Seattle Seahawks center Connor Williams, 27, retires from NFL

The Seattle Seahawks are facing a significant change on their offensive line after starting center Connor Williams, 27, announced his retirement from the NFL. Head coach Mike Macdonald confirmed the news, noting that Williams had decided to step away from the game after a seven-year career.

Williams, who had joined the Seahawks for the 2024 season, had started all nine games and played every offensive snap up until his retirement. Speculation had already begun earlier in the week regarding his status for the Seahawks’ Week 11 game against the San Francisco 49ers, as he missed both Wednesday and Thursday’s practices for “personal reasons.” On Friday, Macdonald clarified the situation, explaining, “Connor earlier this week decided to retire. Personal reasons. We respect that. Wish him the best. We’ve got to move forward.”

Before coming to Seattle, Williams played four seasons as a left guard for the Dallas Cowboys, who drafted him in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. From 2022 to 2023, he served as the starting center for the Miami Dolphins, playing in and starting all 26 games during that period. He then signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks in August.

Though Williams’ career was impressive, it was also plagued by injuries. He suffered two ACL tears, one in 2019 and another late last year. However, he recovered in time to start for the Seahawks in Week 1 of the 2024 season.

With Williams retiring, second-year lineman Olu Oluwatimi is set to step in as the starting center for the Seahawks. Oluwatimi, a fifth-round pick by Seattle in the 2023 NFL Draft, is scheduled to make his second career start and his first of the season in Week 11. So far, he has appeared in four games in 2024, though he has only played a limited number of offensive snaps.

The Seahawks’ depth chart at center now includes Oluwatimi and rookie Jalen Sundell. Sundell, an undrafted free agent out of North Dakota State, has seen limited action this season, with just one snap on offense and 27 on special teams.

Williams had signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Seahawks, which included $2.98 million in guaranteed money. The deal also contained $2.51 million in incentives, including a $1 million bonus for playing 75% or more of the team’s offensive snaps and another $1 million if the Seahawks made the playoffs. Additionally, there were per-game bonuses worth $30,000 each. By retiring after just nine games, Williams is forgoing approximately $2 million in snap-count incentives and $240,000 in per-game bonuses.

As the Seahawks look ahead to the remainder of the season, they will need to adjust to life without Williams at center, relying on Oluwatimi and Sundell to fill the void.