On Sunday, Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams is set to make history as the first living NFL player to participate in 18 games within a single regular season. This remarkable achievement stems from Williams playing the initial eight games of the season with the Giants before being traded to the Seahawks.
As the Seahawks had already undergone their bye week, Williams has consecutively played in nine weeks since joining them, making the upcoming regular-season finale his 10th game with Seattle and the 18th overall this season.
The possibility of playing 18 games in a season arose in 2021 with the introduction of the NFL’s 17th regular-season game and an extended 18-week season. Williams will be the inaugural player in the league to accomplish the feat of playing for two different teams during an 18-week season without experiencing a bye week.
While Williams isn’t the absolute first NFL player to achieve this, historical context is essential. In the early NFL days, schedules lacked standardization, and certain teams played more games.
Between 1925 and 1930, the Frankford Yellow Jackets played more games than their counterparts, with records showing four players participating in 19 games and another 11 playing in 18 games during a season. The last instance of an NFL player completing an 18-game regular season was in 1930, making Williams the first to achieve this in nearly a century.
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