Is the Weather Helping the Bills Sign Free Agents?

While we’re sure the money had something do to with the team’s free agent signings of Mario Williams and Mark Anderson, we’re also sure the recent local weather didn’t hurt.

One of the biggest hurdles the Bills, Sabres, and any Buffalo based business faces is their own city’s perception among those from other parts of the country or world. It’s often been said that once you move to Buffalo you’ll know it’s a great place, but until then, your view of the city will be shaped by popular opinion. Well, one of the biggest national perceptions of the area is that it is cold and it snows, a lot. I’m sure if you were to ask someone from California, they’d say the city is covered in permafrost for half the year. While we know this isn’t true, others may not.

Record temeratures allow Bills to showcase Buffalo
When Mario Williams boarded that plane last Tuesday en route to Buffalo, I’m sure he expected to land on a chilly, gloomy, and dark day. Instead, he was greeted by record setting temperatures which have stayed ever since. The popular opinion in his head was broken, which surely opened the door for more “maybe what I’ve heard about the city isn’t true” thoughts. Williams spent the next two days in the city, probably the longest free agent visit in the history of the NFL, and the rest is history.

Does Willams' fiancé Agree if it's cold and snowing?
Though the record setting $50 Million dollars of guaranteed money in his contract surely sweetened the city’s case, I don’t think one can overlook the part that the weather has played. If Williams showed up to snow, perfectly reasonable and unsurprising in March, I don’t think he signs with the team. Snowy and windy weather would have meant less showcasing opportunities for the Bills’ front office team, not to mention the toughened task of convincing Williams’ fiancé that Buffalo was a good place to raise a future family. Yeah, I’m sure she would have loved the snow.

I’m going to go ahead and credit part of these free agent signings to mother nature. I just hope Williams doesn’t expect this type of weather year round. Maybe we’ve set the bar too high on our first impression.