The New England Patriots entered the offseason with the most cap space in the league and they made sure to use a bunch of it.
Mar 31, 2025; Palm Beach, FL, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel answers questions from the media during the NFL Annual League Meeting at The Breakers. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
The Pats handed out over $410 million in maximum value to 18 free agents over the last couple of weeks as they seek to rebuild this team under Mike Vrabel.
While some signings will work out for New England, the one they gave DT Milton Williams could age poorly. The Pats gave him a four-year, $104 million deal that featured $63 million guaranteed. He’s slated to make $26 million a year, his AAV makes him the third-highest-paid DT in the league.
Williams was a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and gave them another athletic difference-maker along the interior behind Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter. The Louisiana Tech product is more known for his pass rush skills instead of being a stout run defender. He’s posted a 43 or lower run defense grade per PFF twice in his career.
In 67 career games (19 starts), he finished with 132 total tackles, 25 TFLs, 29 QB hits, and 11.5 sacks. While these are solid numbers, he failed to finish with more than 42 tackles, nine QB hits, and five sacks in any season.
The Pats are banking on him taking another leap forward but that’s risky. Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins both make more than Williams but their floors are higher. The fact that New England coughed up that kind of money was shocking, considering he never started more than seven games in a season.
New England’s roster badly needed some more talent and they got that in March. Williams helped with that but there’s no guarantee that he’ll be one of the best players at his position. The 26-year-old is going to make $29 million in 2026, $30 million in 2027, and $31 million in 2028. His money increases each year and the Pats are hoping his production follows the same trend.
We’ll have to see how things unfold but there are some concerns if Williams would be able to live up that contract.
