The defensive tackle market has seen a number of monster deals recently, including the $94M extension agreed to on Friday by Titans Pro Bowler Jeffery Simmons. That will likely affect talks between the Jets and Quinnen Williams, who could be the next in line at the position to secure a sizeable raise.
Williams is set to play on the fifth-year option in 2023, which will earn him $9.6M. A new deal will comfortably outpace that figure, considering his age (25) and ascension into an All-Pro producer this past season. The Alabama product set new career-highs in sacks (12), tackles for loss (12) and quarterback hits (28) in 2022, which helped earn him his first Pro Bowl nod.
That should put the former No. 3 pick in line for one of the league’s most lucrative contracts on the defensive interior. Extension talks have an unofficial deadline of the team’s offseason program later this month, based on comments Williams himself made earlier this year. The front office has publicly struck an optimistic tone on the matter of getting a deal done soon, though work remains to be done on that front.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini reports that talks are ongoing, but he adds that no deal is imminent at this time. As a result, a strong possibility remains that Williams will not report to New York’s voluntary workouts which start April 17. Urgency could pick up to a degree in the coming days, though plenty of time remains through the remainder of the spring and summer to get an extension done.
The Jets also have other major deals on the agenda at the moment, of course. New York is still in talks with Green Bay to acquire Aaron Rodgers. In addition, moves made possible by the domino effect of acquiring the four-time MVP (such as potentially signing
Odell Beckham Jr.) also need to be accounted for.
Regardless of how the Jets’ offense looks in 2023, however, Williams figures to remain as a foundational member of their defense for many years to come. The value of Simmons’ deal – as well as those signed earlier this offseason by Daron Payne with the Commanders and Javon Hargrave with the 49ers – will likely boost the floor of Williams’ asking price, though the Jets should still be relatively well-positioned to meet it.
