RENTON, Wash. – Seattle Seahawks center Connor Williams has unexpectedly decided to retire at age 27, leaving the team with eight games left this season.
Coach Mike Macdonald said Friday the seven-year veteran made the decision earlier this week for “personal reasons.” The only other detail he gave to Williams' argument was that it wasn't due to problems with his surgically repaired knee. Macdonald believes the decision is final and says he doesn't think Williams could change his mind.
“I don’t think so,” Macdonald said. “We respect his wishes and will keep all these reasons and conversations private for obvious reasons and wish him well.”
Macdonald said Olu Oluwatimi will take over at center and the Seahawks will likely make a roster move Saturday.
Williams started all nine games for Seattle (4-5) this season and played every offensive snap after signing with the team during training camp. He was at practice on Monday as the Seahawks returned from their bye to begin preparations for their game on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, but was then listed as a non-participant at practice for the past three days with a non-injury/personal condition Name listed.
Macdonald declined to specify when he had an inkling that Williams was considering retirement. Asked when Williams told him about his decision, Macdonald said: “It's been a process all week.”
“When you start getting into schedules and all that, I'd rather keep it private with … Connor and the things he's working through,” he said. “But it was this week.”
Williams' departure is a blow to Seattle's struggling offensive line, which ranks 27th in pass-block win rate and has also struggled to create momentum in the run game. Due to injuries, the Seahawks were forced to use three different right tackles in the absence of Abraham Lucas. They also made moves at right guard, where Anthony Bradford and rookie third-round pick Christian Haynes struggled so badly that Seattle considered the possibility of moving Williams there.
Lucas will make his 2024 debut on Sunday, although he may not play every snap in his first game back from knee surgery in January. Lucas took part fully in the last two days of training.
“We expect to see him in a pretty significant way now,” Macdonald said. “We're still on the journey here, so we'll see as the game goes on how many reps he'll take. We have a plan. We have a target rep number. We'll kind of go.' That's internal at the moment, but I'm happy to see him do his thing.
Wide receiver DK Metcalf was at full strength all week and will return from the MCL sprain that sidelined him the last two games. But the Seahawks will be without No. 1 tight end Noah Fant (groin) and backup Brady Russell (foot) in addition to Williams.
Oluwatimi, a 2023 fifth-round pick, was close to taking over the starting job this season until the Seahawks signed Williams to a one-year, $4 million contract on August 11. He played just four offensive snaps this season and did so four times, a healthy margin in favor of undrafted rookie Jalen Sundell, who was the only other backup center on Seattle's 53-man roster.
Oluwatimi got a backup start as a rookie.
“He’s a guy who’s been knocking on the door for a while,” Macdonald said. “Of course it is an unforeseen circumstance that has to be dealt with straight away, but the positive thing about the whole thing is that we can see Olu doing his thing. This guy worked really hard. He basically started the entire offseason as a focus for us until we signed Connor. Had a really good week of training with Connor not being here and here we go.”
Williams made it back to the team's home opener on Sept. 8 despite being just nine months removed from a torn ACL – the second of his NFL career – he suffered with the Miami Dolphins that ended his 2023 season and required surgery required. Through 10 weeks, he ranks 25th among centers in pass block win rate and has struggled with some errant shotgun snaps of late, including one where he went well over the head of Geno in Week 8 Smith sailed away for a 19-yard loss.
Williams struggled with a speech impediment as a young child and wrote in a 2017 NFL.com article that he was a frequent target of bullies. He was a second-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys out of Texas in 2018 and played left guard his first four seasons before moving to center after signing with Miami in 2022.
“Connor was in my corner the whole time he was here,” Oluwatimi said. “I was in his corner the whole time he was here. I'm happy for him. He’ll always be my buddy.”
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