Getty New York Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins.
The New York Jets are expected to re-sign Sheldon Rankins, a key member of their defensive line in the offseason, according to a prediction by ESPN’s Field Yates.
“While the Jets need to fix their offense to take their success to higher levels, ensuring that the defense doesn’t step back is also essential,” Yates wrote in a January 16 story looking at offseason priorities of every team not in the playoffs. “Rankins fits the scheme, alleviates some pressure from Quinnen Williams, and helps defend the run. He has earned a multiyear deal.”
Sheldon Rankins Could Command a Sizable Salary From the New York Jets
Rankins, who will be 29 when the 2023 season opens, is set to reach unrestricted free agency. He was in the same position two years ago, when he signed a two-year deal worth $11 million to join the Jets.
His first season couldn’t have gone much more poorly, according to Pro Football Focus, where Rankins graded poorly in every meaningful category. However, he enjoyed a major bounce-back in 2022 in all of the same PFF categories: 73.1 overall, 67.5 run defense and 66.1 pass rush. His overall grade ranked him 23rd among the NFL’s interior defenders.
With those grades, he is expected to strike the market hot. According to Spotrac’s market value, he could command a multiyear deal that would pay him $7.3 million annually, placing him 22nd among defensive tackles.
The New York Jets Could Be Throwing a Lot of Money Around on the DL
The other key member of the Jets’ interior defensive line, Quinnen Williams, has signaled his desire to get paid this offseason. Even though he will enter 2023, his fifth season in the league, on the team option, he said he would sit out voluntary offseason workouts if the Jets didn’t give him an extension.
“Everybody knows I’m a team guy, man,” Williams told reporters on January 9, according to NFL.com’s Kevin Patra. “But I do want to get a contract done before the offseason program. I do feel like I deserve to get a contract done before the offseason program just because I did everything right on the field and everything right off the field. Having the organization behind me just like I’m behind them to show that they really support me is a major thing for me.”
Williams was named first-team All-Pro and was chosen to go to the Pro Bowl. According to Pro Football Focus, he was fourth-best defensive lineman in the league, behind only stars Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants, Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs and Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams.
Heading into the 2022 season, Williams’ Spotrac market value was set at a $17.7 million per year evaluation. That would have placed him sixth among the highest-paid defensive tackles in the league.
The Jets had a choice to make: pay him proactively last offseason or wait. The waited to see if he would step up his game. New York got it wanted and Williams delivered.
Now, Williams wants “more than $21 million per year, the second-highest salary among defensive tackles,” according to a January 9 story by ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
If the minimum figures stands, the Jets will likely pay at least $3.3 million more per season on a new multiyear contract because they waited a year. On a four- or five-year extension that could add up to an extra $16.5 million over the life of the contract.
According to Rich Cimini of ESPN, #Jets DL Quinnen Williams (@QuinnenWilliams) “is thought to be seeking more than $21 million per year, the second-highest salary among defensive tackles” on a brand new contract this offseason.
