During the early days of free agency, it seemed that the New England Patriots were going to lose out on star defensive tackle Milton Williams.
Multiple reports were coming in that he was signing with the Carolina Panthers. Some said the deal was done, while others said that nothing was set in stone yet.
And in the end, the Patriots swooped in.
So, what really happened behind the scenes?
"My agent was on the phone, and I was kind of in the room," Williams said on NFL Network during Friday's episode of The Insiders. "They were on the phone talking to teams, and teams were coming in with new deals. There was a lot going on, and it happened really fast.
"They talked about Carolina then and I was like, 'alright, it sounds like the best offer we are going to get, so, we were going to go there.' Then, a split second later, New England hopped on and was like, 'Nah, this is what we got for you.' Carolina felt like they went too high on their number, so, they stayed at where they were at. New England came in, and it was [over] after that. They wanted me the most and made me a priority. So, I made them a priority."
Williams also made history with the Patriots, signing the largest contract in franchise history.
"They welcomed me with open arms," he said about the Patriots. "I just came back from a visit up there last weekend, signing my contract, getting to know the staff, and touring the building. It's going to be cool.
And with that, he's excited about playing for new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
Coach Vrabel was just preaching to me how they are going to use me in their defense. Also, how he wants a guy at every level of the defense for free agency," Milton added. "He wants us to come in and try to change the culture around with what's been going on in New England the last couple of years. I definitely think he picked the right guys for that."
