Seahawks Continue Locking Up Cornerstones, Extend Leonard Williams on Three-Year, $90 Million Deal

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) looks on during warmups before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

For the second time in as many weeks, the Seattle Seahawks have opened up the checkbook to secure one of their biggest stars on a lucrative long-term extension, this time shifting their focus back to the trenches on defense.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, after handing cornerback Devon Witherspoon a record-setting extension on August 17, the Seahawks have agreed to terms with All-Pro defensive tackle Leonard Williams on a three-year, $90 million contract. The deal reportedly features $56 million in guarantees and includes $30 million per year in new money, tying him with Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea for the fifth-most in the league in APY at the position.

In late July, Williams indicated that the Seahawks had opened up talks with his representatives, but he wasn’t putting too much thought into the situation at the time with his attention on getting ready for the upcoming season regardless of his contract situation.

“There's been few conversations, but nothing set in stone,” Williams told reporters. “We're all focused on the season starting right now, and we know that that's towards the end of the season. We have time to figure that out when the time comes.”

Long criminally overlooked due to playing for uncompetitive teams in New York with just one playoff appearance in his first nine seasons, Williams has enjoyed quite the resurgence in the Pacific Northwest since Seattle traded a second and fifth-round pick to the New York Giants in October 2023, finally earning his due and for good reason. “Big Cat” excelled upon arrival, producing four sacks and 11 quarterback hits in 10 games for the Seahawks after the deadline deal, leading to a three-year, $64.5 million contract the following March.

Making that contract quickly look obsolete and turning it into one of the NFL’s best bargains seemingly overnight, Williams turned in the best statistical season of his career in coach Mike Macdonald’s defense in 2024, racking up 11 sacks and returning an interception for a touchdown. Last season, though he didn’t quite match his sack total from the season prior, he still amassed seven sacks, 58 pressures, and 22 quarterback hits as a star catalyst for the No. 1 scoring defense in the league, earning All-Pro distinction for the first time with a second team selection as he helped lead the Seahawks to a second Lombardi Trophy.

Tag-teaming with rising star Byron Murphy II in the middle, Seattle had the only pair of defensive tackles in the league to reach seven sacks and 50 pressures in 2025, and both players also ranked among the best defending the run in most major statistical categories. The duo tortured opposing signal callers and stymied running backs from the start of the season all the way to Super Bowl LX, helping the franchise earn a second Lombardi Trophy in starring roles.

Since the ink dried on his current contract two years ago, while logging snaps at numerous alignments along the defensive front - including as a wide-9 edge - and regularly seeing double teams, Williams has amassed more sacks (18) and quarterback hits (50) than any other defensive tackle in football. He’s also been a consistent problem blowing up run plays, posting 25 combined tackles for loss over the past two seasons, second behind only Titans star Jeffery Simmons among defensive linemen. Last season, along with being just outside the top 10 in run stops and run stop rate, per Pro Football Focus, he ranked ninth in average depth of tackle (1.9 yards), evidence of his penchant for backfield destruction.

As a sign of growing respect in league circles for his dominance, Williams finished as the No. 1 defensive tackle in ESPN’s annual Top 10 list voted on by executives, coaches, and scouts in July, ahead of the likes of Simmons and Chiefs stalwart Chris Jones.

“It's amazing. It’s awesome to get that recognition, especially later in my career,” Williams said. “I've always trusted and had confidence in the type of player I am. Having light around our season and our team from going to the Super Bowl has shed more light on individuals as well. It's an honor to be able to get that recognition from my peers. It's not fan voting – it’s something that's from league executives and coaches, which means a lot more. I'm not letting it get to my head or anything like that.”

Recently turning 32 years old in June, extending an aging player like Williams always carries some risk for NFL teams, especially considering he broke into the league before his 21st birthday and has already played 11 seasons as a pro. But No. 99 has shown no signs of slowing down between the lines, has been as durable as they come for a long time, and the Seahawks have a strong track record over the years with defensive tackles tending to age more gracefully than most other positions, making the latest investment in him well worth the price to secure yet another lynchpin for the best defense in the sport long-term.

Time will tell how long Williams chooses to play, but with this latest extension tying him to Seattle through the 2029 season, the door has now been opened for him to end his illustrious career with the organization. He will turn 35 years old a few months before starting the final year of the contract, and depending on the structure of cap hits, the team could try to add a year or two onto the deal at that point to ensure that he hangs his cleats up as a Seahawk.

Putting a cherry on top to sweeten the deal, the Seahawks will have the ability to pick up Murphy’s fifth-year option next spring as a former first round pick, allowing general manager John Schneider to massage the cap a bit by not having his own expected record-setting extension actually begin until 2029. This would mean that Williams and Murphy’s respective contracts would only overlap for one season, taking significant future financial burden off the table and keeping the two players together for several more seasons before having to potentially make a difficult choice on that front, making it a clear win/win for all parties.