Seahawks extend Leonard Williams with three-year, $90 million deal

The deal and its structure

The Seattle Seahawks and defensive lineman Leonard Williams agreed to a three-year extension worth $90 million, with $56 million in guaranteed money. The deal was announced on August 27, 2026. Williams was entering the final year of his previous contract with the team.

Market positioning and recent production

The extension makes Williams the fifth-highest-paid interior defensive lineman in the NFL by average annual value, tied with Vita Vea. His total guarantee of $56 million ranks as the fourth largest among interior defensive linemen. Williams was one of several Seahawks defenders to land significant new contracts in the 2026 offseason, alongside Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, Josh Jobe, and Devon Witherspoon. He is also part of a wave of interior defensive linemen securing major deals, following Vita Vea, Jeffery Simmons, Jalen Carter, and Quinnen Williams, all of whom signed for at least $30 million per year.

2025 season performance and playoff run

Williams was a cornerstone of the Seahawks’ defense that led the team to a Super Bowl victory in the 2025 season. He recorded 7.0 sacks, 9 tackles for loss, and 22 quarterback hits in the regular season, earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors. In Seattle’s three playoff games, he added another sack, another tackle for loss, and three more quarterback hits as the Seahawks won Super Bowl LX.

Career impact with the Seahawks

Williams has been a significant presence on Seattle’s defense since arriving via trade midway through the 2023 season. In 43 games with the Seahawks, he has totaled 22.0 sacks, 34 tackles for loss, and 61 quarterback hits. Before joining Seattle, Williams had recorded 61.5 career sacks, 93 tackles for loss, and 223 quarterback hits across his stints with the New York Jets, New York Giants, and other teams since being drafted sixth overall in 2015 by the Jets from USC.

2026 defensive lineup

Williams enters the 2026 season as part of one of the league’s best defensive fronts under head coach Mike Macdonald, playing alongside Byron Murphy II, Demarcus Lawrence, Jarran Reed, Uchenna Nwosu, and others.

Sources

• Yahoo Sports — Big money for ‘Big Cat’! Seahawks extend Leonard Williams in $90 million deal · Seahawks, Leonard Williams agree to three-year, $90 million extension · Seahawks reportedly sign defensive star Leonard Williams to 3-year, $90 million extension
• CBS Sports
• NBC Sports

Featured photo: AlexanderJonesi via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)