Former GM believes Patriots made best move in NFL free agency

"He will become a frontline staple for years to come.”

Milton Williams signed a four-year, $104 million contract with New England last week. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff(sports)

By Conor Ryan

March 17, 2025

2 minutes to read

The Patriots had plenty of cash to burn during free agency, with New England entering the offseason with over $120 million in cap space.

It didn’t take New England all that long to flex some of that fiscal power, with the Patriots striking deals with several free agents right out of the gate last week, including a four-year, $104 million contract with dynamic defensive tackle Milton Williams.

It was a hefty deal doled out by New England, with Williams’ $26 million annual contract standing as the largest contract in Patriots’ franchise history (per average annual value).

Williams is also the third-highest-paid interior defender on an annual basis in the NFL, trailing only Chris Jones ($31.75 million per year) and Christian Wilkins ($27.5 million).

But even with the steep financial commitment made by New England in order to reel in Williams, former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum noted on ESPN that the Patriots’ made the best move so far in NFL free agency by signing the dominant D-lineman.

“While $26 million per year for Williams is extremely high, it’s rare to get someone so young (26 next month) with outstanding interior pass rush ability,” Tannenbaum wrote for ESPN. “His production has been modest (11.5 sacks in 67 games), but look for his game to reach the next level in Mike Vrabel’s system with the Patriots. He will become a frontline staple for years to come.”

As noted by Tannenbaum, Williams’ baseline stats may not leap off the page, even after an impressive 2024 season with the Eagles (five sacks, 10 quarterback hits, and seven tackles for loss over 17 games).

But Williams’ age, stellar showing during the 2024 playoffs (two sacks, fumble recovery in Super Bowl LIX), and underlying numbers (12.5 QB pressure percentage) all painted the picture of a talent who should wreak havoc at the line of scrimmage for years to come in Foxborough.

“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,” Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said of Williams last week. “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.”

Despite the added pressure that comes with commanding the largest price tag on New England’s roster, Williams is set to be a key cog of a New England defense that needs to take steps forward after a regression-filled 2024 campaign.

“Being the highest average salary or whatever. That’s big,” Williams said Thursday. “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.”