This past offseason, the Seattle Seahawks signed wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and edge rusher Derick Hall to extensions. The next logical player to sign is cornerback Devon Witherspoon. That will hopefully eventually happen, but the slot corner might not be the next player to get a new deal.
That could be defensive lineman Leonard Williams, whose agents, according to ESPN's Brady Henderson, have been in discussions with the team about a possible extension. As good as he has been since he was traded to the Seahawks in the 2023 season, he deserves a new high-dollar deal.
His potential new contract does come with higher risks than the ones for JSN, Hall, and Witherspoon. The problem is that Williams is 32 years old. He could be good for several more seasons, but he is the majority of a decade older than the three previous names. Seattle needs Williams on the field and as a leader, but can't afford to overpay him.
Leonard Williams could be the next Seattle Seahawks player to get paid
General manager John Schneider has made it a policy not to extend players until at least before the final year of their current deal begins. JSN and Witherspoon are only slight outliers to that approach. The team had fifth-year options on them, so technically Seattle extended them two seasons before their contracts were up, but waiting could have caused issues.
Williams' latest contract was signed with the Seahawks in 2024. After acquiring him from the New York Giants, Seattle signed the elite lineman to a three-year, $64.5 million deal. One can assume he has reached at least most of the incentives needed to earn every penny.
He has been so terrific that a recent ESPN survey of NFL executives, scouts, and coaches listed Leonard Williams as the top defensive tackle in the league. He hasn't made nearly as many Pro Bowls in his career as he should have (he has made three in 11 years, including the last two with the Seahawks), but his excellence is well-known throughout the league.
The Seattle Seahawks, John Schneider, and head coach Mike Macdonald surely understand what Williams means to the team, too. No one can argue with Schneider's ability since he joined the team in 2010 to know which players are most valuable for the franchise. Williams will get paid, and that could happen soon.
A new deal could come sooner than the one Devon Witherspoon gets, but partly because Witherspoon's asking price probably keeps going up. That is helped by the Cleveland Browns agreeing to an extension with cornerback Denzel Ward this week that makes him the highest-paid player at his position in the NFL. Witherspoon will probably break that record soon.
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