Re-signing Leonard Williams should be the No. 1 priority for Seahawks general manager John Schneider right now. While there’s something to be said for avoiding the massive cap investment it will take (and for getting a comp pick if they let him walk), allowing Williams to leave would make Seattle’s defense significantly worse than it was ths past season at a premium position.
While the roster has a youth movement going on, the chances that the Seahawks will find a defensive lineman as disruptive and consistent as Williams in the 2024 NFL draft are slim to none. By no means is it a certainty, but most analysts are projecting that Williams will stay in Seattle, including Matt Bowen at ESPN, who named the Seahawks as the best fit for Williams in free agency after inititally picking the Raiders.
“I originally had the Raiders as a possible fit for Williams, given their need at defensive tackle, but with Mike Macdonald bringing his defensive system to Seattle, Williams fits better just re-signing there. Williams posted 5.5 sacks, 33 pressures and 62 tackles this past season, and he has the versatility to disrupt both the run and pass games under Macdonald. The Seahawks traded a second-rounder and a future fifth-rounder for him at the deadline, so they will be motivated to retain his services for at least one more year.”
At the moment, Las Vegas has around $30.6 million in effective salary cap space. That’s quite a bit more than the Seahawks, who are $10.3 million in the red, according to Over the Cap.
While we desperately want the team to re-sign Williams, fans have to be prepared for the possibility that they will be outbid once the market opens. If they are going to get a deal done, it may have to come before March 13 when the new league year begins.
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