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Quinnen Williams changes Twitter bio amid contract dispute with Jets

Published May. 15, 2023 2:11 p.m. ET

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Henry McKenna

AFC East Reporter

Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams has used social media to distance himself from the New York Jets amid contraction negotiations. 

Williams changed his Twitter bio to say: "Defensive Tackle for ………………." It seems to be a shot at his current team. Williams' profile photo shows him in an Alabama uniform, rather than from his time in New York.

In an offseason when things seemed to be going the Jets’ way — most notably because they finally added quarterback Aaron Rodgers — Williams drew attention to the recourse of the big acquisition. Rodgers costs a lot of money. And now there's less to go around for the other Jets players.

"He loves the Jets. He just wants to get paid. Hopefully it doesn't get messy," a league source told FOX Sports.

Williams could make the case for $25 million per year (just a bit more than Titans DT Jeffery Simmons) to $30 million (just less than Rams DT Aaron Donald). A league source confirmed that's where Williams wants to land. But given the Jets' cap situation, Williams will likely land at $25 million in average annual value — if he sticks with the team.

Williams' latest post is a retweet of information about defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence's contract extension with the New York Giants. Lawrence entered the NFL in the same draft class (2019) but Williams' contract should be substantially larger.

Lawrence signed a four-year, $87.5 million contract extension. And while he will make $24.3 million in new money in 2023, he has just $2.3 million in salary and a cap hit of $6.7 million. 

The Jet can do better than that, right?

Well, maybe not. As with any deal structure like this, the following years are when the bill begins to come due. So in 2024, the Giants are set to pay Lawrence $17.5 million in new money with a cap hit of $21.9 million. That's where the scope of the contract really feels large.

The Jets' problem is that they paid big money (and draft assets) to solve their quarterback problem. To maneuver their way under the cap this year, they pushed the majority of Rodgers' contract into next year. The Jets are currently $41 million over the cap in 2024, per Over The Cap. New York is also tight against the cap this year ($7.5 million in space).

So it's not like the Jets can't spend. They can. The salary cap is highly fungible. Even with all that flexibility, Rodgers' contract is making it difficult for the Jets to give Williams the contract he wants. Difficult, but not impossible.

Next year, New York will likely push a large sum of Rodgers' dollars into 2025, if he doesn't retire. (That's a pretty big if. And it's probably why the Jets are nervous to keep putting themselves in the hole for next year.) So between that and a few cap casualties, the Jets will finagle their way under the cap. 

An extension for Williams will mean even more cap casualties for 2023.

"You'd have to ask Joe [Douglas]," Saleh said when asked about the contract dispute on May 8 on "The Rich Eisen Show." "I'm very confident that he will get it done. I know reports were flying around this weekend, but he'll get done. I'm not worried about that one."

Williams is one of the most valuable players on this defense. He is the fourth-best defensive interior player in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. Williams recorded 12 sacks and 35 tackles in 2022. Even at 25 years old, he is one of the biggest leaders on New York's defense, which will surely be one of the NFL's best in 2023. 

The Jets are going to pay him. So it's really a matter of when and how much. Williams' gesture on social media is clearly a way to leverage every dollar out of New York.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.

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