Jim Kelly instrumental in recruiting Mario Williams to Buffalo Bills

The Bills managed to land one of the best players on the free agents market, signing defensive end Mario Williams to a six-year deal Thursday. The contract includes a staggering $50 million guaranteed, and is reportedly worth a maximum of $100 million. It’s been a while since the Bills attracted a major free agent to Buffalo, and Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly is a big reason why.

Kelly, who played all 11 seasons of his NFL career with the Bills, helped recruit Williams.

“Seeing Jim Kelly was a big plus for me and he did some heavy recruiting,” Williams said at his press conference Thursday.

Williams also told SI’s Peter King that a visit to Kelly’s house helped convince him Buffalo would be a fine place to live.

The money Buffalo offered was probably tough to turn down, but feeling at home with the Bills probably sealed the deal with Mario. Even though Kelly hasn’t played for the Bills since 1996, it’s nice that he’s so involved with trying to help the franchise.

With Mario Williams, Marcel Dareus, and Kyle Williams recovering from injury, the Bills will have one of the best defensive lines in football.

Below is a picture of Kelly in attendance for the Mario Williams press conference:

Picture via Sal Capaccio