FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- One month ago, defensive tackle Milton Williams stood out for the Philadelphia Eagles in their Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs with two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery -- all in a rotational role.
On Thursday, Williams was introduced as one of the newest members of the New England Patriots. But the team didn't sign Williams to a franchise-record four-year, $104 million contract -- which included $63 million in guarantees -- to be part of a rotation of players at the position.
When the Patriots introduced some of their top free agent signings in a formal news conference, head coach Mike Vrabel looked at Williams and said: "I hope you want to play more than you played in Philadelphia. I know you guys were extremely successful, but we want to play [you] a little more than that."
Williams played 48% of the defensive snaps last season (just seven starts), in part because the Eagles' defensive line was stacked, headlined by starters Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter. Second-year players Moro Ojomo and Thomas Booker IV joined Williams as backups in Super Bowl LIX.
A larger workload awaits in New England, where Williams is No. 1 on the defensive tackle depth chart, especially with uncertainty surrounding the availability of Christian Barmore (blood clots).
"I thrive on people telling me I can't do something, so bring it on," Williams said Thursday. "The more you're out there, the more opportunity you have making plays. I pride myself in being productive."
A 2021 third-round pick out of Louisiana Tech, Williams has played in 67 regular-season games with 19 starts. He played 41% of the defensive snaps as a rookie, followed by 36% and 46% in his second and third seasons, respectively.
How Williams will be affected by no longer playing behind/alongside Davis, Carter and the Eagles other D-linemen -- as those players sometimes drew attention that created advantageous situations for Williams -- is unknown.
For his part, the 25-year-old Williams shared how he plans to maintain his high level of production while playing more snaps.
"Putting in work, plain and simple. Extra work. Asking the coaches whatever I need to do to make sure I'm available every game," he said. "I want to be out there representing my teammates and this organization. I'm not going to leave no stone unturned when it comes to preparing and being healthy and being in the best shape I can be in."
The 6-foot-3, 290-pound Williams was pursued in free agency by the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals, among others. He said he chose the Patriots because he felt they made him a priority by valuing his skillset as a versatile lineman and hard worker.
He relayed one of his favorite phrases is "hard work will never betray you" and that his approach is defined by "physicality, toughness and determination."
Of being the highest paid Patriot ever, he said: "That's a blessing. I just won a Super Bowl a couple weeks ago, so I thought that was the biggest day of my life. But this is probably going to jump that, for sure."