SAN JOSE, Calif. -- He might be a name who's only recently risen to prominence, but Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams holds a special place in the Super Bowl LX formula.
Williams is appearing on the biggest stage in the sport for a second straight year and returning as a champion. After two trips with the Eagles, he's also the only player on either side to make his third career Super Bowl appearance on Sunday.
"It's great, man. I just say I'm blessed to be in this situation," Williams said Monday at Super Bowl LX Opening Night. "This is my third Super Bowl in five years. It's crazy. You know, people always talk about guys not going their entire career, playing 10-12 years and not going. It's just great, man."
Most players with such credibility would command league-wide respect and international fame. Not Williams, however. After serving as a rotational piece in an Eagles defensive line that suffocated the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, Williams finally claimed headlines when the Patriots threw a four-year, $104 million deal at him in March.
At the time, the offer seemed inflated, a risk taken by a team with the most cap space to burn in the NFL. Nearly a year later, it's proven to be a wise investment.
Williams is a key piece of a Patriots roster that has expertly blended youth with quality veteran leadership and production. He's one of four Patriots with 10-plus games of playoff experience (12) -- joining receiver Stefon Diggs (17 games), cornerback Carlton Davis (12) and tight end Austin Hooper (10) -- and is part of a fascinating tandem with second-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez that is a perfect 12-0 when both participate in the same game in 2025 (including playoffs).
Williams has produced, too. He's racked up 2.0 sacks and four QB hits in the 2025 postseason, a stat line reminiscent of his two-sack, forced fumble performance in Super Bowl LIX. His two-sack showing in New England's wild-card win over the Chargers contributed to a 12-sack postseason performance for the Patriots defense, tying with the 2005 Steelers for the most in a playoff run prior to a Super Bowl appearance.
The production alone should vault key contributors into the spotlight. For Williams, it's been a perfect retort to his detractors who claimed New England overpaid for his services, making a potential second-straight Super Bowl triumph that much more satisfying.
"Definitely. New team, new coaches, me moving to a new area, somewhere I've really never been, and a lot of doubters," Williams said. "A lot of people talking, saying they're gonna be (bad). I think somebody put an article out saying I was like an F signing or something. Sports Illustrated, I remember. I was like 'I'm gonna remember this.' All that stuff just drives me, fuels me."
Williams' role as an experienced Super Bowl participant (and in Super Bowl LIX, a key producer) puts him in a largely unique place that could be rather beneficial to his teammates who haven't reached this stage in their careers.
"Earlier in the year, (Patriots coach Mike Vrabel) asked our team to raise our hand if you were playing football at this time last year, I was the only guy to raise my hand, so it was kind of weird," Williams said. "But I'm just happy for all the guys to be able to raise their hand. To be like all right, ask that question next year. We was there in that same situation, in the Super Bowl."
The reality truly hit home when New England toppled Denver in a 10-7 game that looked more like a blizzard than a conference championship game.
"You know, after the game -- I got my happy tears out last year when we won it in Philly -- so after the Denver game, just seeing those guys crying and stuff on the sideline about making it, it was everything," Williams said. "I was kind of laughing at them, calling them soft. I was in the same position last year, crying like a baby, so I understand."
Now that they've experienced the joys of an emotional, dream-like victory, the Patriots know it's time to zero in on the greatest goal of all: winning the franchise's seventh Lombardi Trophy. Fortunately, much like Darius Slay did with some Eagles teammates ahead of Super Bowl LIX, the Patriots have a few veterans who can guide them through the process.
"Just telling them to keep it simple," Williams said of his Super Bowl advice to his teammates. "I told them all of this is happening, gonna be asked a lot of questions, gonna have to deal with a lot of media. Just deal with it and make sure in practice and in our meetings that we're locked in. And when we have our little free time, you go have fun or do whatever.
"Because I mean it's family, it's fans, it's a lot going on. But all the fun stuff is for them. We came here to win the game."
The significance of such an achievement stretches far beyond the current Patriots roster, but as Williams noted Monday, it would also be especially meaningful for him. He'd have won two Super Bowls in two seasons with two different organizations, helping one fulfill a goal it fell painfully short of two seasons prior, and then doing the same for a franchise that couldn't have been further from the mountaintop a year earlier.
"Woo, to pull that off, it'll be something I didn't even dream about," Williams said. "I just dreamt about being in the NFL, playing in one. Winning? Back to back? That would be something I didn't even dream about. I always say I'm just blessed to be in this situation, just to have this opportunity. I'm gonna do everything I can to try and take advantage of it."
Oh, and don't forget about the haters. Williams certainly isn't, and proved as much when asked if his Patriots had the makeup to win it all.
"Definitely," Williams said. "Definitely. Like I said, I like us."
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