Instant Grade: Seahawks Sign Leonard Williams to Contract Extension

With a contract year looming for Big Cat, the Seattle Seahawks have decided to secure his services beyond 2026 by extending his deal.

Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams warms up during the joint practice with the Tennessee Titans. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Over the last couple years, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams has found career-defining success, national recognition, and a Super Bowl.

According to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler, he has now found a contract extension that secures his future with the team at a lucrative rate. The team, meanwhile, gets to count on his excellent play going forward.

The Seahawks and All Pro DT Leonard Williams are nearing agreement on a three-deal extension, per sources.

Williams is doing another big extension with Seattle after a massive season. pic.twitter.com/FsAubHAcxZ

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 27, 2026

According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the extension is for three years and $90 million.

Securing the NFL’s Best Interior Defensive Line

Still, it is difficult to argue against this decision, as Leonard Williams remains one of the best players in the league and was one of the most important players during Seattle’s super bowl run last season. He recently turned 32, but interior defensive linemen frequently excel into their mid-30s. NFL coaches, GMs, and scouts voted him as the best defensive tackle in the league.

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) celebrates after a sack against the Minnesota Vikings. | AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson

Receiving some assurance of his presence on this team for the next couple seasons, combined with Byron Murphy’s ongoing breakout into superstardom that will almost certainly remain on this team for most of the next decade, is a tremendous comfort. If Rylie Mills can be anything beyond anonymous depth, this interior will be almost impossible to handle.

Locking Down Cornerstones

This extension comes not too long after the team gave record-setting deals to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon, as well as a mid-level agreement with Derick Hall. Go back a little to the end of last season, and you’ll also find the nine-figure contract award to Charles Cross, and shortly before the season a modest one for Abraham Lucas.

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) celebrates sacking Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1). | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Simply put, over the last year, this team has been working very hard to make sure their best and most important players are locked in for the foreseeable future before they can even hit the market. That they have so many big contracts to dole out is testament to how good a job they’ve done at collecting talent in recent seasons. And it won’t be long before more extensions happen.

The Final Word

This extension commits Williams to the Seahawks through the next three years, although NFL contracts are flexible and nothing is entirely guaranteed. While there’s a certain degree of risk involved in giving big money to a 32-year-old player in a salary cap league with so many more big deals to hand out in the near future, Williams is way too good for this to be anything other than great.

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) celebrates after a sack against the Jacksonville Jaguars. | Travis Register-Imagn Images

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