On the heals of heading to the playoffs for the first time in the history of the franchise, the Houston Texans could possibly lose the offseason's top free agent, defensive end/outside linebacker Mario Williams. Williams is coming off a season in which he only played five games, but that didn't stop him from having five sacks and becoming the top unrestricted free agent in the NFL.
You would think that Williams would be off looking for a massive contract from one of the few teams that could afford to bring him in, but that's not the case. According to Williams, he is more concerned about being in a place where he can win and be successful than he is about his weekly paycheck.
"I'm not worried about that," Williams said Thursday. "It's really not that big of a deal to me. I was the first pick (in 2006), and I've already had everything I really wanted, so my biggest thing is to be in a good position, a good scheme, a good system and continuing my career. Hopefully, it works out.
"It's always important to be in a position to be successful. That comes with teammates around you, coaching, having that winning attitude. You want to (play) where you can thrive no matter where you are."
Williams went on to say that he loves playing for the Texans and that the team has all the right pieces and everything they need to be successful in the future. The team can't afford to use the franchise tag on him (he would get $22.9 million for the 2012 season if they did) and they'll likely have to work out a long-term deal to keep him around. That may not be nearly as tough as many originally thought, though.
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