Seahawks Re-sign Leonard Williams With Massive Three-Year Extension
Identifying Leonard Williams as the top priority heading into free agency, the Seattle Seahawks have locked up their veteran defensive tackle with a lucrative extension.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and as confirmed by team sources to AllSeahawks.com, the Seahawks and Williams struck a three-year deal worth $64.5 million and a $21.5 million average per year. Per Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, the deal carries $43.5 million in guarantees, making him one of the 10 highest-paid defensive tackles in the league.
When Seattle dealt a second-round and fifth-round pick to the New York Giants to acquire Williams in October, general manager John Schneider hoped the trade would aid the team's push to the playoffs. But while the team slumped down the stretch and ultimately missed the postseason, it wasn't due to poor performance from their new weapon on the defensive line.
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Immediately making an impact in the trenches, Williams stood out as a rare bright spot for the Seahawks in his 10 games after the trade, particularly as an interior pass rusher. Along with tallying four sacks, he finished with 11 quarterback hits and 32 pressures, consistently harassing opposing signal callers. For the season, he finished 13th among defensive tackles in pressures (54) and fifth in quarterback hits (11).
Though he was a bit more inconsistent as a run defender, Williams racked up nine tackles for loss after coming over from the Giants, showcasing his disruptive tendencies splitting gaps and penetrating the backfield. Playing in 18 games total, per Pro Football Focus, he finished 16th in total run stops for defensive tackles.
After performing so well in half a season in Seattle, Schneider made retaining Williams a top priority as negotiations heated up last week and the two sides worked to hammer out a deal to keep him with the franchise long-term.
With the Seahawks having plenty of incentives to re-sign him, including the compensation given up to acquire him, Williams' return will fortify a defensive line that should be viewed as a strength heading into next season. The 30-year old will star alongside Dre'Mont Jones and Jarran Reed, giving the team a three-headed monster with pass rushing upside, while youngsters Mike Morris and Cameron Young will have rotational roles behind them.
Now that Williams has been secured through 2026, the Seahawks can shift their focus towards other in-house free agents as well as addressing needs from outside the organization, including safety and linebacker on defense. Depending on the structure of his contract, Schneider should still have more than $30 million in cap space to play with as he works to fill out the roster in coming days.
