Seattle Seahawks center Connor Williams, 27, retires from NFL
The Seattle Seahawks will have to find a replacement for their starting center Connor Williams as he has announced his retirement, according to head coach Mike Macdonald.
Williams, aged 27, was in the midst of his seventh NFL season, marking his first with the Seahawks. He had played all nine games this season and participated in all 618 offensive snaps for the team in 2024.
There were already indications that Williams might miss the Seahawks’ Week 11 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers as he did not attend practices on Wednesday and Thursday due to “personal reasons.” On Friday, Macdonald clarified the situation.
“Earlier this week, Connor chose to retire,” Macdonald informed the media. “It’s for personal reasons, and we fully respect that. We wish him well as we move forward.”
Before joining the Seahawks, Williams spent four years with the Dallas Cowboys, who selected him in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He was the starting center for the Miami Dolphins in 2022 and 2023, participating in all 26 games he played for them. In August, he signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks.
Williams’ career faced challenges due to two ACL tears, the first occurring in 2019 and the second late last year. However, he managed to recover well in time for the Seahawks’ first game this season.
Second-year player Olu Oluwatimi is set to take over as the starting center, marking his second career start and his first this season on Sunday.
Connor Williams’ contract
Williams entered a one-year contract with the Seahawks valued at up to $6 million, with $2.98 million guaranteed.
The contract included $2.51 million in performance-based incentives, such as a $1 million bonus for playing 75% or more of Seattle’s offensive snaps, plus an additional $1 million if he met that target and the Seahawks made it to the playoffs. There was also $510,000 categorized as “per-game bonuses,” which amounted to $30,000 for each game played, as reported by ESPN’s Brady Henderson.
By retiring after nine games, Williams forfeits approximately $2 million in snap-count incentives and $240,000 in per-game bonus payouts.
Seattle Seahawks center depth chart
Following Williams’ retirement, the current depth chart for the center position in the Seahawks for the remainder of 2024 is as follows:
- Olu Oluwatimi
- Jalen Sundell
Oluwatimi was a fifth-round pick for Seattle last year, having appeared in 20 games with one start at center during the 2023 season. So far this year, he has participated in four games for the Seahawks, contributing four snaps on offense and 15 on special teams.
Sundell joined the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent this offseason. A North Dakota State alum, the rookie has played four games this season, seeing action on one offensive snap and 27 special teams snaps.
