Report: Seahawks, Leonard Williams agree to terms on three-year deal

The Seattle Seahawks have agreed to terms to re-sign defensive lineman Leonard Williams, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The deal is reportedly a three-year contract worth $64.5 million, with $43.85 million of that being guaranteed.

Williams was traded to Seattle from the New York Giants midway through the 2023 season. He appeared in 10 games to finish with 41 tackles (nine for loss) and four sacks.

Williams played college football at USC and was the sixth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft to the New York Jets. He finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting that season after recording 63 tackles (seven for loss) and three sacks.

From there, Williams would go on to make the Pro Bowl in his second season, which is still the only appearance of his career. He remained with the Jets through the 2019 season, during which he was traded to the Giants.

Williams had arguably his best year yet with the Giants in 2020, setting career highs in both sacks (11.5) and tackles for loss (14). He remained a starter on the defensive line for the next three seasons before being traded to Seattle.

The Seahawks liked what they saw out of Leonard Williams enough to bring him back, where he’ll look to make an impact for a team that narrowly missed the playoffs in 2023.

More on the 2024 NFL offseason, free agency

The NFL 2024 calendar year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 13. At that time, contracts running through 2023 officially run out, making those players free agents. Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams will have a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 5. Beginning March 11 through March 13 teams can enter into a legal negotiation with players who are set to become unrestricted free agents.

In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marks the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 19 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. On April 24, the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets hits. Following the restricted free agent deadline comes the 2024 NFL Draft, which runs from April 25-27.

More on restricted, exclusive rights free agents

Players with only three years of accredited NFL experience become restricted free agents. Their original team will have the option to apply first-round, second-round, original-round, and right-of-fight-of-first-refusal tenders on players at escalating price tags.

The higher the round, the more expensive the tender amount; however, if a separate team does offer a contract and the original team does not match, that round’s pick will be conveyed from the new team to the original team. Right of first refusal only gives a team the option to match or not. If they don’t match, they get nothing in return.

An original-round tender would send a draft pick from whatever round the player was drafted back to the original team if they chose not to match. The original team will have five days to match once a player signs an offer sheet from a new team.