Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams is scheduled to be among the most intriguing talents available in free agency next week. Williams enjoyed a career-best season en route to helping the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX. The former Louisiana Tech standout is now due for a major pay raise on the open market.
Williams recorded a personal-high 5.0 sacks and 40 pressures. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is currently equipped with just $19.4 million in effective cap space. Spotrac projects Williams to sign a three-year contract worth $17.8 million annually. Anything in that neighborhood could be outside of Philadelphia's comfort zone.
With Osa Odigihizuwa re-signing with the Dallas Cowboys, Williams is the best interior defender slated for free agency. His market will be competitive. We've identified three potential landing spots for Williams.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are entering free agency with a league-leading $127 million in cap space. New head coach Mike Vrabel has little patience for losing and rebuilding. Vrabel believes he has found his franchise quarterback in Drake Maye. Expect an aggressive approach from the Patriots in free agency, given all the resources at their disposal.
The Patriots ranked dead-last in sacks last year with just 28 quarterback takedowns. That won't appease a defensive-minded head coach like Vrabel. Vrabel had a dominant 3-tech in Tennessee in Jeffery Simmons, and Williams would play a similar role in Foxborough. Expect the Patriots to aggressively pursue defensive linemen like Williams in free agency.
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals have struggled to acquire long-term solutions across the defensive line in recent offseasons. They added BJ Ojulari and Darius Robinson in separate drafts, but Ojulari missed all of 2024 with an injury and Robinson was sidelined for the majority of his rookie campaign. Several band-aid solutions are slated for free agency, including LJ Collier, Roy Lopez, Baron Browning, Jesse Luketa, and Julian Okwara.
Jonathan Gannon's defensive line will look significantly different next season. Signing Williams would remove some pressure from Ojulari and Robinson going into 2025. General manager Monti Ossenfort is equipped with a third-most $77.9 million in cap space heading into next week's negotiation period. Williams would immediately become Gannon’s most proven pass rusher.
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings won 14 games last year and currently have $62.8 million in cap space, the eighth-most in the NFL. They continue to negotiate with starting quarterback Sam Darnold after declining an opportunity to franchise tag him. If the Vikings ultimately decide against re-signing Darnold, making J.J. McCarthy their starting quarterback, they'll have plenty of money to spend elsewhere in free agency.
Brian Flores returns as defensive coordinator after receiving a little head coaching interest. Flores' defense recorded a fifth-best 49 sacks last season despite losing Danielle Hunter. Very little of that success came from interior defensive linemen. Harrison Phillips led their defensive tackle room in sacks with just two quarterback takedowns. Adding a presence like Williams would help further free up Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel on the edges.
