For those wondering if the Buffalo Bills would be interested in a villain such as Ben Roethlisberger, remember this:

They were interested in Michael Vick.

ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL.com's Jason La Canfora reported the Pittsburgh Steelers contacted the Bills to gauge their interest in a trade. Bills general manager Buddy Nix denied the Steelers had called.

The NFL on Wednesday issued a six-game suspension and a sternly worded rebuke to Roethlisberger for embarrassing actions uncovered in a sexual assault investigation. The information that came to light was disgraceful, but charges weren't filed.

Vick was convicted for his role in a dogfighting enterprise in 2007, served 18 months in a federal prison and was suspended indefinitely by the NFL.

The Philadelphia Eagles signed Vick in August -- but not before the Bills spoke to him, according to Vick's adviser and former NFL head coach Tony Dungy.

Multiple times last year, Dungy spoke about the Bills' interest in Vick. Dungy initially revealed Buffalo's interest in Vick on NBC's "Football Night in America" in November.

Roethlisberger's and Vick's mistakes are viewed differently both by the justice system and in the court of public opinion, but if the Bills were willing to take a look at Vick, how much of a stretch would it be to think they'll consider Roethlisberger?