of Williams means that the futures of Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon are unknown. The Dolphins could release Wake or remove the transition tag from Vernon.
The Dolphins were 6-10 last year and finished in fourth place in the AFC East.