The New England Patriots made waves this offseason by opening their wallet in a big way—dropping over $200 million in total spending during 2025 NFL Free Agency. Among the splashiest signings was former Philadelphia Eagles standout Milton Williams, who inked a lucrative four-year, $104 million deal to bring his talents to Foxborough.
Early signs suggest that investment could pay off in a big way.
Williams, fresh off a Super Bowl LIX championship with the Eagles, is already making a major impression during the Patriots’ organized team activities (OTAs). According to Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal, the explosive defensive lineman looked every bit the dominant force the Patriots were hoping for when they signed him.
“Milton Williams was a pain in the hindquarters all afternoon,” Giardi reported from Wednesday’s OTA session. “Again, some of this is unfair to the offensive linemen. As [defensive coordinator] Mike Vrabel noted, it’s like every play is 3rd and 10 this time of year. But Williams’ quickness is noticeable, and the thought of him and a healthy (fingers crossed) Christian Barmore playing next to each other could give opposing offensive coordinators nightmares.”
That quickness has always been part of Williams’ game, but it’s now being showcased on a new stage. The 25-year-old is coming off a strong 2024 campaign with the Eagles, where he earned a 70.1 overall grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF). That placed him 31st out of 219 qualified defensive linemen—a solid mark. But where Williams really turned heads was in his pass-rushing ability. His PFF pass-rush grade of 90.4 ranked second in the entire NFL, trailing only some of the league’s elite edge rushers.
A former standout at Louisiana Tech, Williams entered the NFL as a third-round pick in 2021. He gradually developed into one of the more disruptive interior defensive linemen in the league, culminating in a Super Bowl win with Philadelphia. Now, he arrives in New England as a centerpiece for a defensive unit that’s hungry to return to dominance under head coach Jerod Mayo and defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel.
Pairing Williams with Christian Barmore—who has shown flashes of brilliance when healthy—could give the Patriots one of the most formidable defensive tackle duos in the league. With both players possessing elite pass-rushing skills and the ability to collapse the pocket, quarterbacks in the AFC East may soon be seeing a lot more of the turf.
Of course, it’s still early. OTAs are a time for installation and evaluation, and full-contact football is still weeks away. But if Milton Williams’ early performance is any indication, the Patriots may have landed a game-changing star in the middle of their defense.
And at $104 million, that’s exactly what they’re paying for.