New Seahawks DL Leonard Williams Unlikely To Be Extended Midseason

According to Adam Schefter, new Seahawks DL Leonard Williams is unlikely to sign an extension before the offseason. 

Seattle gave up significant assets to trade for Williams ahead of the deadline last week, sending the Giants second and fifth-round picks for Williams who is in the final year of his contract. 

However, this is not out of the norm for Seattle, which has swung multiple player trades in-season in the past and waited until the offseason to address their contracts as a matter of policy. 

They’ll likely do the same with Williams and explore extending him once the season is over. 

It’s worth pointing out that while Williams was franchise-tagged twice with the Giants, the rules for a third tag still apply for Seattle. A third tag would be 144 percent of his 2023 cap hit. 

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. 

We’ll have more on Williams as the news is available.