Getty New York Jets linebacker Quincy Williams reacting after a big play during an NFL game.
The New York Jets boast one of the best contracts in the NFL and not enough people are talking about it.
Last offseason, the green and white inked linebacker Quincy Williams to a three-year deal for $18 million. There were several people outside the organization who had a difference of opinion on that deal.
Jets content creator Matt O’Leary said in February of 2023 that he believes Williams is “a useful more of a depth guy than he is a guy who should be playing 80% of your snaps because I don’t think he is good enough in coverage and he still misses too many tackles.” He explained in that same offseason that he would be “hesitant” to shell out a contract that paid him $7 to $9 million annually.
“If I was the one making the decision, yeah I think that would be absolutely too rich for the Jets’ blood,” O’Leary added.
O’Leary wasn’t the only one who had their doubts about Williams as a player and what he could become.
Would you pay Quincy Williams $7 M – $9 M per year? Why I’m hesitant 👇
As it turned out, the Jets didn’t have to pay him that much on an annual basis. It was just a hair under at $6 million per year across the life of the deal.
Williams is the No. 22 highest-paid linebacker in football, per Over The Cap. Yet this past season he was selected as a first-team All-Pro.
There were only three players in the sport that earned a first-team All-Pro nod at linebacker and Williams was one of them. The other two were Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers and Roquan Smith of the Baltimore Ravens.
Course Correction Is Inevitably Coming for the Jets
Some people thought the Jets overpaid, but a year later it looks like the team pulled off the heist of the century.
Williams took a massive leap last season and became one of the best linebackers in football. The former Murray State product is still only 27 years of age and has even more room to grow. A scary thought for the rest of the NFL.
The Jets will enjoy the fruits of this labor through the 2025 season. Williams is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2026. At that point, Williams will likely be looking for a significant pay raise.
The other two first-team All-Pro linebackers are at the top of the salary charts for their position. Smith is making $20 million per season and Warner is making $19.04 million per season.
Williams has a case to be in that conversation which would be a 200% plus increase to his current annual salary.
Williams Had an Impressive Stat Line, but It Can Get Better
The talented Jets linebacker had a career year in 2023. Williams registered 10 pass deflections, recorded 139 total tackles, had 15 tackles for loss, and he finished with an interception.
Although Williams told Jets team reporter Caroline Hendershot, “I think I dropped like seven interceptions, I only got one of them last year.”
#Jets LB @quincywilliams_ isn’t satisfied with his first-team All-Pro campaign last year. He told @cghendy that the biggest thing he has been working on this offseason is ‘turnovers.’
‘I think I dropped like 7 interceptions, I only got one of them last year.’
A scary thought…
Williams revealed that one of the top things he is working on this offseason is creating turnovers. That means catching interceptions when they come your way and attempting to punch out the ball more.
The Jets better enjoy this contractual discount while they can because it won’t last for very long.