Cowboys slammed with worrisome Quinnen Williams warning

The Dallas Cowboys made a huge and unexpected splash last season when they traded for New York Jets star Quinnen Williams.

Williams' potential availability wasn't public knowledge, and Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones made sure to get the deal done by sending them Mazi Smith, a 2026 second-round draft pick (D'Angelo Ponds) and a 2027 first-round draft pick.

Williams excelled in his first half-season in Arlington, though the team's ailing defense still couldn't get the job done and make the playoffs. Now, the Cowboys might be stuck between a rock and a hard place with his next contract, as explained by CBS Sports' Joel Corry.

The Cowboys have no leverage with Quinnen Williams

“The draft capital to obtain Williams already gave him substantial contract leverage,” Corry wrote. “The Odighizuwa trade gave Williams more leverage. Shortly thereafter, Dallas announced there wouldn’t be negotiations for a long-term deal with wide receiver George Pickens, who was given a $27.298 million franchise tag.”

The Cowboys committed to Williams and reshaped the interior of the defensive line to accommodate him. That makes perfect sense, but with the way the market for defensive tackles has blown up recently, they might be looking at a massive payday for him in his next deal.

“Dallas should have anticipated a contract extension for Jalen Carter, whom the Eagles selected ninth overall in 2023’s NFL Draft, and tried to get ahead of it,” Corry continued. “After (Eagles GM Howie) Roseman briefly made Jordan Davis the NFL’s highest-paid nose tackle with a three-year, $78 million extension in March, it should have been apparent that the same was going to be done for Carter with the interior defensive linemen generally when he signed a new deal.”

Williams still has two years left on his contract. He was traded just one year into his four-year, $96 million contract extension with the Jets. Of course, there's no indication that the Cowboys won't want to pay him what he's worth, but Jerry Jones is an unpredictable man when it comes to contract negotiations. Things usually get worse before they get better.

Williams finished last season with 21 tackles, nine QB hits, three tackles for loss, one pass defensed, one interception and 1.5 sacks in just seven games with the Cowboys.