The Dallas Cowboys just made a season-altering gamble, pulling off one of the biggest moves at the NFL trade deadline. On a day that also saw star cornerback Sauce Gardner traded, Dallas went all-in to acquire defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, hoping to plug the biggest hole in their defense.
What Is the Massive Price Tag for the Cowboys’ New Star Quinnen Williams?
Getting a star player like Williams should provide a massive boost for the Cowboys’ run defense, but it comes at a steep price. As reported by NFL insider Albert Breer, Dallas will have to pay the former first-round pick more than $50 million over the next three years.
New Cowboys DT Quinnen Williams is signed thru 2027. The cashflow …
• $7.825 million left in 2025.
• $21.75 million in 2026.
• $25.5 million in 2027.And in the Williams/Micah Parsons exchange, they essentially moved a 2026 second-round pick into the first round.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 4, 2025
“New Cowboys DT Quinnen Williams is signed thru 2027. The cashflow …
• $7.825 million left in 2025.
• $21.75 million in 2026.
• $25.5 million in 2027.
And in the Williams/Micah Parsons exchange, they essentially moved a 2026 second-round pick into the first round,” Breer wrote on X.
This kind of money is required for a player of Williams’ caliber. He initially signed a four-year, $96 million extension with the New York Jets, which averaged $24 million per year, the second-highest for a defensive tackle in NFL history at the time. The Jets also gave him $66 million in practical guarantees, the most the franchise had ever committed to a player.
Why Were the Cowboys Willing to Pay That Price?
According to our PFN impact metrics, Williams has been the tenth-most impactful player at his position this year, making his addition a significant upgrade. To complete the trade, the Cowboys sent a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round selection, and former first-round pick defensive tackle Mazi Smith to the Jets.
MORE: 2025 NFL Trade Deadline Tracker
This was a necessary move for Dallas, whose run defense has been struggling mightily. The team is currently giving up 143.0 rushing yards per game, the third-most in the league. Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones made fixing the run defense a priority in the offseason, but even acquiring former Green Bay Packers star Kenny Clark did little to solve their problems.
For the Jets, this trade provides serious salary cap relief. The Cowboys, on the other hand, were already projected to be over the salary cap before this move. That situation will make adding more talent to the roster tricky, and it could affect their ability to re-sign star wide receiver George Pickens beyond the 2025-26 season.
Still, the Cowboys’ offense looks solid, and the team clearly needed to add more firepower on defense to compete at the highest level. Though they sit at 3-5-1 after nine weeks, this aggressive trade signals that Dallas is focused on winning now and gives the team renewed hope for the second half of the season.