Mike Williams put down nearly $1 million dollars in cash to buy a house in the Tampa area two weeks ago, so it's safe to say his trade from the Buccaneers on Friday came as something of a surprise.
Williams might similarly have been surprised to learn he was going to the Buffalo Bills.
The same Buffalo Bills who are coached by Doug Marrone, Williams' coach during his turbulent collegiate run at Syracuse. Williams was Syracuse's leading receiver when he abruptly quit the team in November of 2009. It was reported at the time that Williams was facing a second team suspension for misconduct before choosing to walk away.
That's legitimate shared drama for the two men, but Marrone says he's put it behind him.
"We feel Mike is a player who has the ability to help our team improve," Marrone said Friday in a statement released by the team. "With regard to our time at Syracuse, I feel that is in the past for both of us. Today, Mike has an opportunity to get a fresh start to his career here in his hometown and regain his form as a productive player in the National Football League.
"We look forward to getting Mike into the facility and start our work preparing for the 2014 season once the players are free to report on April 22."
Marrone spoke positively about Williams last week at the NFL Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla., after it was learned the wide receiver was stabbed in the leg during an incident at his home.
"We've been disconnected from when he left to his time in Tampa, but I liked Mike," Marrone said. "I really did. I wish him well. I talked to (Bucs general manager) Jason (Licht) just the other day to see if he was okay because I care about him."
Marrone and Williams are disconnected no more. We'll see if it turns out better this time around.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" welcomes NFL Media's Jeff Darlington to the studio, reacts to the DeSean Jackson signing and discusses big-name veterans still looking for new teams.
