Seahawks' Leonard Williams Lands 3-Year, $90 Million Extension.

Seattle is keeping one of the anchors of its defense in the Pacific Northwest. The Seahawks have agreed to a three-year, $90 million contract extension with defensive tackle Leonard Williams, according to league sources. The deal includes $56 million guaranteed and places Williams among the NFL's highest-paid players at his position. At 32 years old, Williams is coming off another strong season and has established himself as a key piece of Seattle's defense. The Seahawks entered the offseason with Williams set to become a free agent following the 2026 season, making the extension a significant move as the franchise looks to maintain its championship-level defense. Williams' new contract gives him an average annual value of $30 million, tying him with Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea for the fifth-highest average salary among defensive tackles. Only Jalen Carter, Quinnen Williams, Jeffery Simmons and Chris Jones currently rank ahead of them in average annual value. The investment comes after Williams played a major role in Seattle's run to the Super Bowl championship. The Seahawks finished the 2025 season with the NFL's top-ranked scoring defense, and Williams was one of the unit's most influential players. His performance earned him second-team All-Pro honors in 2025, along with his second consecutive Pro Bowl selection with Seattle. Williams originally joined the Seahawks during the 2023 season after Seattle acquired him from the New York Giants in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round selection. He later signed a three-year, $64.5 million contract to remain with the team in March 2024.

The defensive tackle has produced at a high level since arriving in Seattle. In 2024, Williams recorded 11 sacks and made NFL history with a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown, the longest pick-six by a defensive lineman, according to ESPN Research. He followed that performance with seven sacks during the 2025 regular season and added another sack during Seattle's playoff run. Williams' impact has also earned significant recognition around the league. During offseason polling conducted among NFL executives, scouts and coaches, he was voted the league's top defensive tackle. Before joining Seattle, Williams spent the first four-plus seasons of his career with the New York Jets after being selected sixth overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. He was traded to the Giants in 2019 and earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2016. Through 11 NFL seasons, Williams has recorded 61.5 sacks in 175 regular-season games, including a career-best 11.5 sacks in 2020. With the new extension in place, Seattle has secured one of the defensive leaders who helped deliver its championship season while committing to Williams as a cornerstone of the defense well into his mid-30s.