Seahawks GM John Schneider: Re-signing Leonard Williams 'definitely a priority for us'

The Seattle Seahawks’ midseason trade for Leonard Williams didn’t hoist the club into the playoffs, but general manager John Schneider would like to keep the defensive lineman around.

“We’re gonna try to get him back. We’d love to have him back,” Schneider told Seattle Sports 710AM. “He’s definitely a priority for us. We’re in the negotiations right now, and the agents know how we feel and so we’re trying to retain him, no doubt.”

Seattle traded a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder for Williams ahead of the trade deadline. In 10 games with Seattle, the 29-year-old generated four sacks, 11 QB hits, 41 tackles, and nine tackles for loss. Williams fit seamlessly into the Seahawks’ defense under Pete Carroll and proved he still has game-wrecking ability even as he enters his age-30 season.

With Mike Macdonald taking over, interior pressure remains critical, and Williams’ versatility up front would allow the new coach to stay creative with his pressure packages.

“Yeah, he played great,” Schneider said of Williams. “You know, we gave up that second-round pick, we went for it. We thought that he was going to help change our defense, and he played well. Unfortunately, we didn’t make the playoffs, but he’s a guy that we want to keep in the mix. You can move him around … you can play him wherever you want, and he’s a great guy. He likes it here. I had a great exit interview with him and yeah, we hope to retain him.”

Seattle spent the week jettisoning contracts to create cap space, including releasing safeties Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams, tight end Will Dissly and defensive tackle Bryan Mone. According to Over The Cap, the Seahawks have roughly $41 million in cap space.

Williams will be one of the top available free agents when the market opens next week and is on a path to being one of the rare players to see a third big-money contract.