The New England Patriots made a ton of splashes in the first wave of free agency. They entered the offseason with the most cap space and they made sure to use that money.
The Pats added Harold Landry III, Robert Spillane, Carlton Davis III, and Morgan Moses. The list didn't stop there, as New England was able to add Milton Williams.
There were reports that the Carolina Panthers were close to landing Williams before the Pats swooped in. The 25-year-old revealed that the Pats made a last-minute offer that got the deal done.
Williams said, "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, this is what we got for you. 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."
Milton Williams on choosing Patriots over Panthers:
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) March 21, 2025
"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, this is what we got for…
Patriots Offered Milton Williams a Deal He Couldn’t Refuse
New England and Williams agreed to a four-year, $104 million deal that included $51 million fully guaranteed. That deal made Williams the third-highest-paid interior defensive lineman at $26 million a year.
This shows how badly the Patriots wanted Williams on the team, and he quickly agreed to it. He was a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and gave them an impactful force along the interior. In 67 career games with Philadelphia, Williams had 132 total tackles, 25 TFLs, 29 QB hits, and 11.5 sacks.
He is ready to bring that production over to New England, but it's also clear that money talks. New England's offer definitely cleared whatever Carolina was offering, and that last-ditch effort paved the way for him to sign with the Pats instead of joining one of the worst teams in the league.