2025 Seahawks Most Valuable Player Rankings: #4

Leonard Williams has been a monster for the Seahawks ever since arriving via trade, but in 2026 he finally got to be a monster in service of a great defense.

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) celebrates after the game against the Arizona Cardinals. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be listing out my rankings for most valuable Seattle Seahawk player for the 2025 season, starting at #12 and counting down to #1.

The Underappreciated Superstar

A bit less than three years ago, Leonard Williams arrived in Seattle via trade from the New York Giants. It seemed to be a risky move at the time, sending a second and fifth round selection back, but the man they call ‘Big Cat’ has been special ever since arriving. He had been special throughout his career with the Jets and Giants, but turning 30 did not slow him down.

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) reacts after a game against the Tennessee Titans. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

In ten games in 2023, he chipped in 41 tackles, four sacks, and fifteen pressures. In 2024, he played at a Defensive Player of the Year level, with 64 tackles, eleven sacks, thirty pressures, and a 92 yard pick-six of Aaron Rodgers. But, the Seattle defense was bad in 2023 and above-average in 2024, so not a lot of people noticed his dominance.

A Garage Worthy Of A Lamborghini

In terms of raw statistics, Williams was a little less impactful in 2025. 62 tackles, seven sacks, twenty-nine pressures. One might assume that age might be catching up to him, and 2024 was a peak he can’t reach again. However, the decline in stats is easily explained by an increase in the production of Byron Murphy and Uchenna Nwosu, and the addition of DeMarcus Lawrence.

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) against the Arizona Cardinals. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

When you have teammates that get it done at a high rate, there’s less opportunity for you to make plays. This doesn’t make him a worse player. And in 2025, the defense he contributed to was #1 in the league in points allowed, #1 in EPA per play, and won the super bowl. That’s worth a lot more than a few sacks. And I’m sure Leonard would agree.

Now, his brilliance on a football field was accompanied by a coaching staff and team that could take full advantage of it. His wizardry against the run was complemented by players like Murphy so incredibly well that Seattle’s run defense ran circles around every other team’s run defense. Finally, having one of the best interior defenders in football really mattered.

The Bottom Line

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) reacts after a missed field goal by Los Angeles Rams in the fourth quarter. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Williams has been great for this team ever since he got here, but 2025 was the year it finally amounted to something real. A top defense, a number one seed, a super bowl championship. After a long, underappreciated career on largely poor teams, where he was only able to make the playoffs once across a decade, no one deserves it more. And he’s far from done.

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