Patriots agree to terms with free-agent ex-Eagle Milton Williams: Source

By Chad Graff, Dianna Russini and Cale Clinton

The New England Patriots did it.

Defensive tackle Milton Williams, The Athletic’s top player to reach free agency, has agreed to a massive deal with the franchise that will make him the third-highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL, according to a league source, clocking in at $26 million per year. That trails only the Kansas City Chiefs’ Chris Jones ($31.75 million) and the Las Vegas Raiders’ Christian Wilkins ($27.5 million) in average annual value among defensive tackles. Williams’ deal is over four years, according to a league source.

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A 2021 third-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles, Williams has mostly served as a rotational piece on a deep defensive line. The pass-rushing defensive tackle entered free agency coming off one of his best years, setting career highs in sacks (five) and quarterback hits (10). Williams also ranked sixth among defensive tackles in ESPN’s pass rush win rate.

One of Williams’ best games of last season came in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs. Playing just 25 defensive snaps, Williams finished with his second career multi-sack game, two tackles for loss and a key strip-sack and fumble recovery against Patrick Mahomes.

While Williams has never played more than half of his team’s defensive snaps in a season, he has made the most of his opportunities. Williams was one of 10 players this season with at least five sacks while playing fewer than half of his team’s defensive snaps, and one of eight such players with double-digit tackles for loss.

Williams is part of the Patriots’ continued push to improve defensively after already agreeing to deals with cornerback Carlton Davis, outside linebacker Harold Landry and inside linebacker Robert Spillane.

The Pats still have work to do in free agency — namely finding a left tackle and wide receiver — but this is a massive get.

How he fits

The Patriots entered free agency with only one defensive lineman they could definitively pencil in for next year: Keion White. So the need was glaring.

Enter Williams. He plays a similar style of game to Christian Barmore, who was the Patriots’ highest-paid player before they agreed to this deal with Williams. But there’s still a great deal that remains unknown about the future of Barmore, who is recovering from blood clots and missed most of last season.

If Barmore is unable to play, then Williams will immediately take over that role as the pass-rushing interior defensive lineman. If Barmore does return, the Patriots will boast one of the best interior defensive lines in football.

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But that’s not to say this signing isn’t risky. Williams, 25, has never played 50 percent or more of his team’s defensive snaps in a season because he has been used mostly in obvious pass-rush situations. So this is a ton of money to give to a guy who was in a rotation for the Eagles last season.

It represents how much the Patriots are valuing their interior pass rush and is a sign they think they can get more out of him. (And that they desperately needed to improve their roster, no matter the price.)

2025 impact

The Patriots defense looks decent all of a sudden. They still need an edge rusher to round things out, but with two new linebackers, a new cornerback and Williams in the fold, they’re undergoing a legitimate turnaround on that side of the ball.

The big question in the long term is how Williams performs if and when he’s asked to play more. Is he able to step up and be stout enough against the run to warrant increased playing time? Or is he just used on, say, 45 percent of the defensive snaps as the Patriots try to rush the passer from the middle of the D-line?

Cap update

This is a ton of money to give to a defensive tackle who has played as little as Williams has. But the Patriots entered free agency with a ton of money to spend and a massive need, which is how you land on this kind of contract.

Frankly, it would have been disappointing if they had all this cap space and didn’t end up with any of their top options, even if this might represent an overpay in the traditional sense.

Plus, the Pats entered with so much cap space that they still have money to spend. Their free-agent shopping spree likely isn’t done yet.

Outlook

This represents a big shift in thinking from the Patriots after recent years of not paying top dollar for the top free agents.

This time, they landed the No. 1 guy and paid him like it. Can we quibble with the contract? Sure. Does it look like an overpay? Yep.

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But in an offseason in which the Patriots needed to make a splash and add a jolt to the roster, they’ve finally done it.

Required reading

• NFL free-agency 2025 tracker: Where Sam Darnold, Aaron Rodgers and top 150 players land

• Free agency grades: The good, bad and ugly of key deals

• NFL free agency: Top 10 players at each position

(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

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