Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman praised this Patriots free-agent signing

"He’s a great player. He’s gonna make a difference."

Milton Williams was handed a $104 million contract by the Patriots this offseason. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

March 24, 2025

2 minutes to read

Eliot Wolf and the Patriots didn’t waste time utilizing some of their league-leading cap space at the start of free agency, bolstering their defense in particular by signing top targets like Milton Williams, Carlton Davis, and Robert Spillane.

Williams stole plenty of headlines on the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period, with New England handing out the heftiest contract in franchise history (per average annual value) via their four-year, $104 million deal with the 25-year-old defensive tackle.

Even though New England still has plenty of work to do when it comes to upgrading both its offensive line and receiver corps moving forward, former Patriots stars Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman both believe Williams is the type of talent worth shelling out for.

“I think it’s a good deal. It’s not like they overpaid,” Gronkowski said of Williams’ signing in New England during a recent episode of the “Dudes on Dudes” Podcast with Edelman. “I think it was very fair. He’s a great player. He’s gonna make a difference.

“This is a splash. I don’t know what kind of guy he is. I’m sure they did their homework,” Edelman added. “You got a guy like [Mike Vrabel] there. He knows what winning’s like. This is awesome. The team needed that.”

Williams is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to reviving a Patriots defense that regressed across the board in 2024.

But the athletic tackle was a force in the trenches for the Eagles last season, recording five sacks, 10 QB hits, and seven tackles for loss before playing his best football during Super Bowl LIX against the Chiefs (two sacks, forced fumble, fumble recovery).

Beyond Williams’ tangible stats, Vrabel pointed to Williams’ unrealized potential and his ability to consistently put offensive linemen under duress with each snap as key factors as to why New England handed him such a hefty contract this offseason.

“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.

While Williams figures to play a more featured role in New England when compared to his reps on a stout Eagles D-line (48 percent of defensive snaps in 2024), his presence alone should help elevated a Patriots defense that both struggled to pressure QBs (an NFL-worst 28 sacks) while also coughing up 131.4 rushing yards per game (23rd-ranked rush defense) last season.

“Being the highest average salary or whatever. That’s big,” Williams said of his contract earlier this month. “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.”