Seahawks reach three-year deal with Leonard Williams
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 30: Leonard Williams #99 of the Seattle Seahawks looks on during pregame warmups before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on November 30, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ryan Kang/
RENTON, Wash. - The Seahawks reached an agreement with standout defensive lineman Leonard Williams on a three-year deal to keep him in Seattle on Monday.
A team source confirmed to FOX 13 Seattle the signing of Williams is expected to occur. The deal was first reported by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the contract is worth $64.5 million, which makes Williams the highest-paid defensive player in team history in average salary at $21.5 million a year.
Williams, 29, was acquired by the Seahawks in a trade with the New York Giants for a pair of draft picks last October. Seattle sent their second-round pick in this year's NFL Draft and a fifth-round pick in the 2025 draft. Williams appeared in 10 games with the Seahawks after the trade, recording 41 tackles with 4.0 sacks, and 11 total quarterback hits.
Williams became the first player in modern NFL history to play 18 regular season games in a single year.
Getting Williams locked up long-term helps justify the cost of acquiring Williams in trade last year. Williams is a former No. 6 overall draft pick of the New York Jets in 2015 and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2016. After being traded to the Giants in 2019, Williams posted a career high 11.5 sacks in 2020 and posted a career-high in tackles with 81 in 2021.
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Seattle Seahawks to re-sign Noah Fant
The Seattle Seahawks are re-signing tight end Noah Fant to a two-year deal worth $21 million, a source confirmed to FOX 13 Seattle on Monday.
The Seahawks don't typically engage heavily in the early stages of free agency and seem to be following that script again this year. While free agency doesn't "officially" being until Wednesday, teams were able to begin speaking with impending free agents early Monday.
Like Williams, they also reached a two-year deal with tight end Noah Fant to keep him with the team on Monday. Tight ends Will Dissly (Los Angeles Chargers), Colby Parkinson (Los Angeles Rams), and linebacker Jordyn Brooks (Miami Dolphins) reached agreements with new teams on Monday.