Seahawks, DL Leonard Williams Agree To Extension

A three-year extension is expected to officially be in place soon, per Fowler. Williams has one season remaining on his current pact, but negotiations on a long-term arrangement have been taking place this summer. It appears a new contract is set to be in place shortly.

That is indeed the case. The three-year extension is worth $90MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. This new pact contains $56MM in guaranteed money, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Williams will now be in the fold though 2029.

Since arriving in Seattle via trade midway through the 2023 season, Williams has been an impactful presence along the team’s defensive interior. The 32-year-old posted 11 sacks in 2024 and racked up another seven last season (along with one in the playoffs) while playing a key role in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run. Originally owed $16.65MM for the coming campaign, a notable raise was always going to be in store if talks were to produce an agreement.

The Seahawks have been busy on the extension front this offseason, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon each landing market-topping deals. Williams, entering his 12th NFL season, has not moved to the top of the defensive tackle pecking order but he has benefitted from other deals at the position. Jalen Carter secured $38MM per season on his Eagles extension, and that continues to set the pace. Each of Quinnen Williams (Cowboys), Jeffery Simmons (Titans) and Vita Vea (Buccaneers) have signed new deals this offseason and landed bumps in compensation along the way.

At an average annual value of $30MM, Williams now slots into a tie with Vea for fifth among interior defensive linemen. He will be counted on to remain one of the league’s most productive players at that spot after receiving a Pro Bowl nod in each of his two full Seahawks campaigns. Williams also earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2025.

In addition to Witherspoon, Seattle worked out an an extension with edge rusher Derick Hall this offseason. Those two will remain core defenders for years to come as a result. The team will hope for the same to be true of defensive tackle Byron Murphy, who was drafted 16th overall in 2024. Murphy will be eligible for an extension as early as next offseason, and after a seven-sack season in 2025 he could play himself into a monster second contract with a long-term Seattle commitment. Keeping both Murphy and Williams in the fold on big-ticket deals could prove to be challenging, but the defending champions will continue to benefit from that tandem for the foreseeable future.

Having played on a top-10 rookie contract and received two franchise tags, Williams has developed a well-earned reputation for maximizing his earning potential. Previous big-money deals from the Giants and Seahawks pushed his career NFL payouts over $157MM. That figure is now set to grow considerably as he continues his Seattle tenure.