Leonard Williams isn’t going anywhere. The Seattle Seahawks and their star defensive tackle have agreed on a 3-year, $90 million extension with $56 million guaranteed, keeping the “Big Cat” in town through the 2029 season. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN had it first, and Ian Rapoport confirmed the deal shortly after. 

I like this move for Seattle, even though it may raise a few questions about paying a 32-year-old interior lineman that kind of money.

But don’t worry, we all know Williams can still play. 

Williams joins an elite group

For reference, this deal puts Williams in a group of interior defensive linemen making $30 million a year or more, a club that now numbers six instead of five. The other members: Vita Vea, Chris Jones, Jeffery Simmons, Quinnen Williams, and Jalen Carter. Four of those deals got done this offseason alone. 

And for anyone worried about the age factor, Williams is not the only 32-year-old making $30 million-plus at defensive tackle. Chris Jones is 32 as well, so Williams isn’t some outlier.

Look, Leonard Williams is a highly productive player for the Seahawks. He made the Pro Bowl last season, racked up 7 sacks, and had 11.5 the year prior. He can certainly still play, and I’d argue he’s one of the heartbeats of the Seahawks defense under Mike McDonald. 

We’ve already seen it on Hard Knocks this preseason. The guy sets the tone and leads Mike Macdonald’s unit. 

The business side makes sense

Williams was entering the last year of a 3-year contract paying him $21.5 million this season, not very close to what the top guys at the position were making. General manager John Schneider recognized that and made his move. 

Schneider wants to keep guys he trusts around, and he makes a lot of good decisions for Seattle. It’s why the Seahawks are a competitive team most years and why they just won the Super Bowl.

Sometimes GMs understand you’re not just paying the player. You’re paying the human, too. Williams is a great leader in that locker room, and his mentality tells you everything you need to know. He was asked in late July about possibly becoming a free agent at the end of the season, and Williams said:

“I try not to think about it, honestly. I’ve always been that type of guy. I’ve obviously had a lot of contracts at this point in my career, and I’ve always noticed players that really focus on their contract end up not playing well. They end up having their head in the wrong place. And I’ve noticed that when I focus on just being where I’m at, focusing on my team and how I can get better individually, things always tend to work themselves out.”

Well, Leonard, things have worked themselves out. He now joins a group of the highest-paid players in the league at his position. Congratulations to him.

Seattle building for another run

This is great work by Schneider. He has gotten three key players (Smith-Njigba and Witherspoon as well) extended prior to the regular season. This allows for no distractions and nothing on the side.

Just another ultra-talented football team trying to repeat, and trying to bring another Lombardi back to Seattle.

I’m excited to see what Williams does this year. Hopefully he can reach double-digit sacks again with this new contract. It was a great move by Seattle to keep him locked in through 2029. 

Having Leonard Williams anchoring the middle of that line sustains a strong foundation of the Seahawks championship team.