Seahawks, DL Leonard Williams Discussing Extension

Parlaying that momentum into another Seattle deal (as a 2024 free agent), Williams has pushed his career earnings past $157MM. One season remains on the pact he signed with the Seahawks in 2024, and after making a big difference in a defense-fueled Seattle championship run, the veteran interior D-lineman is back on the team’s radar. His contract expires shortly after season’s end.

While Devon Witherspoon stands as the defending Super Bowl champs’ top priority, Williams confirmed (via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson) he has engaged in talks with the team about another deal. Williams, 32, said “a few” conversations have taken place regarding what would be his sixth NFL contract (counting the two Giants franchise tags).

After an 11-sack 2024 season in Seattle, Williams registered seven last year to go with nine tackles for loss and 22 QB hits. The latter two figures were behind his 2024 work, but Williams earned his first All-Pro nod — a second-team honor — and helped the Seahawks’ defense finish first in points allowed. Seattle then stormed to the Super Bowl LX title, with Sam Darnold riding shotgun to a loaded defense.

The offseason work of Jordan Davis, Jeffery Simmons and Jalen Carter also should help Williams. While he is older than that batch of 20-somethings, it is likely those agreements raised the floor for the durable veteran. Williams is currently the NFL’s 13th-highest-paid interior D-lineman. Considering Jeremy Fowler’s annual ESPN survey of NFL personnel ranked Williams a somewhat surprising first at the position, the three-year, $64.5MM contract appears a bit on the team-friendly side two years later.

Although Williams is in Year 12, he could take aim at the contract the Chiefs gave future Hall of Famer Chris Jones ($31.75MM per year). Jones, of course, is a more accomplished player; he also secured that contract when the cap stood at $255.4MM. It now checks in at $301.2MM. Now trailing Carter and Simmons in DT AAV, Jones joins Williams in entering an age-32 season. An extension would also reduce Williams’ $29.64MM 2026 cap number. If the Seahawks do not extend Williams by the start of the 2027 league year, they will eat a near-$10MM dead money bill due to void years.