One of the biggest storylines from the legal tampering period centered around Milton Williams, who was seemingly close to joining the Panthers before the Patriots swooped in with a massive offer. With their league-leading cap space, New England ultimately outbid Carolina, but it appears the Panthers never fully secured an agreement with the highly sought-after free agent.
Williams acknowledged he was deep in talks with Carolina, but Panthers executive VP of football operations Brandt Tilis disputed the notion that a deal was ever in place. According to Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer, Tilis stated that Williams’ agent never indicated the defensive tackle was officially headed to Carolina. However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter previously reported that both sides were working to finalize a deal just hours into the tampering period.
Williams initially expected to land in Charlotte, but a more lucrative offer from New England quickly changed the course of his free agency. As one of the top available players—ranked No. 3 overall by PFR—Williams drew multiple offers, with the Panthers among the serious contenders. However, the Patriots ultimately secured him with a four-year, $104 million contract, including $51 million guaranteed at signing.
“There was a lot happening really fast,” Williams said during an appearance on NFL Network (via NFL.com’s Kevin Patra). “They [his camp] were talking to teams, and new deals kept coming in. Carolina seemed like the best option at first, so we were ready to go there. Then, almost instantly, New England came in with their offer. Carolina felt they had already reached their limit, so they stuck with their number.”
The Patriots are making a significant investment in Milton Williams, who solidified his contract-year breakout with a two-sack performance in Super Bowl LIX. Meanwhile, the Eagles have now lost two key pass rushers from that game, with Josh Sweat signing with the Cardinals.
Set to turn 26 next week, Williams was Pro Football Focus’ top-rated interior pass rusher last season. He also ranked sixth in ESPN’s pass rush win rate for 2024, finishing with five sacks, 10 quarterback hits, and seven tackles for loss. His dominant play created a strong market, ultimately making him the highest-paid 2025 free agent in terms of fully guaranteed money.
While Williams joins forces with Christian Barmore in New England, Carolina took a different approach in building its defensive line. The Panthers signed nose tackle Bobby Brown to a three-year, $21 million deal and later added interior pass rusher Tershawn Wharton. Though Wharton didn’t command the same level of interest as Williams due to limited production before last season, the former Chiefs lineman still landed a three-year, $45.1 million contract, including an impressive $30 million guaranteed at signing.
A former undrafted free agent out of Division II Missouri S&T, Wharton will be expected to build on his strong 2024 campaign (6.5 sacks, 11 QB hits). Having benefited from playing alongside future Hall of Famer Chris Jones in Kansas City, he will now pair up with Derrick Brown in Carolina’s revamped defensive front.
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