Giants Officially Trade DL Leonard Williams To Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks announced they’ve officially acquired DL Leonard Williams from the Giants. 

The @Seahawks trade with the N.Y. Giants for Leonard Williams is final. The Seahawks will send to the Giants their 2024 second-round pick, as well as a fifth-round pick in 2025. #GoHawks

— Seahawks PR (@seahawksPR) November 1, 2023

New York receives a 2023 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick in exchange for Williams. 

The veteran defensive lineman was also owed a significant amount of salary this season. Albert Breer reports the Giants will be eating most of that to facilitate the deal. 

For the Giants, it makes a ton of sense to trade Williams given he’s in a contract year, and a second-round pick is a terrific return. 

For Seattle, they clearly are trying to beef up their defensive line in a year they have goals of contending. 

Williams, 29, is a former first-round pick of the Jets back in 2015. He was in the final year of a four-year, $18.6 million rookie contract when the Jets picked up his fifth-year option.

Williams was later traded to the Giants. He made a base salary of $14.2 million for the 2019 season before the Giants used their franchise tag on him in 2020. He was tagged again in 2021 before signing a three-year, $63 million extension with the Giants.  

Williams will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024 and has a base salary of $18 million for the 2023 season. 

In 2023, Williams has appeared in eight games for the Giants and recorded 21 total tackles, one tackle for loss, 1.5 sacks and one pass deflection. Pro Football Focus has Williams graded as the No. 37 interior defender out of 124 qualifying players.