The New York Jets have cleared one of their final agenda items before training camp by agreeing to a long-term extension with defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. According to NFL Network, the All-Pro defender will receive $96 million over four years, with $66 million in guarantees.
Gang Green will no longer have to worry about Williams’ contract dispute when they’re featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” in August, and his new deal will cement the Jets’ defense as arguably the best in the NFL. But the contract will also have lasting implications for other defensive tackles around the league.
How Quinnen Williams’ Contract Will Affect Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins
With a $24 million annual salary, Williams will become the NFL’s second-highest-paid defensive tackle behind only Aaron Donald. However, he was far from the only interior defender to receive an extension this offseason.
Jeffery Simmons, Daron Payne, and Dexter Lawrence all signed new deals worth at least $22.5 million this offseason, while Javon Hargrave landed a free agent contract worth $21 million per year from the San Francisco 49ers.
With Williams under contract, the stage is now set for two more defensive tackles to finalize new accords this offseason: the Kansas City Chiefs’ Chris Jones and the Miami Dolphins’ Christian Wilkins.
Jones, 29, is entering a contract season with the Chiefs and is scheduled to carry a $28.3 million cap charge in 2023, the eighth-highest figure in the league. Jones, who led all defensive tackles with 97 pressures a year ago, is reportedly aiming to become the NFL’s second-highest-paid DT — and that price tag just went up.
Other Kansas City stars like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have accepted team-friendly deals that came in well below their market value, but there’s no indication that Jones is willing to follow that same approach.
As he eyes what could be his final significant NFL contract, Jones is probably now looking for $25 million per season.
“We have great communication, and there’s a lot of time before camp,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said in June at the club’s Super Bowl ring ceremony.
“[I] feel good about where we’re going to be with Chris. We’ll get to celebrate tonight and have a good time, break tomorrow, and I’m sure we’ll have great dialogue from now to the start of training camp and look forward to Chris being here not just for next year but for a long time.”
Meanwhile, Wilkins is a different player than Williams, Jones, et al. While he’s one of the best run-defending defensive tackles in the league, he’s not the sort of pass rusher that typically breaks the bank. Among the 64 DTs with at least 500 snaps in 2022, Wilkins ranked 31st in pressures, per PFF.
Wilkins has said he wants to remain in Miami, but Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported in June that the two sides hadn’t made much progress on an extension.
A new contract for Wilkins would likely come in above $20 million, but it’s unclear if he’d be able to reach the $22+ million level attained by Lawrence, Payne, Simmons, and Williams.
While a 2024 franchise tag for Jones is untenable for the Chiefs (he’d receive a 20% raise over his $28.3 million cap number), the Dolphins can hold the franchise tender as leverage over Wilkins, who is scheduled to play on his fifth-year option this season. Over the Cap currently projects the 2024 defensive tackle franchise tag at $20.88 million.