Seattle Seahawks Ink Veteran C Connor Williams to One-Year Contract

Following weeks of negotiations, the Seahawks have made a substantial investment in their offensive line by signing Connor Williams.

Miami Dolphins guard Connor Williams (58) takes the field before the opening game of the season against the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Sept. 11, 2022. Dolphins V Patriots Nfl Game 12 / JIM RASSOL/THE PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK

RENTON, Wash. - Nearly two weeks after making a free agent visit to the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle Seahawks have landed an upgrade for their interior offensive line by signing veteran center/guard Connor Williams.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, following a visit with the Ravens on Monday, Williams has agreed to terms with the Seahawks on a one-year deal worth up to $6 million. The deal reportedly comes with $3 million in guaranteed money and marks the first significant financial investment the organization has made on an established starting center since Justin Britt signed a three-year extension in 2017.

Williams, 27, began his NFL career as a second-round pick for the Cowboys in 2018 after a standout college career at Texas where he earned All-American honors, opening his career playing left guard. He logged 3,312 snaps at the position in four seasons in Dallas before bolting in free agency to join Miami in 2022, and his new team slid him to center.

Spending the last two seasons with the Dolphins, Williams started 26 games at center and excelled at the pivot position, allowing just 21 pressures and four sacks on more than 900 pass blocking snaps during that span per Pro Football Focus. Unfortunately, while playing at an All-Pro level for Miami last season as the anchor of the offensive line, he suffered a season-ending torn ACL in December, which put his status for the start of the 2024 season in limbo as he headed towards free agency.

With a lengthy recovery ahead of him, the Dolphins opted to sign former Titans starting center Aaron Brewer as his replacement in free agency. Remaining unsigned with training camps opening across the league in late July, he met with the Seahawks and passed his physical, but the two sides weren't able to strike a deal at that point and he continued to speak with other suitors.

Since then, the Seahawks have remained in negotiations with Williams as other teams looked into signing him as well, including the Ravens. All along, Seattle seemed like the likely landing spot, as agent Drew Rosenhaus indicated the two sides were still working on a potential deal as a guest on the Joe Rose Radio Show, saying that a deal could come together within 48 to 72 hours.

As it turns out, Rosenhaus' comments may have been the leverage creator to squeeze a bit more money out of the Seahawks, especially with Williams meeting with the Ravens on Monday. Now that he's set to join his new team, fans should expect to see him in uniform soon after the agent told Rose that he will be ready to roll for the regular season.

"He's healthy. He's going to be able to play in the first game," Rosenhaus said of Williams. "It is the most amazing recovery I have ever seen in my career."

Assuming Williams stays at center and will indeed be ready to play by Week 1, his arrival will push former fifth-round pick Olu Oluwatimi out of the starting lineup and could potentially put veteran Nick Harris on the bubble to make the final roster. Once he's added to the roster, a corresponding move will need to be made, as the Seahawks currently have 90 players under contract.