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New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas dropped a small bombshell during his press conference with the media at the NFL Combine.
He nonchalantly announced that the team planned on picking up Quinnen Williams’ fifth-year option.
“As of right now we are going to pick up Quinnen’s option, we had that conversation, and I don’t think that is really huge news.”
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What Does That Mean?
This wasn’t overly surprising news as this was the next natural step in the Williams contractual situation.
This fifth-year option will be worth $11.5 million because he qualified for the “tier II level” and that figure is fully guaranteed.
The talented defensive lineman is now under contract for the next two years through 2023 at a very affordable price of $16.4 million in totality.
Averaging that number out, the Jets are set to pay him $8.2 million per season which would rank 19th in the NFL among the highest-paid defensive tackles in football.
Although this hometown discount won’t last long as he is due for a massive contract extension.
For the first time in his career, he is officially eligible to negotiate a long-term extension this offseason. When Douglas met with the media he said that he has had some “productive” conversations with Williams’ agent, Nicole Lynn at the NFL combine.
What Is the Next Step?
According to Spotrac market value projections, Williams is expected to command a deal that would pay him $17.7 million per season on a multi-year deal. That figure would make him the fifth highest-paid defensive tackle in football.
Although some insiders believe he could receive an even larger deal than those projections. Connor Hughes of The Athletic mentioned a contract that doled out north of $20 million per season if he had a good year in 2022.
That kind of deal would launch Williams into the top-three highest-paid defensive tackles in football.
With that in the near future, the Jets don’t seem to be in any rush to hand Williams mega money. Especially considering they have him at an insane value for the next two seasons and beyond that they also have the franchise tag in their back pocket which could hold him hostage for even longer.
Although there are some potential cons to waiting this out. Williams is going to line up, in theory, next to a fully healthy Carl Lawson, John Franklin-Myers, and insert other free agents and draft picks this offseason.
With that much talent around him, Williams naturally should face more favorable one-on-one matchups that he can take advantage of. If he does, that could result in some serious stat-padding ahead of some big-time contract negotiations in 2023.
The longer the Jets wait, the more money they could end up forking over the next offseason. By potentially choosing to pay him proactively this year they could save a few dollars in the deal and make one of their brightest stars happy which is never a bad thing.
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