"The big dogs come out in January."
In last year's Super Bowl, Milton Williams had two sacks, four total tackles, one quarterback hit, and one fumble recovered. The Philadelphia Eagles went on to win that game 40-22.
Now he's going back to the Super Bowl again, as a New England Patriot.
Unless you have been under a rock for the last ten months, you know very well that Williams coming to New England was one of the most significant free agent signings of the offseason.
The Pats acquired him on a four-year, $104 million contract that has paid off big for them, especially in the past few weeks. It's hard to believe that not so long ago, the move to sign Williams to the Patriots was criticized by the media.
So much so that Sports Illustrated gave them an "F" in an article when it came to grading offseason moves. It was a story that made headlines that caught Williams's eye, and even he had to laugh.
The article states that Williams thrived only because he was surrounded by a great Eagles defensive front that included Nolan Smith, Jalen Carter, and Josh Sweat.
The article states, "In 2024, Williams totaled five sacks after having just 6.5 sacks total in his previous three seasons. While Williams has long been a solid player, the Patriots are paying him more annual money than anybody in NFL history at the position, save Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins."
Little did we know that Williams would be key to the Patriots' playoff run, taking some pressure off Drake Maye to carry the team all the way to the Super Bowl. In just four years with the Eagles, Williams only recorded 11.5 sacks.
So far in New England, he has 3.5 in the regular season; he missed five games, and his absence was indeed felt on the field. Then he returned and came up with two more sacks in the Wild Card against the Chargers.
If anybody thinks highly of Williams, it's his coach, Mike Vrabel.
"There’s a consistency there. He’s a tireless worker," Patriots coach Mike Vrabel told reporters in a press conference this week. "He worked hard. He was here in the offseason. I think that makes a difference. And then, obviously, just the disruption. I know everybody that rushes the passer; they strive for sacks, and certainly, our ability to affect the quarterback goes well beyond the sack numbers. You can get a sack. I mean, Gonzo (Christian Gonzalez) got a sack. The quarterback ran out of bounds. And so, if you just look at that, it can be somewhat misleading. But he certainly has brought some disruption ... I think he has improved some of his technique in the run game and things that we’ve talked about. He’s consciously tried to work on that, and I appreciate that."
When you win a Super Bowl, you don't let your best players walk. The Philadelphia Eagles did that, and look what happened. If Williams continues his dominance on the field a week from now, those offseason grades may be even funnier to look back on.