Seahawks’ Leonard Williams Gets ‘Tough Road’ Message From NFL Legend

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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 08: Leonard Williams #99 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates as he walks off the field after defeating the New England Patriots 29-13 to win Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The Seattle Seahawks have heard about how difficult it is to stay on top after winning a Super Bowl.

Leonard Williams went looking for answers from people who have lived it.

The veteran defensive lineman said he spoke with his father-in-law, Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, along with former Seahawks stars Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor about the challenge of following a championship season.

“Different eras of football,” Williams said, according to Corbin K. Smith of Seahawks.com on X. Smith then noted that “the message is the same: Tough road requires turning page quickly.”

Corbin K. Smith

@CorbinSmithNFL · Follow

Leonard Williams spoke with father in law Ronnie Lott, repeat Super Bowl champion with 49ers, as well as Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor about the challenges of repeating.

“Different eras of football,” but the message is the same: Tough road requires turning page quickly.

3:42 pm · 5 Sep 2026

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That message hits at an appropriate time, as Seattle begins its title defense Sept. 9 against the New England Patriots, seven months after beating New England 29-13 in Super Bowl LX.

Champions Who Know the Repeat Pressure Spoke Up

Williams had three especially useful sounding boards.

Lott won four Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and was part of the franchise’s back-to-back championship teams following the 1988 and 1989 seasons. The Pro Football Hall of Fame credits Lott with 10 Pro Bowl selections, eight All-Pro selections and 63 career interceptions.

Sherman and Chancellor understand the other side of the challenge.

Both were cornerstones of the Legion of Boom defense that powered Seattle to a 43-8 win over Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII. One year later, the Seahawks reached the Super Bowl again but fell 28-24 to the Patriots, finishing three feet from another championship.

Seattle’s own retrospective on the 2014 season described that run as “three feet from a repeat.” Sherman played through an elbow injury in Super Bowl XLIX, while Chancellor entered the game with an injured knee.

More than a decade since, Williams is trying to navigate the same transition from champion to hunted.

The 32-year-old has heard the same advice from Lott.

During training camp in July, Williams said his father-in-law told him to “treat every year like your rookie year,” a message that lined up with head coach Mike Macdonald’s push to “run it forward” rather than live on the 2025 championship.

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GettyNASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – AUGUST 23: Leonard Williams #99 of the Seattle Seahawks looks on prior to the Week 2 preseason game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on August 23, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

Williams’ place in Seattle has also changed since the confetti fell.

The Seahawks signed him to a three-year extension in late August after he entered camp in the final season of his previous deal. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the extension was expected to exceed $30 million per season.

That commitment followed one of the strongest seasons of Williams’ career.

He recorded seven sacks and 62 tackles over 17 regular-season games in 2025, earned Pro Bowl honors and was named a second-team All-Pro. An ESPN survey of NFL executives, coaches and scouts later ranked him as the league’s No. 1 defensive tackle entering 2026.

Williams also remained a necessary piece of a Seattle defense that finished the championship season as the NFL’s stingiest scoring unit. His role in keeping that standard intact now extends beyond his own production.

And with the Week 1 matchup bringing the previous Super Bowl opponent back into view, the lesson Williams gathered from Lott, Sherman and Chancellor is about the original title staying in the trophy case as the mindset starts over.