The Seattle Seahawks acquired defensive lineman Leonard Williams in a trade with the New York Giants in exchange for second and fifth-round picks, and Williams opened up about the process of the trade in his first press conference with the Seahawks.
“I was excited, but there was clearly some highs and lows that day,” Leonard Williams said, via Brady Henderson of ESPN. “There were some lows about, I was clearly on the Giants for five years now I think, and I built some relationships there. I think saying goodbye to people you built relationships is always going to be hard even if you're excited about your future. I think throughout that day I was on the phone with like people from Seattle and I'm getting super excited. And then I talked to some of my teammates from the Giants and I get like down low again, just like saying goodbye, but I think all in all, I think this is going to be a fun change for me and I'm excited about it.”
Williams joins a 5-2 Seahawks team that leads the NFC West after coming over from the Giants, who just fell to 2-6 and have very long playoff hopes.
The Seahawks added a strong interior defensive lineman in Williams, and as the San Francisco 49ers have lost three games in a row, Seattle sees an opportunity to potentially take the division. The Seahawks have games against the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Commanders and Los Angeles Rams before a showdown against the 49ers, and Williams should help them in those games coming up.