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Milton Williams was close to signing with the Panthers, but the Patriots out-bid them

At the start of the free agency negotiating period, defensive tackle Milton Williams was reportedly "working to finalize" a deal with the Panthers. Hours later, he agreed to a deal with the Patriots.

So what happened?

Williams told NFL Media that just as a deal with the Panthers was about to be agreed upon, the Patriots called with a better deal.

"My agent was on the phone, and I was kind of in the room," he said. "They were on the phone talking to teams, and teams were coming in with new deals.