The New York Jets signed star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to a four-year, $96 million contract extension Thursday, ending months of quiet negotiation between the two sides. The 2022 Pro Bowler is guaranteed $66 million in the new deal.
While Williams was negotiating his extension in a holdout that began at the end of last season, he did not attend early summer workouts with the team. Head coach Robert Saleh expressed confidence in his player, however, and was not concerned that he and the executives would reach an agreement.
“I’ll let the business guys handle all that stuff, but it’s going to get done,” Saleh said last month. “He’ll be here for camp, he’ll be ready to roll. And once he is, I’m sure he’ll be the same guy he was a year ago.”
In the 2022 season, Williams’ fourth in the league, the defender earned 12 sacks and 55 tackles to earn his first trip to the Pro Bowl. He was a key piece on the team’s elite defense, one that nearly propelled the Jets to the postseason. The tackle will now rejoin Sauce Gardner and C.J. Mosley as a core member of one of the league’s stoutest defenses.
The Jets’ 2022 season left many fans of the team with mixed feelings, as the potential was always present despite consistent results. New York’s young stars on both sides of the ball met lofty expectations, but with a litany of unsuccessful quarterbacks under center, the team struggled late in the season and missed the playoffs.
But after months of teasing negotiations, the Jets eventually acquired quarterback Aaron Rodgers and have now moved on to secure established talent like Williams. With an improved passer and young stars returning on both offense and defense, the Jets could be poised to become a real contender in a stacked AFC field this season.
