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via Imago

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They wanted me the most and made me a priority,” the former Eagles defensive tackle caused a stir when he joined the Patriots. But this wasn’t his first choice! As soon as he stepped into the free agency period, the 26-year-old got calls from several teams. He recalled his agent speaking to different teams to secure a deal. And the Carolina Panthers had offered the best deal. While he didn’t reveal the details of the contract, the defensive tackle had made up his mind to join the Panthers. However, the defensive tackle’s agent got another call from the Patriots. They had a better offer!

While the Carolina Panthers weren’t willing to change their offer for the former Eagles star Milton Williams, the Patriots had a different approach. The Patriots not only were able to afford the player but were also willing to. And that sealed it for Williams. As the Patriots were willing to make him a priority, so he did the same. “They welcomed me with open arms… It’s going to be cool. Coach Vrabel was just preaching to me how they are going to use me in their defense,” he added.

But surprisingly, the player just revealed that he wasn’t always fond of the team in the past. “I didn’t always love them. A team win too much.  It’s like… Man, these. Somebody, let somebody else win,” the Super Bowl champ said on the Who Cares podcast.

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And who can blame him for disliking the Patriots, to be honest? In the Brady-Belichick era, especially in the early 2000s and 2010s, the Patriots almost became a sure bet to make it to the Super Bowl. In their Jordan-esque dominance, the fans of every other team must have detested everything related to the Patriots. In that regard, Milton’s dislike hardly comes as a surprise. But now he is one of the Patriots. On a pretty good contract.

Williams’ $104 million contract has been a talking point in the off-season. Nearly $51 million of his deal is fully guaranteed (a total of $63 million guaranteed). The Patriots had the cap space, and for that reason, they went aggressive to secure a top defensive talent. However, a few NFL experts are skeptical about Williams’ selection. ESPN’s Seth Walder felt that the Patriots may not have made the right choice by selecting Williams. This is because while the player had put up a great performance in 2024 for the Eagles, he is still seemingly not the elite player.

Williams earned a contract that, after adjusting for cap inflation, is comparable in fully guaranteed money ($51 million) to what Chris Jones received in 2020, Jonathan Allen in 2021, and Javon Hargrave in 2023. Although he’s a nice player, Williams also played only 47% of Philadelphia’s snaps in 2024 while playing next to other stout defensive linemen,” Walder wrote.

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He had 24 tackles and five sacks in the previous season. He logged a pair of sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in the Eagles’ Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs. However, it is undeniable that the offense’s focus on limiting Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis also helped Williams register these numbers. As a unit, the D-line was unstoppable against the Chiefs. The ‘unit’ is a key point here. Does he have the same ‘unit’ at the Patriots? The latest update on the roster might shed some light on it.

What’s your perspective on:

Did the Patriots overpay for Milton Williams, or is he the missing piece for their defense?

Have an interesting take?

Is Milton Williams a starter for the Patriots’ roster?

Williams is indeed joining an already strong defensive line with Christian Barmore and Keion White. The Patriots have also added rookie Joshua Farmer. Considering Williams’ deal, the team has also invested in building their defense well for the 2025 season. What’s really impressive about Williams is not just his talent but also his attitude and commitment to the team. Rather than the contract, Williams is more invested in how to elevate the defense for the Patriots. He even said he plans to keep training hard in Texas and will be fully ready when training camp starts. And his effort isn’t going unnoticed.

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Defensive tackle Milton Williams was a full participant in the voluntary offseason program after signing a team-record four-year, $104 million contract. And he seemed to embrace Vrabel’s approach of being hardest on the team’s best players. Williams’ plan is to spend most of the next five weeks training in Texas, saying, ‘I’m ready to use some of this physicality. When training camp comes around, I’ll be ready, for sure,” ESPN’s Mike Reiss said.

As per Reiss, Williams showed up for the voluntary offseason workouts, which shows real dedication. That’s not something every player does, especially one who just got paid that much. While his playing time was limited back with the Eagles, he has truly shone even in such a brief time. It is expected that under Coach Vrabel’s guidance, Williams will be able to play to his full potential. Reiss believes that with increased playing time with the Patriots and a chance to start, the Defensive Tackle will have a chance to shut up his doubters. It remains to be seen how the promising defense roster with Williams will turn out this year.

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Did the Patriots overpay for Milton Williams, or is he the missing piece for their defense?

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