Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider has described retaining Leonard Williams as a “priority,” and the team has now checked that off their offseason to-do list.
Reports indicate that the Seahawks and the one-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman have agreed to a new contract on the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period of free agency.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Leonard Williams will sign a three-year contract worth $21.5 million annually to remain with the Seattle Seahawks. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the $64.5 million deal includes $43.85 million guaranteed. Williams confirmed the news in an Instagram story post.
On the “John Schneider Show” on Seattle Sports, Seahawks general manager John Schneider stated that negotiations with Williams’ representation were ongoing as his pending free agency approached. Schneider expressed the team’s desire to retain Williams, calling him a priority and indicating that they were actively working on a deal.
Williams, who will turn 30 in June, was acquired by the Seahawks last October in a trade with the New York Giants, with Seattle sending a 2024 second-round NFL Draft pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder to New York. After joining the Seahawks, Williams started 10 games, recording four sacks, 11 QB hits, nine tackles for loss, 41 combined tackles, and a pass defensed.
Due to being traded before the New York Giants’ bye week and after the Seattle Seahawks had already had theirs, Leonard Williams played 18 regular-season games, a feat that had not occurred in the NFL since 1930.
Schneider praised Williams’ performance after joining Seattle, stating, “Yeah, he played great… You know, we gave up that second-round pick, we went for it. We thought that he was going to help change our defense, and he played well. Unfortunately, we didn’t make the playoffs, but he’s a guy that we want to keep in the mix. You can move him around… you can play him wherever you want, and he’s a great guy. He likes it here. I had a great exit interview with him and yeah, we hope to retain him.”
Before his time with the Seahawks, Williams played for the New York Jets from 2015 to 2019, then the Giants from 2019 until the trade to Seattle. Standing at 6 feet 5 inches and weighing 300 pounds, Williams, also known as the “Big Cat,” made the Pro Bowl in 2016. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft out of USC had a career-high 11.5 sacks and 30 QB hits in 2020.
In the defensive system of new coach Mike Macdonald, Leonard Williams will have the opportunity to be even more impactful. His return should strengthen Seattle’s defensive front, alongside Uchenna Nwosu, Dre’Mont Jones, and Jarran Reed.
The Seahawks, who missed the playoffs and finished third in the NFC West in 2023 with a 9-8 record, made several moves in the last week to create more cap space before the start of free agency. They cut five veterans and restructured the contracts of quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver Tyler Lockett.
Williams’ reported re-signing was the second move of the day for Seattle, who also reportedly brought back tight end Noah Fant.
Before these re-signings, previous Seahawks tight ends Colby Parkinson and Will Dissly reportedly signed with the Rams and Chargers, respectively.
