Eagles proved they were right to avoid re-signing $104 million defender

If there is one thing that Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman knows how to do, it's to walk away from a deal that doesn't benefit the Eagles.

This offseason, the Eagles underwent a substantial roster overhaul, losing a significant amount of talent. Some of those who had moved on included Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Darius Slay, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Mekhi Becton.

While some moved on via trade or retirement, a few did sign elsewhere for big contracts that the Eagles were unable to match. One of those costly contracts appears to be one that Roseman should be happy he didn't agree to.

Williams' contract with New England Patriots is considered one of the NFL's worst

FanSided's NFL Spin Zone writer, Lou Scataglia, shared a list of the worst contracts for each NFL team. Williams' contract with the New England Patriots was the team's most nightmarish deal, as it may have helped cloud the judgment of the Patriots.

"In 17 games for the Eagles in the 2024 regular season, Milton Williams racked up five sacks, 24 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, and 10 QB hits. He seems to have gotten a huge boost with his massive free agency contract due to recency bias, as he was quite good during the Eagles playoff run.

Williams is getting paid a whopping $26 million per year by the New England Patriots, and this honestly feels like one of those instances where a team spent a ton of money just because they had a ton to spend. This is not an accurate representation of the type of production to expect from Milton Williams."

While Williams was a valuable piece to the Eagles' defensive line, he is not worth the $104 million for four years that he received from New England. Pro Football Focus only graded Williams an overall of 70.1, which seems high, but it was 31st out of 219 tackles in the NFL. It's solid, but not $26 million a year solid.

Philadelphia passed on bringing in Williams because they have two tackles already that will need to get paid big money who have already shown to have better potential than him. Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis are already among the top 15 tackles in the NFL and are only getting better.

Moro Ojomo has shown flashes of being somebody who can start, and has been a popular pick to be a breakout player in the NFL. Roseman also has no problems going into the NFL Draft for depth, so fifth-round pick Ty Robinson appears to have all the physical tools to be a perfect rotational player.

If Philadelphia has to choose between overpaying a player and developing younger talent, the team will always opt for developing younger talent. Roseman loves the draft to do that, so while Williams will be appreciated for his contributions with the Eagles, Philadelphia is better off with who they have right now.