In the end, staying put made the most sense for Brandon Williams and the Baltimore Ravens.
The team announced Thursday that a five-year agreement has been reached in principle with the 28-year-old nose tackle.
The pact is a massive one -- $54 million over five seasons with a whopping $27.5 million in guarantees -- making Williams the highest-paid nose tackle in the NFL ahead of the Giants' Damon Harrison.
The move comes as little surprise after NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport previously reported that Williams and his camp were "working diligently on a deal" to keep him with the Ravens, despite interest from multiple teams.
One of those teams was the Titans, but instead Williams returns to a Baltimore unit centered around the 6-foot-1, 340-pound lineman. The big-bodied run-stuffer hasn't missed a game in three seasons, a level of durability that has him excited about his new deal:
The Ravens have done a solid job in free agency, adding the open market's best safety in Tony Jefferson and keeping their front line intact with a new deal for Williams.
Last year wasn't his best season, but retaining Williams will only help Baltimore's fifth-ranking run defense keep that lofty status in place for 2017.
