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Mike Vrabel explains why Milton Williams warranted largest deal in Patriots history
"There’s power. Certainly, there’s an aggressiveness. To be able to add him to our defensive line is something that was really exciting.”
The Patriots opened up their checkbook this week in order to land arguably the top free agent on the market in Milton Williams.
After the 25-year-old defensive tackle tormented Patrick Mahomes during the Eagles’ victory over Kansas City in Super Bowl LIX, New England handed Williams a four-year, $104 million contract on Monday, giving them a dynamic defensive tackle to build around moving forward.
That contract represents the largest contract handed out by the Patriots per average annual value and makes Williams the third-highest-paid interior defender on an annual basis in the NFL.
Speaking on Thursday at Gillette Stadium, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel — who stressed building up the trenches as a top priority for New England — explained why it was important to hand Williams such a hefty deal.
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“I think it’s always about the entire package. When you look at compensation, it’s the body of work. It’s what they’re going to do for us,” Vrabel said of Williams, adding: “There’s a high ceiling and a great vision about the person, the effort, the skillset, the speed in which he plays. There’s power. Certainly, there’s an aggressiveness. To be able to add him to our defensive line is something that was really exciting.”
The Patriots were far from the only suitor for Williams, with multiple teams lining up to give the D-lineman a significant pay day given his age, production (five sacks, 10 QB hits, seven tackles for loss in 2024), and stellar play during the 2024 playoffs.
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Initial reports indicated Williams would sign a multi-year deal with the Carolina Panthers, before New England ultimately won the bidding war for the budding star lineman.
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“It was a fast process. My agent was telling me teams were interested. Once a number got to a certain point, a lot of teams dropped out,” Williams said. “The Patriots were the ones that wanted me the most. I made it a priority to come here. They made me a priority. They value what I bring to the table as far as being a versatile player on the d-line, a leader, and a hard worker. They believed in me, so I’m going to try to give it back to them as much as I can.”
While Williams was a one-man wrecking crew during his time with the Eagles, he also benefited as being part of a stout defensive unit with Philadelphia. The presence of other elite linemen like Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis allowed the Eagles to rotate their players throughout a game to limit workloads.
During the 2024 season, Williams logged 48 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps and has not surpassed 50 percent of defensive snaps in any of his four seasons with Philadelphia.
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But in Foxborough, Vrabel expects Williams to take another step forward as more of an every-down player — especially now that the team is paying him over $25 million per season.
“Hopefully we’re going to be able to — I hope you want to play more than you played in Philadelphia,“ Vrabel said. “I know that you guys were extremely successful. But we want to play him a little bit more than that, and hope we can do that.”
Williams figures to be a central piece of a revamped New England defense that both struggled to pressure opposing QBs (an NFL-worst 28 sacks) while also allowing 131.4 rushing yards per game in 2024 (23rd-ranked rush defense).
“Being the highest average salary or whatever. That’s big,” Williams said. “Like I said, they believed in me. Obviously, they’ve studied me as a player and as a person. They know what I bring to the table – physicality, toughness, determination. I thrive on people telling me I can’t do something. So bring it on.”
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