Leonard Williams' payday talks heat up in Seattle

Adam Schefter dropped the word everyone in Seattle wanted to hear: the Seahawks and Leonard Williams are in "conversations" about a new contract. It's not a done deal, it's not even close to one, but it's the kind of update that gets a fanbase's hopes up before training camp even wraps.

The report, first out via Brady Henderson and amplified by Schefter, landed right as Williams heads into the final year of the 3-year, $64.5 million deal he signed back in March 2024 after Seattle acquired him mid-season from the Giants. That contract looked like a steal within a year. Williams made the Pro Bowl in both of his full seasons with the Seahawks, earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2025, and racked up 18 regular-season sacks over that stretch plus one more in the playoffs.

Williams himself confirmed the talks are real but early, telling reporters there's "been a few conversations, but nothing set in stone." Classic vet answer — say just enough to confirm the story without tipping his hand on numbers. He's made clear he'd rather let the football speak for itself while his camp works the back channels.

Here's why Seattle can't afford to drag its feet: ESPN's polling of league executives and coaches recently crowned Williams the best defensive tackle in football, full stop. And yet his $21.5 million average annual value ranks just 14th at the position. That gap is the entire negotiation in a nutshell.

The market just moved, too. The Eagles handed Jalen Carter a $152 million extension worth $38 million a year, resetting the ceiling for interior defensive linemen practically overnight. Every agent representing a top-tier DL just got a new number to point to, and Williams' camp is no exception.

For a Seahawks team that just went through a Super Bowl-winning run behind a top-ranked scoring defense, letting the anchor of that front hit the open market next spring would be a self-inflicted wound. Expect this to keep bubbling up all camp — Williams isn't walking into a hold-in, but he's also not signing for a discount after the year he just had.