Milton Williams Is Headed to His Third Super Bowl in Four Years — And the Eagles Let Him Walk for Nothing

Milton Williams is going to the Super Bowl. Again. For the third time in four years. And he's not doing it in midnight green.

The 26-year-old defensive lineman was a force in the Patriots' 10-7 AFC Championship victory over Denver, continuing a season that has established him as one of the most impactful defensive players in the NFL. Dan Sileo has been beating this drum all year on The National Football Show, and Championship Sunday provided the loudest validation yet.

The Tape Doesn't Lie

Williams recorded 15 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 12 games this season after missing four with an injury. He added eight tackles for loss and was, by multiple accounts, the most impactful player on the Patriots' eighth-ranked defense.

"I was explicitly watching him and how he played. They moved him inside, they moved him outside. They moved him into a wide nine, sevens, threes. That dude was a force." — Dan Sileo

The versatility is what sets Williams apart. New England deployed him as a nose tackle, a three-technique, a defensive end, and in wide alignments. He never had to come off the field for situational substitutions — exactly the kind of three-down player that modern defenses covet.

"Versatility is the best policy that you can have for a defensive player in today's NFL," Sileo said. "If you're limited to playing nose in a two-technique or zero-technique and you only help me against the run... Milton can play all of them."

Milton vs. Jordan: The Numbers and the Eye Test

Sileo drew the comparison directly: Milton Williams had a better season than both Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter. Williams is 26 years old — the same age as Davis. The Eagles drafted Williams in the third round and developed him into a dominant player. Then they let him walk.

"Milton Williams is a better ball player than Jordan Davis. He had a better year than Jalen Carter. He outplayed Jalen Carter and he outplayed Jordan Davis this year. He was a better ball player." — Dan Sileo

Co-host Xander Krause agreed on the talent assessment: "Milton's a better player. Milton's incredible. In fact, Milton Williams is one of the reasons I'm not quite ready to pick the Seahawks in the Super Bowl yet." Even Fox 29's Gary Cobb, initially measured in his response, acknowledged: "That is something to think about. For him to help them get back to the Super Bowl, my goodness."

The $26 Million Question

Williams signed with New England for $26 million — a figure that Sileo argues is standard in today's NFL for an elite defensive lineman who can play multiple positions.

"For Milton Williams, you're paid $26 million for the guy, right? Can he play multiple positions? Can he play end, DT, and could you put him over the nose? Yeah. The more you can do, the more worth the value of that contract is," Sileo explained.

The Eagles' reasoning at the time was straightforward: can't sign everybody. They had Jalen Carter, who was supposed to become one of the best defensive tackles in football. They had Jordan Davis, a first-round pick who was improving. But as Krause admitted: "One of the reasons Milton was let go was an assumption — maybe a false assumption — that Jalen Carter would be one of the best defensive tackles in football. He hasn't been."

The Bigger Picture

Williams' departure is part of a larger pattern of defensive talent leaving Philadelphia. Clint Hurt, the defensive line coach who developed Williams, Davis, and Carter, is now interviewing for the defensive coordinator position with the Miami Dolphins. Christian Parker was just hired by the Dallas Cowboys. Jonathan Gannon is in Green Bay. Denard Wilson is with the Giants.

The player Sileo credits with developing all of them — Hurt — may be the next to leave. "If the money's right, from what I'm understanding, he's going to take that DC job with the Miami Dolphins," Sileo reported, citing conversations with University of Miami head coach Mario Cristobal, who confirmed Jason Taylor has also interviewed for the Dolphins' defensive line coaching position.

Meanwhile, Milton Williams is preparing for a Super Bowl. The best free agent the Patriots have signed since Stephon Gilmore, according to the show's audience, Williams represents the road not taken for a Philadelphia franchise that chose to invest elsewhere.

"No matter what happens going forward, the Milton Williams contract in New England has paid off," Sileo said. "You're in the Super Bowl. Milton's getting better and better." The Eagles, watching from home, can only wonder what might have been.