Seahawks acquire Leonard Williams from Giants for 2 picks

The Seattle Seahawks acquired Pro Bowl defensive lineman Leonard Williams from the New York Giants in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick, the Giants announced Monday.

Several teams were reportedly interested in the veteran before the Giants elected to ship him to the Seahawks, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Williams is due $10 million for the rest of the season, but the Seahawks will only pay the prorated veteran minimum of his contract, sources told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

Seattle's massive swing to reinforce its defensive line by adding Williams comes just ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.

Drafted sixth overall in 2015 by the New York Jets, the Giants acquired Williams in a midseason trade in 2019. He's played five seasons with the NFC East club, recording 61 appearances and 22.5 sacks. His best campaign came in 2020 when he racked up a career-high 11.5 sacks and 30 quarterback hits.

In eight games this year, Williams has put up 21 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one tackle for a loss, and five quarterback hits.

Seattle jumped into first place in the NFC West in Week 8 after a 24-20 win over the Cleveland Browns pushed them to 5-2. The Seahawks have won five of their last six while their closest division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, have lost three in a row to drop to 5-3.