NFL 2024 free agency: Seahawks re-signing Leonard Williams on $64.5 million deal

The Seattle Seahawks made re-signing Leonard Williams a major priority, and they have done the deed.

Williams, acquired from the New York Giants for a 2024 second-round pick and 2025 fifth-round pick, has agreed to a 3-year contract worth up to $64.5 million, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

Based on the earlier deals made for Christian Wilkins (Las Vegas Raiders), Chris Jones (re-signed with Kansas City Chiefs), and Justin Madubuike (re-signed with Baltimore Ravens), Williams will be one of the highest paid interior defensive linemen based on average per year, but he’ll only barely crack the top-10.

The 29-year-old Williams was one of the most productive defensive linemen in the NFL during his time with the New York Giants and Jets, and continued that even on an otherwise sub-standard Seahawks defense. Williams was tied for second on the team with nine tackles for loss despite appearing in only 10 games, and he chipped in with four sacks and 11 QB hits.

The defensive interior is where the Seahawks don’t have a lot of depth, so it’s not surprising to see that Seattle had an interest in retaining his services. We’ll find out more about the specifics on his contract very soon, but John Schneider was not BSing when he addressed the desire to retain ‘Big Cat.’