RENTON, Wash. -- Devon Witherspoon isn't the Seattle Seahawks' only star defensive player who could cash in this summer.
As the team's attempts to sign the Pro Bowl cornerback to an extension have dragged out, Pro Bowl defensive lineman Leonard Williams confirmed Tuesday that his agents and the Seahawks have also talked about a new deal.
"There's been a few conversations," he said, "but nothing set in stone."
Williams, 32, is entering the last year of a three-year, $64.5 million contract that he signed it in March 2024, five months after Seattle had acquired him in a midseason trade with the New York Giants. The Seahawks' policy is to not give extensions to players with more than one season left on their current deal. That means Williams is now eligible for one.
"I try not to think about it, honestly," he said of possibly becoming a free agent at the end of this season. "I've always been that type of guy. I've obviously had a lot of contracts at this point in my career, and I've always noticed players that really focus on their contract end up not playing well, they end up having their head in the wrong place, and I've noticed that when I focus on just being where I'm at, focusing on my team and how I can get better individually, things always tend to work themselves out."
Williams has made the Pro Bowl in each of his two full seasons with the Seahawks and earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2025. He has totaled 18 regular-season sacks in that span and recorded another sack in the playoffs last year for the eventual Super Bowl LX champions. His only other Pro Bowl season came in 2016 with the New York Jets, who drafted him sixth overall in 2015.
In polling conducted this offseason by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Williams was voted the NFL's best defensive tackle by league executives, scouts and coaches. One coordinator called him "the most important player on that Super Bowl team," per Fowler.
"That was amazing," Williams said of his No. 1 ranking. "I think it's awesome to get that recognition, especially later in my career. I feel like I've always trusted and had confidence in the type of player I am. I think having [attention on the] season and our team from going to the Super Bowl has kind of shed more light on individuals as well. It's an honor to be able to get that recognition from my peers especially. It's not a fan voting. It's something that's from league executives and coaches and things like that, which means a lot more.
"But I'm definitely not letting it get to my head or anything like that. I'm out here competing. There's a bunch of young guys still trying to take my spot, and the offense is doing a good job challenging us and making me better."
Earlier Tuesday, the Philadelphia Eagles gave Jalen Carter a four-year, $152 million extension that makes him the league's highest-paid defensive tackle at $38 million per season in new money. The $21.5 million average of Williams' current deal now ranks 14th among interior defensive linemen.
