Buffalo Bills: Kyle Williams Will Return in 2017, McDermott Confirms

There was a lot of speculation that Kyle Williams was contemplating retirement this offseason, but those reports are no longer.

We can all let out one big sigh of relief now that it’s been confirmed that Kyle Williams will return to the Buffalo Bills next season, dismissing any rumors of his retirement.

The announcement comes at a good time, just as the NFL is gearing up for the draft and free agency. With a lot of weight on the Bills’ shoulders this offseason, having Williams back will be seen as a breath of fresh air.

Kyle Williams has captured the hearts of Buffalo Bills‘ fans ever since he was drafted by the team in 2006. Sean McDermott wasn’t blind to the effect he has on the fanbase and organization as a whole.

In his presser at the NFL Combine, Buffalo Bills‘ new head coach Sean McDermott confirmed the news:

"“Kyle Williams, man, I have a tremendous amount of respect for Kyle and what he’s done for the Bills organization,” said McDermott. “One of our leaders and I can announce at this time that Kyle is coming back and we’re looking forward to working with Kyle.”"

Kyle Williams came up big for the Buffalo Bills last season after missing 10 games in 2015 due to a knee injury. He churned out 64 tackles, 5 sacks and 7 stuffs in 2016 with Marcell Dareus missing most of the season to a suspension and hamstring injury. No one expected him to have such a great season, so who knows what to expect next year.

Well, we know one thing — Kyle Williams will give 110% for the Buffalo Bills, just like he has done for the past 11 years.

Its quite a resume he has built up in those 11 years, too. 345 tackles, 40.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, one interception, 9 passes defensed and 63 stuffs is enough to boast about, knowing that his biggest contributions haven’t come on the stat line.

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Williams has been a vocal leader in the locker room and is a constant reminder of what it means to be a member of the Buffalo Bills. When it comes time to play, teams need leadership in their players and on a team that will likely lose a lot of players this offseason, that leadership bis comes even more important.

Heres what Kyle Williams had to say on his decision, according to BuffaloBills.com:

"“They told me their plan and their vision and if I could see myself in it and get excited about it they definitely wanted me to come back and play. They left the ball in my court and I liked everything they had to say. I love Buffalo, I love being a Bill and I love playing football so I plan to give it my all again.”"

That feeling is mutual, as we enjoy rooting for you each week. There’s a new culture forming in Buffalo with Sean McDermott leading the way, but it wouldn’t have been the same without Kyle Williams.

At the end of the 2016 season, after Rex Ryan had been fired, many players spoke up about the lack of holding players accountable. Many players contributed the disappointing season to that lack of leadership. Williams has been one of the players that has always stepped up and made sure that there’s a sense of discipline in Buffalo.

"“I think there are all different ways to coach and play. It’s what you prefer,” Williams said. “You can talk a lot, not talk a lot. As long as we’re going to hold guys accountable and we’re going to work hard and be dedicated to be the best football team, by being the best football players we can be, and you give me my helmet and my shoes and you let me go play, I’m happy. I don’t care what else is going on.”"

Lastly, Williams touched base on the current state of the team and expectations for next year. Going along with much of what McDermott has been saying, Williams seemed to have a lot of excitement for 2017 and will look to rid Buffalo of this ridiculous 17-year playoff drought.

"“We’re not here to deconstruct to re-work from the ground up,” Williams said. “We feel like we’re close and we feel we have some good pieces. As much as people want to talk about rebuilds and re-doing things, this is the NFL. A lot of times you’re not getting four or five years to rebuild something. It’s what have you done for me lately. I expect to win. I think coach McDermott expects to win and that’s the kind of team he’s looking to put out there.”"

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What do you think of Kyle Williams returning next season? Leave your thoughts below!

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