Mario Williams released by Bills, should Raiders be interested?

The long anticipated released of Mario Williams has finally happened. On the same day the Bills placed the franchise tag on left tackle Cordy Glenn, they notified Williams of his released, according to ESPN's Josina Anderson. Williams was a cap casualty as he was set to represent a cap hit of $12.9 million.

Now that he is free to sign anywhere, there will be a few teams that are interested in his services. Could the Raiders be one of them?

Consider the Raiders current situation at defensive end. Justin Tuck retired and the status of Mario Edwards' neck is uncertain. He missed the final few games last season and Reggie McKenzie said recently that the injury could be genetic, which would be bad news if it means the injury will continue to be a problem and perhaps get worse.

What the Raiders need to do now is find an insurance plan. They could also use a veteran presence to replace Justin Tuck. Williams fills both of those roles.

The 31-year-old was an All Pro two seasons ago with a career-high 14.5 sacks. It was the fifth time in his career he had double digit sacks and his fourth Pro Bowl. He had 5.0 sacks last season, which was how many sacks Tuck put up in his first season in Oakland. Tuck had a career 66.5 sacks. Williams has a career 96.0 sacks. So, a bit of an upgrade there.

Money will not be an issue for the Raiders, that's for sure.

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