Brock & Salk: Leonard Williams deal ‘great news’ for Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have inked another superstar from their ‘Dark Side’ defense to a long-term deal.

Report: Seahawks, Leonard Williams agree to 3-year extension

Less than two weeks after making Devon Witherspoon the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback, the Seahawks reportedly agreed to terms with Leonard Williams on a three-year, $90 million contract extension, according to multiple reports on Thursday morning.

Williams, who led all NFL defensive tackles with 18.0 sacks over the past two seasons, was a game-wrecking force during Seattle’s run to a Super Bowl title last season. And now, the 32-year-old three-time Pro Bowler remains under contract with the Seahawks through 2029.

Shortly after the news broke, Mike Salk shared his reaction on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

“Great news,” Salk said. “He’s the best player on this team in my book. He is the thing that makes it go. He’s the leader. He’s the alpha. He’s the dog. He’s their best player. He makes the defense function and do everything that it does. I think he’s going to end up potentially being a Ring of Honor player as the best player on a Super Bowl team.

“I don’t think the country talks about him enough,” Salk added. “I don’t think we’ve appreciated enough how important he is. The Seahawks now are making him an incredibly highly paid man at a position of incredible importance. And even into his 30s, Leonard Williams is that guy. I just could not be happier to hear this news.”

Williams was entering the final season of a three-year, $64.5 million contract that he signed in March 2024 after Seattle acquired him in a 2023 midseason trade with the New York Giants. His new deal bumps his average annual value from $21.5 million to $30 million, which makes him tied as the fifth-highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL.

“I think this fits exactly right,” former NFL quarterback Brock Huard said. “He’s not the top-paid defensive tackle at this age and stage. He’s 32 years old. But he is absolutely the alpha on this team. … And with how much he’s revered and loved by his coaches and by his (teammates), this is one of those win-win deals.”

Williams, who’s entering his 12th NFL season, has played the best football of his career over the past two years under defensive mastermind Mike Macdonald.

In 2024, Williams piled up 11.0 sacks and 16 tackles for loss, along with a 92-yard pick-six and three pass deflections. He followed that with 7.0 sacks and nine tackles for loss during the Seahawks’ 2025 Super Bowl-winning campaign.

“This dude’s made $160 million already, but he doesn’t play and work like he’s made $160 million,” Huard said. “And that’s why you do this deal. A lot of guys at that age and stage in their 30s that have made $160 million, a lot of them by that time, it’s about preservation. … He doesn’t play that way. He doesn’t work that way.

“And that’s why you feel good. This is a win-win. (The Seahawks) get him for the next few years, and he gets the reward that he has earned.”

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