It shouldn't have come as a surprise that the Patriots were big spenders this offseason. The team had plenty of cap room and holes, and the former was used to fill the latter with several impressive additions to the defense and offensive line. In these free agency spending sprees, we're bound to end up with a few bad contracts.
Back in 2021, the team offered Jonnu Smith a $50 million deal that didn't work out, and spent an additional $26 million on Nelson Agholor on a two-year deal that was puzzling at the time, especially given his combined total of less than 800 yards across his two seasons.
FanSided's Lou Scataglia named one of the Patriots' 2025 signings as one of the players with one of the worst contracts in football, Milton Williams. Williams signed a massive deal worth $26 million a season after his phenomenal playoff run with the Eagles.
The Super Bowl Champion was bound to get paid big time from someone, and the Patriots are the ones who bit. While $26 million a year might be the worst contract in Scataglia's eyes on the team, that may be an indication the Patriots just don't have many bad contracts at the moment. In part, that's because, before this offseason, the Patriots didn't have many players who warranted a significant salary increase.
Even if the Patriots overpaid Milton Williams, he's a worthy gamble
Williams played on one of the best defensive lines we've seen in the last decade with the 2024 Eagles. Jalen Carter is a superstar, Josh Sweat and Nolan Smith are great edge rushers, and former first-round pick Jordan Davis is a behemoth of a nose tackle.
The elite play of Zack Baun and the defensive backfield behind him further helped the line be very aggressive in getting after pass rushers. There is an argument to be made that Williams' production was a product of his ideal environment, but I'd argue otherwise.
Williams offered a solid five sacks in exactly 500 snaps as an interior defender, an impressive total, and one that would have tied him with Keion White and Deatrich Wise for the most on the team in 2024. The issue for both White and Wise is that their production dropped as the season progressed. Williams saw the opposite. Williams saw a somewhat slow start to the season, with just one sack and one hurry in the first five games, and without a PFF grade over 70.0 until he played the Giants in Week 7.
When it mattered most, Williams stepped up. In all six games in which he recorded an 88+ PFF pass rush grade, each opponent made or was in the playoffs (Rams twice, Ravens, Steelers, Commanders, and Chiefs in the playoffs). The same went for his three games, with an overall PFF grade of 87 or higher.
In the final two games of the year, against the Commanders and Chiefs in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl, Williams played some of his best football, recording eight total tackles, six hurries, two batted balls, and two sacks. In his four playoff games, Williams totaled 11 hurries, more than double what 2024 starting defensive tackle Davon Godchaux had all season.
All of this is to say that Williams is a very good player, but admittedly, a $26 million annual contract would be disappointing if he doesn't continue to improve in New England. He graded out as PFF's best pass rushing defensive tackle in 2024, and Christian Barmore, who played just four games in 2024, will rejoin the team.
In 2023, Barmore's 84.9 PFF pass rush grade was stellar, and it would have slotted him third best among interior linemen in 2024, ahead of the aforementioned Jalen Carter.
Alternatives to the worst Patriots contract
Kyle Dugger, who grades out to be the 158th-ranked safety in football according to PFF, with a 34.8 coverage grade, would surely be a more obvious candidate for the worst contract on the team. He is the 11th-highest-paid safety, earning $14.5 million per season.
Alternatively, Rhamondre Stevenson, who's coming off a record-low 3.9 yards per carry season and who led the league in fumbles last year, could be a candidate. He, too, is the 11th-highest paid player at his position, with $9 million per season to his name and more guaranteed money than Josh Jacobs, Aaron Jones, and Joe Mixon.
Of course, if Williams doesn't work out, the highest-paid Patriot ever won't end his tenure in Foxborough very well-liked. However, he seems to be a very worthwhile gamble. Between playing tough competition and excelling, a demonstration in elite interior pass rush, and the opportunity to work with another great disruptor in Barmore, Williams seems poised to live up to his contract in New England.
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