Seahawks lock up Leonard Williams with three-year, $90M extension
The Seattle Seahawks have made sure one of the league's best interior defenders stays in the Pacific Northwest. Leonard Williams and the franchise agreed to terms on a three-year, $90 million extension, with $56 million guaranteed, that ke…
The Seattle Seahawks have made sure one of the league's best interior defenders stays in the Pacific Northwest. Leonard Williams and the franchise agreed to terms on a three-year, $90 million extension, with $56 million guaranteed, that keeps the three-time Pro Bowler in Seattle for the foreseeable future.
The deal is the latest in a busy Seattle offseason that has also produced extensions for Jaxon Smith-Njigba (four years, $168.6 million), Devon Witherspoon (four years, $132 million), Rashid Shaheed (three years, $51 million) and Derick Hall (three years, $42 million). Williams, who turned 32 this offseason, made his lone Pro Bowl appearance last year and is still squarely in his prime.
Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet): The #Seahawks and star Leonard Williams have agreed to terms on a 3-year, $90M extension to keep him in Seattle for the foreseeable future. The three-time Pro Bowler made one last year and is still in his prime at 32. Now, locked in.
If Williams plays out the new contract, he will have earned roughly $250 million over the course of his career. ESPN's poll of executives, coaches and scouts rated him the No. 1 defensive tackle in the league, and the expectation was that he would reach or surpass the $30 million-per-year threshold that top tackles are now commanding.
Rapoport noted the decisions Seattle made around its core: the Seahawks kept and extended Williams, Smith-Njigba, Shaheed, Josh Jobe and Witherspoon, while allowing Ken Walker, Boye Mafe, Coby Bryant and Riq Woolen to depart in free agency. Williams is a key cog on a Super Bowl defense, and the franchise has now paid accordingly.