When defensive lineman Leonard Williams joined the Seattle Seahawks midway through the 2023 season, the team assumed they were getting a very good player who would help divert attention from the players lining up next to him. Instead, Seattle got something better.
Williams had already had a great career with the New York Jets and New York Giants. He was nearing 30, though, so maybe his production might diminish a little. It's gone up. The last two seasons have arguably been two of Williams' three best years in the NFL. For the first time, he was named to an All-Pro team this season, as he was named Second-Team All-Pro.
He is also unquestionably a team leader. He is a smart player and person who knows how to convey his emotions and get players to buy into head coach Mike Macdonald's system. Not that it should be that difficult; Macdonald's scheme has been proven to work.
Seattle Seahawks' Leonard Williams wants to be with the team for much longer
The only issue with the player is that his cap hit explodes in 2026. The number jumps from $15,044,715 this season to $29,636,250 next season. Is he worth that much as a player? Absolutely. But it is also a cap hit when the Seahawks might start thinking of reducing one way or another.
The positive part is that Leonard Williams made clear at the victory celebration for Seattle defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX that he doesn't want to stop playing for the Seahawks. Ever. He also said that the team won't want to be satisfied with only one championship.
Williams said, "We not done. We coming back next year. I'm not f****** leaving!"
The odd part is that Williams would even bring up the last part. Maybe he meant he wasn't leaving the feeling of winning. That would appear to be a stretch, though. As far as leaving the team, no one should expect him to or that the team would want him to leave.
While his cap hit is huge in 2026, the number isn't all that crazy for a player of his ilk. He has no guaranteed money on his contract, but that is a normal way of doing business for general manager John Schneider. He structures contracts where the money is guaranteed in Year One, but not always after.
Seattle would save $16.65 million by releasing Williams while keeping nearly $13 million in dead money, but none of those numbers should matter. Leonard Williams needs to be with the Seattle Seahawks in 2026, and if he keeps playing as well as he has for the last two seasons, even longer.