Milton Williams was the crown jewel signing of the Carolina Panthers on Day 1 of free agency. Until he wasn’t. As the legal negotiating window opened up across the league earlier this month, reports surfaced that the former Philadelphia Eagles star defensive tackle was heading to Carolina, agreeing in principle to a deal with the Panthers. However, not long after, it was revealed that Williams would instead land with the New England Patriots on a $104 million contract.
So what happened?
“My agent was on the phone, and I was kind of in the room,” Williams told NFL Network of the event of his free agency. “They were on the phone talking to teams, and teams were coming in with new deals. There was a lot going on, and it happened really fast. They talked about Carolina then and I was like, ‘alright, it sounds like the best offer we are going to get, so, we were going to go there.’ Then, a split second later, New England hopped on and was like, ‘Nah, this is what we got for you.’ Carolina felt like they went too high on their number, so, they stayed at where they were at. New England came in, and it was [over] after that. They wanted me the most and made me a priority. So, I made them a priority.”
So, it appears the Patriots — who entered this offseason with far-and-away the most cap space available in the league — pushed more chips in the middle of the table to help secure Williams and snatch him away from the Panthers.
Williams, who was Pete Prisco’s No. 6 ranked free agent overall, is primed to be a central piece to Mike Vrabel’s defense as he gears up for his first season as the Patriots head coach. The 25-year-old is coming off a 2024 season where he helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX, notching two sacks in the championship win over the Kansas City Chiefs. During the regular season, he totaled a career-high five sacks. He’ll now look to bring that production to Foxborough, where he’s being warmly received already.
“They welcomed me with open arms,” he said. “I just came back from a visit up there last weekend, signing my contract, getting to know the staff, and touring the building. It’s going to be cool. Coach Vrabel was just preaching to me how they are going to use me in their defense. Also, how he wants a guy at every level of the defense for free agency. He wants us to come in and try to change the culture around with what’s been going on in New England the last couple of years. I definitely think he picked the right guys for that.”
New England put an emphasis on the defensive side of the ball during the initial wave of free agency. Along with Williams, the team signed cornerback Carlton Davis, linebacker Robert Spillane, and pass rusher Harold Landry.
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