RENTON, Wash. – When he looks back at last season, his first full season wearing a Seahawks uniform and the one that ended with Pro Bowl recognition, there is one aspect to the year that stands out for Leonard Williams.
He had fun. He had a blast. It was thoroughly enjoyable playing for a first-year coach in Mike Macdonald and a first-year defensive coordinator in Aden Durde and the freedom they gave to their big defensive lineman.
“I think the coaches have been able to unlock something in me, which is just bringing back – I’ve talked about this a few times – playing for Mike and AD they just kind of brought back the fun of football for me,” Williams said. “When it’s fun and I’m able to play free and play my style of football, knowing that the coaches are going to trust me and my decision making on the field, it just allows me to be my best self.”
Williams’ second full season with the Seahawks will begin with Sunday’s matchup against division rival San Francisco. It’ll be the start of his 11th season in the league at age 31 as a key cog for a defense that enters the season with real expectations of potentially being one of the better units in the NFC.
And despite the amount of wear from 10 previous seasons where he played in at least 12 games every year, Williams enters this 11th year coming off perhaps the best season of his career.
That’s not easy to do – or common – for a player whose age starts in the 30s, let alone a defensive lineman. And while there’s a decent argument for what Williams accomplished in 2020 as his best, at the very least what he did in 2024 is in the conversation.
He recorded 11 sacks, second only to the 11½ he had in 2020 with the Giants. His 16 tackles for loss were tops in his career. The 64 tackles total were his third-most in a season and for good measure he returned an interception 92 yards against the Jets for his first touchdown.
While being a Pro Bowl selection doesn’t come close in prestige to being an All-Pro, consider this about what Williams accomplished last year. By being selected to the Pro Bowl he became just the ninth different defensive lineman aged 30 or older to be honored as such in the past 10 seasons.
Again, it’s not the highest honor for a player. But it did recognize on a broader scale how special last season was for Williams at that point in his career.
“I see that he has fun, he has intention to his game, he has pride in what he does. He’s an intelligent player, so he can see opportunities when opportunities present themselves within the system,” Durde said. “When you do those things and you enjoy it, and you get some kickback from it by making plays, I’ve seen a lot of players that’s when they’re playing their best football and when it’s free and fun and you’re playing the way you envision yourself playing, or maybe you didn’t even envision yourself the coaches did, or they saw a bigger picture for you.”
There was a lot of trust that needed to be created last season on both sides for Williams and the Seahawks to maximize his potential. Remember, Williams was brought to Seattle to be part of Pete Carroll’s defense and just a few months after he arrived the head coach was dismissed.
While Williams rediscovered the fun in his game last season, he also grew to respect and believe in what Macdonald was trying to do as a first-year head coach. That confidence in what the Seahawks are trying to build has allowed Williams to be more of a vocal presence going into this season.
“Being an older vet on the team, helping where I can. Obviously, wanting to learn and be the best player I can be as well, but, helping guys like (Byron Murphy II) and some of the younger guys be the best versions of themselves as well,” Williams said.
Ultimately, the question comes back to whether Williams can replicate last season again and if he does, what that means for a defense that could be pretty good.
But that question isn’t isolated only to Williams. The Seahawks defensive front is a veteran filled unit, where “veteran” is also a code word for “older.” Jarran Reed is entering his 10th season and will turn 33 before the regular season ends. DeMarcus Lawrence, who signed a three-year deal in the offseason, is beginning his 12th season and is already 33 years old.
While there is plenty of youth around them – notably Murphy, the young nose tackle – the success of the Seahawks’ defensive line is going to be on the shoulders of the old guys. Durde loves having that kind of experience calling the group, “the Three Amigos and Byron’s the little sidekick with them.”
“They all see the game how it’s meant to be played, and they believe that and they push that on the guys around them by doing, not by talking,” Durde said. “But they do it in their own way. Law has his own little way of doing it. J Reed does. Leo does. And you see those. I feel those guys – I wouldn’t say they’re growing – but they’re enhancing different parts of their game because of that.”