The Dallas Cowboys have signed four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to a three-year, $105.9 million contract extension, according to a team source. Dallas acquired Williams from the New York Jets in a blockbuster deal ahead of last year’s trade deadline.
This extension was expected. Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones has been open about wanting to get a deal done with Williams since camp started. Williams’ agent, Nicole Lynn, attended practice Saturday, making it seem like an extension could be near.
“He’s a great player and one of the hardest practicing guys out there,” Jones said Monday. “Every time he lines up, you feel him. He doesn’t take anything for granted. He doesn’t say, ‘Hey, I got this. I’ll let my play do the talking.’ You see it.
“He’s the best player on the field whenever he’s out there. The other thing is is just what a man he is. He’s a leader. We didn’t have a lot of leadership on defense for the last couple of years. To have him and Kenny Clark and Rashan Gary. I think they really picked it up over there in terms of the culture and the leadership.”
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Williams is the centerpiece of what should be a much improved defensive unit. The Cowboys look at Williams as more than just an outstanding player, he’s also a team leader. He’s on the leadership council and has his locker next to Dak Prescott’s in the middle of the locker room.
Williams had two years remaining on the four-year, $96 million contract extension he signed before the 2023 season.
“We want Quinnen here for the long haul,” Jones said two weeks ago. “Obviously we’ve got a lot of resources tied up in him, and he knows what we think about him. We’ve had some discussions with the agent about how to go about the process, but certainly he’s one of the best in the business, and we know kind of what that market is.”
Williams said two weeks ago that Dallas is “for sure” where he wants to be for the long term.
“Especially being here with these guys,” he added. “You’ve got a phenomenal group, a phenomenal staff; organization-wise, it’s unbelievable. And then having guys that you can call and lean on, like DeMarcus Ware is one of my guys, it’s unbelievable.
“I’m not really focused on no contract. I definitely would enjoy and love being here for the long haul, but I want to win, and that’s kind of the only thing I’m really focused on is winning and getting this defense into the groove where we can win football games.”
“He’s an incredible teammate,” Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “He’s one of the most humble superstars I’ve ever been around. He truly is. I think being in New York and unfortunately not being a part of playoff teams, he’s to the point in his career where it’s not about money, it’s not about sacks, it’s about wins. And I love that because when you combine that with certain guys like Dak Prescott and other players, that’s what they want to lead the league in is wins. And he’s just an awesome family man. Great teammate, but the player speaks for itself.”
Williams, the No. 3 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, spent the first 6.5 seasons of his career with the Jets and was named to Pro Bowls from 2022 to 2025. He was also a first-team All-Pro selection in 2022 after finishing with 12 sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
He played in seven games for the Cowboys last season and finished with 1.5 sacks, 21 tackles, three tackles for loss and nine quarterback hits.
