National Football League

Bills give Williams extension while Byrd is set to test free agency

Published Mar. 5, 2014 11:23 a.m. ET

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Ross Jones

While the Buffalo Bills allow safety Jairus Byrd to test free agency, they locked up one of their other most prized assets in the secondary.

Aaron Williams agreed to a four-year, $26 million extension, which includes an added $1.25 million in incentives, FOX Sports 1’s Mike Garafolo reports.

“Aaron Williams is a versatile player who has grown into a key playmaker for our defense in recent years,” Bills general manager Doug Whaley said in a statement. “He had an extremely productive season for our defense in 2013. Aaron is the type of young, core player we targeted early in the process to retain for years to come and this will be our philosophy moving forward. By building on his improved play in 2013, we expect Aaron to continue to grow into a key contributor for the Bills organization.”

Playing in 14 games last season, Williams recorded a career- high 82 tackles and led the team with four interceptions.

Speculation has grown that Williams could take over the role of deep safety if Byrd accepts a deal with another team. New defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz hasn’t typically employed a single-high safety, which Byrd has excelled at during his five-year career with the team.  

Williams still had a year remaining on his rookie deal, which he signed in 2011 after the Bills selected him in the second round.

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