Terrell Williams declared cancer-free in emotional return to Patriots at Super Bowl 60

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Terrell Williams declared cancer-free in emotional return to Patriots at Super Bowl 60

Mark Daniels · MassLive

Tue, Feb 3, 2026 ·

6 min read

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SAN JOSE, Calif. – Deep inside the San Jose Convention Center, the atmosphere for Super Bowl 60’s media night was intense. The lights were bright, the fans were loud, and for the players and coaches present, there were many reasons to celebrate.

A trip to the Super Bowl represents a dream come true. For Terrell Williams , the trip to the Bay Area was a reminder of something bigger.

Three weeks ago, he learned he was cancer-free.

In September, Williams, 51, was diagnosed with prostate cancer . Three weeks ago, he learned the disease was gone. After a difficult season, which included more hospital visits than football games, the Patriots learned their defensive coordinator was cancer free in a team meeting before their divisional round playoff game against the Houston Texans .

This weekend, Williams traveled with the team for the first time to join the Patriots for Super Bowl 60.

“I’m happy,” Williams said. “I’m just happy to go through this experience with the players, with the coaches, with the organization. They went through my experience with me. I mean, it’s big, but I’m just excited to watch these guys compete on Sunday.”

Last offseason, Williams went through a different medical situation that kept him away from the Patriots during the spring. The defensive coordinator returned for training camp and called defensive plays during the team’s regular-season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders .

The next week, however, he wasn’t feeling well.

When Mike Vrabel walked into his office, he asked Williams how he was doing. The assistant admitted he wasn’t feeling great, so Vrabel told him to meet with Patriots trainer Jim Whalen. The team’s medical staff was concerned enough to send Williams to a local urgent care, where he was first diagnosed with the stomach flu.

“We all thought I had a stomach flu, which I did. But as they were doing tests, that’s when they found out about the cancer,” Williams said. “I mean, thank God that I had the stomach flu because if I didn’t, I would have been business as usual.”

The news came on Sept. 11, and Williams stepped away from the Patriots to undergo chemotherapy at Mass General. Inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr took over his role on the staff, but Williams maintained a steady presence around Gillette Stadium.

While he was battling for his life, coaches and players wore ‘T-Strong’ t-shirts to support their coach and friend. When Kuhr ran defensive meetings, he found a way to keep Williams involved.

Three weeks ago, players and coaches were elated with the good news.

“It means everything in the world,” Kuhr said. “He’s a great friend. He’s a great mentor. I consider him family. And for him to power through that, man. That’s bigger than being here right now, for sure.”

Every time Williams stepped inside Gillette Stadium, players flocked to the coach. The conversations were rarely about football. They wanted to know how he was doing and wanted to remind him that they cared.

While undergoing treatment, Williams was floored by the support. At home, he received weekly letters from players at Iowa State. He noted the emails and letters from Patriots fans.

“I read them all, and a lot of them brought tears to my eyes,” Williams said.

At home, it wasn’t easy. Williams was struggling and saw how it affected his wife, Tifini, and 13-year-old son Tahj.

Growing up in Los Angeles , Williams was taught to bury his emotions. His cancer diagnosis made him confront his pain. At first, he wanted to tell his son he was OK. Eventually, he learned to open up about how the chemotherapy made him feel and the mental struggles that came with dealing with a life-threatening disease.

“I would tell him that everything’s okay, but sometimes you just got to tell them the truth,” Williams said. “I would talk to him about having tough days. When you’re going through something and when it’s tough, you got to share with people, man. Because keeping that stuff in, that’s not the way to go.”

As the Patriots had success, Williams found it difficult to be away. He started his coaching journey in 1998. He began coaching in the NFL in 2012. This season marked the first time he’d be a defensive coordinator.

As Vrabel’s team embarked on a remarkable season, Williams brought life to his team in different ways – even if he couldn’t be there on game days.

“T is such a light,” Patriots edge rusher Harold Landry said. “When you see him in the building, everybody lights up, everybody’s excited. When he’s there, everybody is happier, everybody’s upbeat.”

“The whole thing has been a constant reminder that football is great and this has been an amazing season, but there’s so much more to it than that,” added Patriots cornerbacks coach Justin Hamilton. “And I keep going back to the amount of joy that he brings when he’s showing up in the building, and then to be able to celebrate that with him.”

Although it was challenging not to coach this fall, Williams put everything into perspective. He says he’s changed his diet, cutting out soda, alcohol, and “all the bad stuff.” He’s now taking better care of his body.

The fact that he’s in California with the Patriots is reflective of his healing journey, but Williams knows he isn’t completely in the clear. He’ll still be monitored at Mass General, needing blood work every three months.

“What I’ve learned is that you’re never really cancer-free,” Williams said. “I mean, it’s dormant… But I also know that there’s still a journey ahead because it’s like once you have cancer, you always have the threat of it coming back.”

Even now, Williams struggles.

On Monday night, the coach stumbled and needed to grab a railing to keep himself up inside the San Jose Convention Center. Local paramedics helped him into a wheelchair and brought him to a first aid room, where he was monitored and discovered to be dehydrated.

According to the Patriots, Williams had his vitals checked, and after he was OK, the coach rode back on the bus with his fellow coaches to the team hotel.

Life will never be the same for Williams. He still has a journey ahead.

For now, it’s one step at a time. One that will take him to Super Bowl 60.

“I realized that I needed a change in my life,” Williams said. “And sometimes things happen to you from a health standpoint, to slow you down. And that’s the way that I look at this. This cancer was unexpected. And sometimes… We live like we’re invincible. And when it happens to you, you realize you’re not invincible. So it was a wakeup call.”

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