Leonard Williams, born Leonard Austin Williams, is a defensive end (DE) for the Seattle Seahawks. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the 2015 NFL Draft. After playing for the Jets for four seasons, he joined the Giants in the 2019 season. On October 30, 2023, Williams joined the Seahawks.
Williams was born as the middle of five children to Aviva Russek and Clenon Williams. His four siblings are Nathan Jones, Nathasha Russek, Alexander Williams, and Andrew Williams.
Leonard played football and ran track in high school at Mainland High School. As a high school senior, he helped Mainland to reach the FHSAA 6A state semi-finals. However, they lost to Miami Central by 7-17.
In his freshman year at college, Williams was named the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. After his junior year, he didn’t play college football, instead, he entered the 2015 NFL Draft.
Leonard is dating Hailey Lott, the daughter of former NFL player Ronnie Lott. The duo first met in 2012 during Williams’ freshman year at USC. They reportedly started dating a couple of years after they came across. His girlfriend is a fitness and yoga instructor.
Talking about their relationship, it hasn’t gone as smoothly as we know. The pair separated for a few years before rekindling their romance in 2021.
Career Highlights
- New York Jets selected Leonard Williams in the first round, sixth overall pick, of the 2015 NFL Draft.
- Williams made his NFL debut against the Cleveland Browns on September 13, 2015, in which he made a total of five tackles.
- In the 2016 season, Williams had a total of 7 which earned him a selection as a first-team alternate for the 2017 Pro Bowl.
- He recorded a career-low 47 tackles and two sacks in the 2018 season.
- During Week 16 of the 2018 season, Williams was disqualified after punching Bryan Bulaga in the match against the Green Bay Packers.
- In December 2018, Leonard was fined $43,449.
- After five seasons with the Jets, Williams was traded to the New York Giants for a 2020 third-round pick and a 2021 fifth-round pick.
- On March 18, 2021, the Giants signed a three-year contract with Williams for $63 million that included a $45 million guaranteed and 22.5 million signing bonus.
- Williams sprained his MCL in the match against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2 of the 2022 season.
Career Stats
| SEASON | TEAM | GP | GS | TKL | AST | COMBINED | SOLO | SCK | SFTY | PDEF | INT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TDS | FF | OPP FR |
| 2015 | New York Jets | 16 | 15 | 29 | 34 | 63 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 2016 | New York Jets | 16 | 16 | 36 | 32 | 68 | 35 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||||
| 2017 | New York Jets | 16 | 16 | 22 | 25 | 47 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | New York Jets | 16 | 16 | 27 | 15 | 42 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| 2019 | New York Jets | 7 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| 2019 | New York Giants | 8 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 10 | 0.5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||||||
| 2020 | New York Giants | 16 | 12 | 29 | 28 | 57 | 22 | 11.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| 2021 | New York Giants | 17 | 17 | 34 | 47 | 81 | 27 | 6.5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |||||
| 2022 | New York Giants | 12 | 12 | 26 | 19 | 45 | 20 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| 2023 | New York Giants | 5 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| TOTAL | 129 | 120 | 231 | 230 | 461 | 191 | 38.5 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 4 |
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