Recently released NFL free agent Mario Williams is headed to New Jersey for a visit with the New York Giants, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, and Big Blue has “a chance to keep him there.”
Williams is heading north after a visit with the Miami Dolphins, who hosted the pass rusher on Sunday.
New York would love to keep Williams in Jersey, because he’s going to be hotly pursued by other teams that feature a 4-3 alignment if they fail to sign him to a deal of his liking.
Williams is coming off a poor season with the Buffalo Bills. He tallied just five sacks playing out of position in Rex Ryan’s 3-4 defense but amassed 38 sacks the three previous years in Buffalo playing in a 4-3.
At the age of 31, Williams could theoretically still have plenty of big-time football left in his body. Many top pass rushers in league history have performed at a high level well into their mid-30s, and his recent history suggests last season was more about being cast in a role unsuited to his talents, rather than a drop-off in ability.
No doubt the pass rusher has a huge chip on his shoulder for the upcoming season as he attempts to prove this. He said as much to ESPN’s Josina Anderson after the season before being released by Buffalo:
“At the end of the day, if I’m not there, I’ll show you that I’m better than what I’ve been before. Like, that’s just a chip on my shoulder regardless of whether I am there or not, because given the opportunity I’ll get back to what I was.”
Of the two teams he’s tied to at this time, New York has much more to offer Williams than Miami. Only two other teams in the NFL have more cap space available ($55.77 million, per Spotrac) than the Giants do, whereas the Dolphins are currently running a slight deficit.