AUGUST 5: A Williams-to-Seattle agreement should be expected shortly. Agent Drew Rosenhaus said during an appearance on the Joe Rose radio show Monday that a Seahawks contract should be worked out in the next 48-72 hours (h/t Sports Illustrated’s Scott Salomon). Notably, Rosenhaus added Williams will be available for Week 1, a sign of his positive ACL rehab. Getting a deal in place will provide Seattle with a starting center for at least the 2024 campaign, although the length and terms of the pact will be worth watching closely.
AUGUST 4: The Seahawks were engaged in contract talks with center Connor Williams at the end of July, and as ESPN’s Brady Henderson notes, Seattle is still interested in acquiring Williams. While the ACL tear that Williams suffered in 2023 has led to his extended stay on the free agent market and has put his availability for the start of the 2024 season in doubt, Henderson says that money, not health, is the hold-up in negotiations. 
Indeed, previous reports indicated that Williams passed his physical with the Seahawks. Per Henderson, the 27-year-old pivot simply wants more than Seattle can pay him (OverTheCap.com estimates that the ‘Hawks presently have a little over $10MM in effective cap space, which is near the bottom of the league but seemingly still enough to bring Williams into the fold, especially if they are willing to consider a multiyear deal).
For now, however, Olusegun Oluwatimi is at the top of the club’s center depth chart, with Henderson noting that the 2023 fifth-rounder has consistently gotten first-team reps ahead of free agent pickup Nick Harris. It appears that another 2023 draftee, Anthony Bradford, has the edge over third-round rookie Christian Haynes for the Seahawks’ other unsettled O-line position, right guard.
George Fant, who is in his second tour of duty in Seattle, continues to take starter’s reps at right tackle while Abraham Lucas works his way back from a knee injury. 2023 UDFA McClendon Curtis is operating behind Fant at right tackle for the time being, though Henderson says Curtis has impressed the Seahawks’ coaching staff and may still be in the RG mix. Despite a clear distribution of first-team snaps through the early stages of training camp, head coach Mike Macdonald says the starting OL has not been established.
Williams, who would have been one of the top free agents on the market this offseason if not for his injury, would certainly be a welcome addition to an offensive front that has several question marks on the interior. He is reportedly talking to other teams as well as Seattle, but those clubs have not yet been identified.
Well if he wants that much for being injured this year then it’s zero wonder why he’s still unsigned. Then I guess the Bears will pass.
It’s a bit of a setback Mike but I trust you will keep scouting other prospects for the Bears to consider. Poles needs all the help he can get 🙂
Nah the Bears only have 12 million bucks left. He was the only one left that I thought could be of real use. Now it’s just a matter of seeing who gets cut but now that there is only 1 cut down day at the end it’s more like feeding time at the zoo. When the Bears make their cuts the hope is they’ll have around 20 million when the waste is gone. I think the Bears answers will have to come from within, But C is the weakest position on the team and if either Shelton or Bates gets hurt it becomes even weaker. I think they’re going to need a 3rd option and Kramer seems to be a 4th option if that. I think they’re way stronger at DE than C. And next year the #1 is already projected to be a DE rush type. I was hoping to get Williams cheaper this year and he could be ready later but seems he wants to get paid for being hurt. Now I know why he’s unsigned.
Everyone keeps trying to convince me Marcedes is an amazing blocker so perhaps the Bears should give him some work at the center position…lol.