FOXBORO — Last month, Milton Williams walked off a confetti-coated field at the Superdome as the best player in football’s biggest game. He authored two sacks, one forced fumble and a couple hurries, helping power the Eagles’ 40-22 demolition of Kansas City in Super Bowl LIX. On Thursday, wearing a striped polo, jeans and a widening smile, he stepped behind a microphone inside Gillette Stadium as the highest-paid player in Patriots history. Which was better? “I thought (the Super Bowl) was, like, the biggest day of my life. This probably will jump that, for sure, being known as the highest average salary (in New England),” Williams said. “Man, like I said, (the Patriots) believe in me.” Williams is the proverbial crown jewel of the Patriots’ free-agent class, which for now consists of 10 players worth more than $300 million, including a couple low-level re-signings. Williams is a 25-year-old pass rusher coming off a season with elite per-snap metrics and a postseason where no one could block him. He’s also a 6-foot-3, 290-pound walking reminder the organization has pivoted from its value-based team-building philosophy. Williams was a top-of-the-market player the Patriots never would have paid like this in the Bill Belichick era. According to ESPN, the Patriots desperately pursued Williams after failing to lure Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin away from Tampa Bay with a contract worth upwards of $29 million per year. The risk of missing out on all of their top free-agent targets – including Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley – drove the Patriots to raise their offer up past a number Williams believed he was initially settling on with Carolina. “It was a fast process,” said Williams, who also drew interest from the Cardinals. “My agent was telling me the teams were interested. You know, once the number got to a certain point, a lot of teams like dropped out, and the Patriots are the one that wanted me the most. So I made it a priority to come here, they made me a priority.” On Thursday, Mike Vrabel gave his version of events on how the Patriots pursued their new defensive star. “There was a high ceiling (with Williams) and a great vision about the person, the effort, the skill set, the speed in which he plays. There’s a power, certainly there’s an aggressiveness, and being able to add him to our defensive line was something that was really exciting,” Vrabel said. “But you talk about the character, and hopefully we’re going to be able to – I hope (Williams) wants to play more than you played in Philadelphia, and I know that you guys were extremely successful. “But we want to play him a little bit more than that, and hope we can do that.” Playing time is one of only two causes for concern about Williams, who never eclipsed 50% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps in a single season. He played 48% and made seven starts last year. He logged 41%, 36% and 46% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps in each of his first three seasons, respectively. Part of that was by design for a Philadelphia organization that historically has relied on rotating a deep crop of defensive linemen to maintain a steady, effective pass rush. Within that rotation, no one produced pressure at a higher rate than Williams. The expectations that follow his 2024 performance and accompany such a gigantic salary are now the Patriots’ problem to manage. Williams is the rock upon which Vrabel has chosen to build his new defense, and there are questions about his run defense, which can crack according to Pro Football Focus grades. But if you doubt the former third-round pick over his work against the run, that might just fuel him to fix it. “They know what I bring to the table: physicality, toughness, determination,” he said. “And I thrive on people telling me I can’t do something. So, there you go.” For Williams to come close to meeting the value of his record-setting contract, the Patriots need the best of him yet. They need more than he’s ever poured into a football field. Vrabel acknowledged that uncertainty in his portion of Thursday’s introductory press conferences, even making direct eye contact with Williams as he mentioned his playing time. Later, when it was his turn to speak, Williams assured his new coach and everyone else listening that he’s ready to become the player he’s been paid to be. “Putting in work, plain and simple. Extra work,” he said. “Asking the coaches whatever I need to do to make sure I’m available every game. (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.”