Milton Williams Makes Surprising Admission About Signing With Patriots

When defensive tackle Milton Williams signed with the New England Patriots in March, he was not only leaving the Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles but joining a team coming off back-to-back 4-13 campaigns as well.

Fast forward 10 months and Williams is back from his ankle injury and returning to the playoffs with the AFC East-champion Patriots after a stunning 14-3 regular season.

The 26-year-old admitted on Monday that he wasn’t expecting New England’s turnaround to be this drastic.

“Question: Did you expect this level of success when you signed with the Patriots? DT Milton Williams: ‘Not going to lie, no, I didn’t,'” ESPN’s Mike Reiss posted on Bluesky. “(Williams credits the overall organization, head coach Mike Vrabel, and the ‘brotherhood in the locker room’, among other things).”

Question: Did you expect this level of success when you signed with the Patriots?DT Milton Williams: “Not going to lie, no, I didn’t.”(Williams credits the overall organization, head coach Mike Vrabel, and the “brotherhood in the locker room”, among other things)

— Mike Reiss (@mikereiss.bsky.social) 2026-01-05T16:58:28.032Z

Despite being limited to a career-low 12 contests during the regular season, Williams still finished the year tied for second on the Patriots in tackles for loss (eight) and fourth in quarterback hits (eight) and sacks (3.5).

Surrounded by many teammates with little to no playoff experience, Williams’ presence should be big as New England prepares for wild-card weekend.