Orchard Park, N.Y. — Up until the moment Doug Marrone opted out of his contract with the Buffalo Bills, former general manager Bill Polian was reportedly set for a reunion with the team he helped take to four Super Bowls.

According to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News, Polian was ready to join the Bills to oversee football operations, but after quarterback Kyle Orton unexpectedly retired and Marrone left, Polian thought the job was too much of a commitment. He then sought the advice of Marrone, who told him the gig "wasn't worth the effort" and badmouthed the Bills' organization on his way out the door.

Polian has quite a bit of respect for Marrone and was apparently looking forward to working with him. Earlier this year, Polian even said Marrone should be a coach of the year candidate in the NFL.

A week ago, it seemed likely that Polian would be a part of the Bills' front office going forward with Marrone as head coach and Orton competing for the quarterback job. Now Terry and Kim Pegula have a bit of an organizational overhaul on their hands.

That scared Polian off from the job. At 72 years old, he wasn't prepared to make a longterm commitment to the franchise and instead recommitted to his job at ESPN.

Money may have also been an issue for Polian, according to Pro Football Talk.

Now the Pegulas will have to go in another direction. Apparently, that was Marrone's parting gift to the Bills.