Teams around the NFL have been faced with offseason departures since free agency began last month. The Philadelphia Eagles haven't been exempt from spring exits after winning Super Bowl 59, having been forced to say goodbye to several veteran names whether it was because of salary-based reasons, lackluster performances, or even retirement.
Although several veterans left Philadelphia this spring, defensive tackle Milton Williams's departure was the most notable. After being Pro Football Focus' No. 31-graded interior defender (70.1) and winning a Super Bowl last season, Williams cashed in on that success by inking a four-year, $104 million ($63 million guaranteed) with the New England Patriots.
As much as the 26-year-old DT is likely thrilled to be making a boatload of money, Williams will soon learn that leaving the City of Brotherly Love will come with regrets.
Former Eagles DT Milton Williams Will Regret Leaving Philadelphia
With their salary cap constraints this offseason, it was always going to be tough for the Eagles to keep Williams around. The former Louisiana Tech product played himself into a new contract bracket after tallying 11 solo tackles, five sacks, and a broken-up pass in 17 regular-season games before posting another five solo efforts, two sacks, and a pair of disrupted passes on the Super Bowl run.
That's without mentioning how Williams also had the No. 2 PFF pass rush grade (90.4) among interior defenders.
Having said that, an encore performance is far from guaranteed — especially with the Patriots. Even though New England has overhauled its coaching staff in favor of Mike Vrabel's image, that doesn't erase that the Pats finished with the eighth-worst run defense and fourth-worst pass rush grades on PFF, and it remains it be seen if the new staff can fix those issues.
Not only will he have to do with a brand new coaching staff, but Williams could struggle to adjust to the Patriots' demands for him.
On March 13, Vrabel announced that the Pats plan to play the former 2021 third-rounder more often than the Eagles did. Williams played 654 defensive snaps between the 2024 regular season and playoffs, however, it's clear New England thinks he's capable of playing more frequently.
For reference, defensive linemen Denico Autry and Jeffery Simmons played at least 658 regular-season snaps under Vrabel in 2023, giving a good indication of what could be in store for Williams.
At the end of the day, the Patriots' new coaching staff and how Williams handles a higher snap count will dictate if he made the right call to leave Philadelphia. Money can't buy happiness, and it wouldn't be shocking if the veteran DT came to regret taking more money to play with a floundering franchise rather than going with a pay cut to chase another Super Bowl with the Eagles.