Brady Henderson, ESPN
RENTON, Wash. — Seattle Seahawks center Connor Williams has unexpectedly decided to retire at age 27, leaving the team with eight games remaining this season.
Coach Mike McDonald said Friday that the seven-year veteran made the decision earlier this week for “personal reasons.” The only other detail he provided about Williams’ reasoning was that it wasn’t because there was something wrong with his surgically repaired knee. MacDonald said he believes the decision is final and doesn’t think there’s a chance Williams will change his mind.
“I can’t believe that,” McDonald said. “We respect his wishes and for obvious reasons all of these reasons and conversations are private and we wish him the best.”
McDonald said the Seahawks will likely make roster changes on Saturday, with Olu Oluwatimi taking over at center.
Williams started all nine games this season for Seattle (4-5) and played every offensive snap after signing with the team during training camp. He participated in Monday’s practice as the Seahawks returned from a bye and began preparing for Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, but has since been suspended for the past three on a non-injury-related/personal designation. He was listed as having not participated in that day’s practice. .
MacDonald declined to say when he began to have an inkling that Williams was thinking about retiring. When asked when Williams communicated his decision, MacDonald said, “It was a process throughout the week.”
“You start talking about schedules and things like that, but I’d rather keep it private… about Conor and what he’s working on,” he said. “But it happened this week.”
Williams’ departure is a huge blow to Seattle’s struggling offensive line, which ranks 27th in pass block win percentage and struggles to generate movement in the run game. Injuries have forced the Seahawks to use three different right tackles in Abraham Lucas’ absence. They also rotate at right guard, with Anthony Bradford and rookie third-round pick Christian Haynes struggling, to the point where Seattle is considering potentially moving Williams to right guard.
Lucas is scheduled to make his 2024 debut on Sunday, but he may not play every snap in the first game after undergoing knee surgery in January. Lucas participated fully in the past two days of practice.
“We’re expecting him to show up in a pretty significant way right now,” McDonald said. “We’re still progressing here, so we’ll see how many reps he gets as the game unfolds. We have a plan. Target reps. We’re going to leave in a sense.”I’m in the company now, but I’m looking forward to watching him do his job.” ”
Wide receiver DK Metcalf is expected to play full time this week, returning from an MCL sprain that kept him out of the past two games. However, in addition to Williams, the Seahawks will be without No. 1 tight end Noah Fant (groin) and backup Brady Russell (foot).
Oluwatimi, a 2023 fifth-round pick, could have taken over the starting role this season until the Seahawks signed Williams to a one-year, $4 million contract on Aug. 11. He played in only four games on offense this season, making four healthy scratches in favor of undrafted rookie Jalen Sandel, who was the only backup center on Seattle’s 53-man roster.
Oluwatimi played in one game as a rookie, starting as a fill-in.
“He’s a guy who’s been knocking on the door for a while,” McDonald said. “Obviously, this is an unexpected situation and we have to deal with it head on, but the silver lining of the whole thing is that we get to see Orr do his job. This guy works really hard. Basically, I started with “Conner,” who was our center all offseason until we signed him. I had a really good week of practice with Connor, who is not here, and I want to continue to do so.”
Williams was released on September 8, despite being out just nine months from a torn ACL (the second of his NFL career) that he suffered while with the Miami Dolphins and required surgery after the 2023 season. He returned for the team’s opening game on Sunday. Through 10 weeks, he ranks 25th among centers in pass block win percentage, but he’s struggled with shotgun shots recently, including a 19-yard loss over Geno Smith’s head in Week 8. suffering from misfires.
Williams suffered from a speech impediment as a child and wrote in a 2017 NFL.com article that he was a frequent target of bullying. He was a second-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys out of Texas in 2018 and played his first four seasons at left guard before converting to center after signing with Miami in 2022.
“Connor has been in my corner the whole time I’ve been here,” Oluwatimi said. “I’ve been in his corner the whole time he’s been here. I’m happy for him. He’ll always be my beloved daughter.”
