Super Bowl Standout Could Join Vikings Roster
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams stole the show in Super Bowl LXI, tabulating 2 sacks and 2 tackles for loss against the Kansas City Chiefs en route to a 40-22 victory.
Super Bowl Standout Could Join Vikings Roster
Williams totally balled out, and even before the supreme performance in the championship, the veteran defender represented a would-be free-agent target for the Minnesota Vikings.
If the Eagles don’t re-sign Williams this offseason — most believe he’ll depart that franchise because Philadelphia must eventually pay the other DTs, Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis — he’ll be free to sign anywhere in free agency.
And it just so happens that the Vikings need a defensive tackle, at least on paper.
Entering the 2025 offseason, Minnesota has these DTs under contract:
- Harrison Phillips
- Jalen Redmond
- Levi Drake Rodriguez
- Taki Taimani
- Travis Bell
The group needs some juice, and Williams might be the best available juice on the open market.
Here’s Milton’s Pro Football Focus resume since joining the league in 2021:
- 2024: 70.1
- 2023: 69.7
- 2022: 72.6
- 2021: 49.0
Williams has morphed into an utterly elite pass-rushing DT this season, banking a blisteringly good 90.4 PFF mark via pass rush. That ranks second in the NFL behind Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones.
In fact, PFF connected Williams’ impending free agency to Minnesota last month. PFF’s Bradley Locker assigned one primary free agent idea for each NFL team and wrote about Williams to Minnesota last week, “The Vikings might rank third in defensive EPA per play and sixth in success rate, but their defensive line has been a void. None of Harrison Phillips, Jerry Tillery or Jonathan Bullard posted higher than a 58.8 PFF overall grade during the 2024 regular season.”
After setting the scene regarding Minnesota’s current defense, he added about Williams: “With $75 million to spend this offseason, Minnesota should go big along its defensive interior. Williams turned in a career season in 2024, producing 40 pressures, a 90.4 PFF pass-rush grade and a 17.7% pass-rush win rate — good for third among qualifying defensive linemen. Adding Williams to a defensive line with Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner is nightmare fuel for opposing offensive coordinators.”
If the Vikings’ front office obliged PFF’s advice, well, fans would rejoice. Vikings faithful have asked for an impact pass-rushing interior defensive lineman for about a decade — since Kevin Williams left town in 2013.
In theory, Vikings fans could enjoy sweet transactions like this:
Williams will turn 26 in April. Minnesota has about $60 million in available cap space as of early February.
NFL free agency kicks off in four weeks.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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