The Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl run was built on a physical, suffocating defense under head coach Mike Macdonald, a longtime defensive coordinator. In recent weeks, they've made sure to keep the players who got them there. First, they signed All-Pro cornerback Devon Witherspoon to a four-year, $132 million extension, making him the highest-paid CB in the NFL at an average of $33 million per year.
Then, on Thursday, they agreed to a three-year, $90 million extension with Pro Bowl defensive tackle Leonard Williams. At $30 million per year, that ties him with Vita Vea for the fifth-highest salary at the position in the league, behind only Jalen Carter ($38 million), Quinnen Williams ($35.3 million), Jeffery Simmons ($35.28 million), and Chris Jones ($31.7 million). More news: Giants’ Coach Just Tipped His Hand on Odell Beckham Jr’s Roster Fate Williams, the sixth overall pick in 2015 out of USC, spent his first four and a half seasons with the Jets before being traded to their cross-town rival Giants, where he played the next four and a half seasons before being traded again — this time to Seattle.
Now, three years after the Seahawks acquired him, he's finally found his long-term home. Since 2023, Williams has racked up 167 total tackles, 34 tackles for loss, 61 quarterback hits, and 22 sacks across 43 games (all starts). He's earned two straight Pro Bowl nods with Seattle and picked up second-team All-Pro honors last season after posting 62 combined tackles, nine tackles for loss, 22 QB hits, and seven sacks across 17 games.
More importantly, he anchored a Seahawks defensive line that helped the franchise win its first Super Bowl since the 2013 season. More news: Mike Evans Drops Update on Nagging Injury — And His Week 1 Status More news: Packers Reveal Contingency Plan for Possible Josh Jacobs Suspension Williams has been one of the best defensive tackles in football for more than a decade, and now he's getting paid like one. Even at 32, he's shown no signs of slowing down, and he'll remain in Seattle through the 2029 season.
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