2012 Buffalo Bills season The Buffalo Bills season was the franchise ' s 43rd season in the National Football league , the 53rd overall and the third under head coach Chan Gailey . The team had hoped to make the playoffs for the first time since 1999 , but failed and continue to own the NFL ' s longest playoff drought . 2012 was the final year on the Bills ' current lease with Ralph Wilson Stadium as well as the final year on the current Bills Toronto Series agreement . The league has approved an additional five - year extension of the Toronto series , extending through 2017 , on the condition that the Bills and Rogers Communications come to an agreement extending the series , a condition that both sides have indicated willingness to do . The Bills and the league are demanding significant and expensive renovations to Ralph Wilson Stadium as a condition of renewing the stadium lease . " The Buffalo News " reported renovations could top 200 million dollars . The Bills and Erie County ( the owners of Ralph Wilson Stadium ) missed the deadline for a long - term agreement in September 2012 . However , on December 21 , the Bills agreed with Erie County to a 10 year lease on Ralph Wilson Stadium , extending it through for at least another 7 years . Personnel changes . On January 2 , 2012 , one day after the conclusion of the season , George Edwards was fired from his position as defensive coordinator . Edwards had been the defensive coordinator for the 2010 and 2011 seasons . Former NFL and college head coach Dave Wannstedt was promoted to defensive coordinator . ( Bills head coach Chan Gailey had been the offensive coordinator under Wannstedt in 2000 and 2001 , when Wannstedt was Miami ' s head coach . ) Roster changes . In his annual season - ending press conference , general manager Buddy Nix laid out his priorities for the offseason . Nix stated that the team was eager to re - sign wide receiver Stevie Johnson , kicker Rian Lindell and offensive tackle Demetrius Bell . Johnson and Lindell were successfully re - signed ; Bell was signed by Philadelphia . He also stated that he wanted to re - sign running back Fred Jackson and have him retire as a Bill . Jackson whose contract ran through the end of the 2012 season was having a career season before a mid season 2011 injury . Johnson renewed his contract with the Bills for five years and $ 36 . 2 million on March 5 , 2012 . On March 15 , 2012 , the Bills made the biggest free agent acquisition in team history , signing all - pro defensive end Mario Williams to a contract worth $ 100 million over six years , with $ 50 million guaranteed , the largest contract for a defensive player in NFL history . The recruiting of Williams took place over three days , starting with general manager Buddy Nix and defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt escorting Williams to Buffalo in a private jet . Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly was also part of the recruiting . On March 21 , 2012 Mark Anderson , who had 12 . 5 sacks with the Patriots over the 2011 regular season and playoffs , has signed a four - year deal with Buffalo . With announced plans to switch to the 4 – 3 defense the Bills could field Mario Williams at left end and Anderson on the opposite side in passing situations . Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus will anchor the middle of the defensive line . On May 11 , 2012 the Bills made yet another high profile signing by signing QB Vince Young to a one - year contract to back up Ryan Fitzpatrick . Young was the 3rd overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft . He was nonetheless released in the middle of the preseason , with Gailey citing inconsistency as the reason , and replaced by Tarvaris Jackson , whom the Bills acquired in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks . Because Jackson was not ready for the start of the regular season , the Bills will go with four quarterbacks on its roster for the first several weeks of the season . Kickoff specialist John Potter , a rookie , made the 53 - man roster . He will specialize in kickoffs to ease pressure on the team ' s aging kickers , placekicker Rian Lindell and punter Brian Moorman , who handled the duties in the past . ( Moorman would be released from the roster three weeks into the regular season . ) Undrafted free agents . Stanford safety Delano Howell , Missouri State running back Chris Douglas , Virginia Tech cornerback Cris Hill , Colorado State offensive lineman Paul Madsen , Florida State punter Shawn Powell , Texas offensive lineman David Snow , Penn State safety Nick Sukay , Mercyhurst safety / long snapper Ian Wild , Texas A & M linebacker Garrick Williams and Richmond quarterback Aaron Corp . Corp was later released . Broadcast changes . On January 4 , 2012 it was announced that Bills radio broadcasts would be changing from Cumulus Media to Entercom . Cumulus broadcast games on 103 . 3 WEDG and 96 . 9 WGRF from 1999 to 2011 . Entercom will broadcast games in Buffalo on 550 AM WGR and 96 . 5 WCMF and 950 AM WROC in Rochester . On June 12 , WGR and the Bills announced the creation of a show that will air year round , Monday through Friday , starting July 26 , 2012 hosted by John Murphy . The lone " Thursday Night Football " broadcast during the 2012 season was shown on WBBZ - TV . Bills cable games had , for the past several years , been carried on WKBW - TV ; WKBW is still slated to carry the Bills ' preseason games . Schedule . Preseason . The Bills ' preseason opponents and schedule will be announced in the spring . As in previous years , the final preseason game is expected to be against the Detroit Lions . One of the Bills ' two preseason home games was to be held in Toronto as part of the Bills Toronto Series , but because of schedule conflicts between the Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Argonauts , who held home games in all four weeks of the NFL preseason , there were no dates available at the stadium , and the game was moved back to Ralph Wilson Stadium . Game summaries . Week 10 : at New England Patriots . With the loss , the Bills dropped to 3 - 6 and 0 - 11 against the Patriots at Gillette Stadium . Week 11 : vs . Miami Dolphins . By beating the Dolphins on a Thursday Night Football showdown , Buffalo improved to 4 - 6 and snapped an 8 - game losing skid against division rivals . Week 15 : vs . Seattle Seahawks . Bills Toronto Series With the loss , the Bills fall to 5 - 9 and are officially eliminated from postseason contention . Statistics . League rankings . Stats correct through week 14 .