As if Leonard Williams being a driving force in another franchise's Super Bowl win wasn't enough humble pie for the New York Giants. To make matters worse, the star defensive tackle has reportedly secured another massive contract extension with the Seattle Seahawks.
Williams and the Seahawks didn't just serve the pastry — they tossed it in the Giants' face like a clown at a carnival. The three-time Pro Bowler landed a three-year, $90 million deal with $56 million guaranteed (h/t NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter).
How 'bout them apples, Joe Schoen? Call it rubbing salt in the wound, twisting the knife, adding insult to injury or whatever else you want. Williams is making New York's much-maligned general manager eat more crow by the day.
At the time, Schoen was lauded for securing a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder. Giants fans took a victory lap because they got multiple productive campaigns from Williams and more in return than what it initially took to acquire him. The small positive return on investment has proven to be all for naught, though.
Giants take another loss after Seahawks pay Leonard Williams (again)
In hindsight, parting ways with Williams for the right to call safety Tyler Nubin and offensive lineman Marcus Mbow has aged like milk. Seattle came away with a true cornerstone to build around through 2029, while the G-Men received the much shorter end of the stick.
Nubin hasn't come particularly close to meeting the expectations of the versatile ball hawk many envisioned, and Mbow is nothing more than a serviceable rotational piece. They're both still young, but neither has established themselves as a long-term mainstay. Frankly, it'd be shocking to see even one of them earn a second contract in New York at this rate.
All Williams has done is settle in as arguably the best defensive tackle in football. In fact, he was voted the top DT for 2026. That's not merely an analyst's opinion either; it's based on "surveyed league executives, coaches and scouts," among other factors.
Seattle has now signed Williams, 32, to two lucrative pacts since joining the club in October 2023. This time around, he got a generous bump in average annual value from $21.5 million to $30 million. The No. 6 overall selection in the 2015 draft suddenly becomes one of the NFL's highest-paid interior defenders.
Of course, Big Blue Nation has been rooting for Williams from afar after finding greener pastures (literally) in Seattle. He was a crowd-pleaser and a respected locker-room leader, as evidenced by his status as a two-time team captain in East Rutherford (2022 and 2023).
However, part of us almost wants to see Williams fail and serve as validation for giving up on him prematurely. It's a natural, conflicting feeling, one that likely won't be vindicated anytime soon. He's shown no signs of slowing down for a Seattle Squad that appears poised to be in contention once again.
Williams' post-Giants glow-up and summer of recognition continue to make Schoen and Co. look foolish for willingly moving on. The reigning champion Seahawks and their elite disruptor can keep laughing all the way to the bank, with the Lombardi Trophy in one hand.
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