When the Giants shipped Leonard Williams to Seattle at the 2023 trade deadline, the move looked like a steal for New York. A 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder for a 29-year-old defensive tackle in a contract year seemed like the kind of deal that could only help Joe Schoen’s front office.
That view has flipped hard.
Williams, now 32, has gone on to win a Super Bowl and rebuild his career in a way few would have expected two years ago. Instead of fading out, he found a new level with the Seahawks and became one of the central pieces in Mike Macdonald’s defense, which later grew into one of the NFL’s best.
The latest sign of how far his stock has risen came in ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler’s survey of NFL scouts, executives and coaches on the league’s top 10 defensive tackles. Williams came out on top.
"He was the most important player on that Super Bowl team," an NFL coordinator said. "He's the total package."
That kind of praise underscores how much the trade has been re-evaluated. What once looked like a lopsided win for the Giants now reads differently, because Seattle got the version of Williams that still had another gear. The draft compensation New York received has not turned into much, which only sharpens the contrast.
Williams backed up the acclaim with production last season, posting seven sacks and a 38% run stop win rate on his way to his first All-Pro nod. At 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds, and with the ability to line up all over the defensive front, he has become the kind of disruptive force offenses have to account for even when they try to load up on him.
For the Giants, the trade still isn’t a total loss. It helped create the flexibility to pursue Brian Burns.
But Tyler Nubin and Marcus Mbow are not the kind of return that changes the conversation. They’re useful players, but not the sort of difference-makers Williams has become for Seattle.
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