John Schneider has not been very lucky with a lot of his big trade acquisitions, but he is betting – as he had to – that Leonard Williams will become the second successful extension out of the five he has made since 2010.

The Seahawks sent a 2024 second-round pick and 2025 fifth-rounder to the New York Giants for Williams last October, and they managed to re-sign him on Monday to a three-year deal worth $64.5 million.

Williams is the eighth player Schneider has acquired using at least one Day 1 or Day 2 pick. In 2010, he swapped seconds and sent a third to San Diego for Charlie Whitehurst. In 2013, he gave up a first, third and seventh for Percy Harvin. In 2015, he sent Max Unger and a first to New Orleans for Jimmy Graham and a fourth.

In 2017, Schneider made two big deals. He acquired Sheldon Richardson and a seventh from the Jets for Jermaine Kearse, a second and a seventh. Then, at the trade deadline, he acquired Duane Brown and a fifth from Houston for a second and third.

In 2019, Jadeveon Clowney came from Houston in a deal that sent Jacob Martin, Barkevious Mingo and a third back.

Then, in 2020, Schneider acquired Jamal Adams and a fourth from the Jets for first-rounders in 2021 and 2022, a third in 2021 and Bradley McDougald.  

Schneider extended Whitehurst and Harvin as part of those trades and then got deals with Brown, Adams and now Williams after the seasons in which they were acquired. Brown was the only extended player of the previous four who turned out to be worth it.

Schneider failed to get new deals with Richardson and Clowney, essentially burning a second-rounder in Richardson’s case and a third in Clowney’s.

If the GM had not gotten this deal done with Williams, it would have been burning another 2 (plus a 5).

The one big trade player Schneider did not try to extend was Graham, but he was a rare case of a guy who came to Seattle with three years left on his contract.

This Williams deal is the biggest the Hawks have ever paid a defender (by annual average). But it is a fair deal, for Williams and the Hawks. Williams is entering his age 30 season, but he also is still playing like a top-10 interior defensive lineman – and this deal pays him like that.   

Mike Macdonald should help keep him playing at that level and give Schneider a rare big trade/extension win.