Cowboys Restructure Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Tyler Smith’s Contracts
PFR’s Cowboys Offseason Outlook indicated the team exited last week with the league’s worst cap situation. Dallas came into today more than $56MM over the $301.2MM salary ceiling. They are moving back toward cap compliance with some expected adjustments.
The Cowboys restructured Dak Prescott and Tyler Smith‘s contracts Wednesday, ESPN’s Field Yates and Adam Schefter tweet. These moves will create $47MM in cap space, bringing Dallas within $10MM of the 2026 cap. The team also restructured CeeDee Lamb‘s deal to clear more room, per ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. Other possible conversions are available as well. The Lamb move, expected to clear $19MM more in space, slides the Cowboys under the cap.
Dallas used a $28.29MM franchise tag to keep George Pickens off the free agent market. That sank the team deeper into the red. But Pickens is firmly in the Cowboys’ 2026 plans. As a result, contract updates are coming to make it affordable. Quinnen Williams and Osa Odighizuwa‘s deals are also on that list, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris, and a rumored Kenny Clark extension effort would reduce the 2025 trade pickup’s cap hit.
Prescott, 32, is tied to the NFL’s richest contract — a four-year, $240MM extension agreed to hours before Week 1 of the 2024 season. This move will reduce the 11th-year quarterback’s $50.52MM 2026 cap number while inflating future numbers on the through-2028 contract. Before this restructure, Prescott was already due to count more than $74MM against Dallas’ 2027 cap. Another restructure would be on tap before that point.
The Cowboys backed themselves into a corner with Prescott based on previous restructures. His no-tag clause and the void year-driven penalties that would have come in 2025 absent an extension armed the upper-crust QB with extraordinary leverage. He used it to score the $60MM-per-year extension — which still hovers well above the QB market 18 months later.
Lamb is signed through 2028 on a $34MM-AAV extension. The Cowboys have now restructured his deal twice as well. Lamb was due to count $38.24MM on Dallas’ 2026 cap and more than $41MM next year. While Lamb’s 2027 number will balloon, his 2026 figure will drop to create spending space. Smith, who signed the NFL’s most lucrative guard deal last fall ($24MM AAV), is signed through 2030. His cap number will drop from $27.5MM.
Cowboys Plan To Spend More In Free Agency This Year
At approximately $56.133MM in the red, the Cowboys own the worst salary cap situation in the NFL heading into March. That will not be the case for long. Owner Jerry Jones indicated the Cowboys will adjust several contracts to give themselves far more financial freedom before the legal tampering period begins March 9.
Dallas will restructure deals belonging to quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and left guard Tyler Smith, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Doing so will free up $66MM in breathing room. The Cowboys will also rework contracts for the expensive defensive tackle trio of Quinnen Williams, Osa Odighizuwa and Kenny Clark. As things stand, they are due to count an untenable $63MM against the cap in 2026.
Once those changes become official, Jones will act aggressively to improve a team coming off back-to-back seven-win seasons. Adding defensive lineman Solomon Thomas on a two-year, $8MM deal was the Cowboys’ priciest outside free agent signing last offseason. It appears they will operate much differently this year.
“I would bet that we will spend more money in free agency than we have,” said Jones, who added that the team also has “ammunition” to be active on the trade front.
On the offensive side, the Cowboys have already placed the $27.298MM franchise tag on receiver George Pickens and re-signed running back Javonte Williams to a three-year, $24MM pact. Those two were key contributors on one of the league’s best offenses in 2025, whereas the Cowboys’ last-ranked scoring defense was a train wreck. The unit predictably stumbled after losing its best player, outside linebacker Micah Parsons, in a late-August blockbuster trade with the Packers.
The Cowboys received Clark and two first-round picks in the Parsons swap, giving them a pair of No. 1s in each of the next two drafts. They have picks 12 and 20 in Round 1 this April. It seems fair to expect the Cowboys to use both of those selections to upgrade their defense. Regardless, the 83-year-old Jones expects immediate impact from his top rookies in 2026 (via Jon Machota of The Athletic).
Having kept Pickens and Williams from the open market, the Cowboys will turn their attention to complementing their prolific offense with a vastly improved defense. New coordinator Christian Parker‘s plan to implement a 3-4 base, which Dallas has not run since 2012, only increases the urgency for outside additions.
Cowboys Notes: Pickens, Williams, Clark, Clowney, Dean, Liufau
Although the Cowboys placed the nonexclusive franchise tag on George Pickens, they should not exactly be worried about someone poaching him. An offer sheet is seen as highly unlikely, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. An unmatched franchise tag offer sheet would result in two first-rounders coming back to Dallas. Pickens’ standout 2025 season notwithstanding, he would not fetch that in a trade. While a tag-and-trade scenario has been mentioned here — as the Cowboys have CeeDee Lamb on a $34MM-per-year extension — the team looks set to retain its high-profile WR2 for 2026.
“We couldn’t take the chance on losing him,” executive VP Stephen Jones said, via AllDLLS.com’s Clarence Hill. “George was fired up, excited. He said I don’t want to play anywhere but with the Cowboys. That’s what we suspected. It was all good.”
Jerry Jones spoke with Pickens by phone from the Combine following the tag, per Hill. Pickens, 25, cannot be fined for skipping minicamp or training camp workouts until he signs his $28.3MM franchise tender. The Cowboys are a staggering $56MM-plus over the cap after tagging Pickens, but they will be able to restructure contracts — including Lamb, Dak Prescott, DaRon Bland and Osa Odighizuwa — to create considerable room ahead of free agency.
Here is the latest from around Dallas:
- Another way to create some cap space would be extending Kenny Clark or Quinnen Williams. The Clark-Odighizuwa-Williams trio is set to count a whopping $63.9MM against the Cowboys’ 2026 cap, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris notes the team is in discussions to improve that situation this week. Clark is due an $11MM roster bonus March 13, but Harris adds he is unlikely to be traded, pointing to an extension being in play. Clark is in the final year of a three-year, $66MM Packers-designed deal — one shipped to Dallas in the Micah Parsons trade — and going into an age-31 season. The Cowboys are not expected to deal a player from their three-DT logjam, with new DC Christian Parker exploring ways to maximize it. If one of the DTs is to be moved, though, Harris points to Clark being the top departure candidate.
- In December, a second Jadeveon Clowney Cowboys contract was in play. With Parker now running the defense, Clowney’s Dallas future appears foggier. Stephen Jones confirmed (via The Athletic’s Jon Machota) no talks with the free agent-to-be have taken place. “We’re gonna work through with [Parker]. A lot of it will happen this coming week, in terms of the type of player (we’re looking for),” Jones said. “We’re gonna continue to have those talks, and then we’ll make final decisions on who we think will be productive in this particular system.” Clowney, 33 in April, has played for seven teams in 12 NFL seasons. The former No. 1 overall pick tallied 8.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss — his most TFLs since his 2018 Houston finale — as a bright spot on a bad Dallas defense.
- With Parker coming over from Philadelphia, some Eagles could be in play to follow him. The Cowboys should be expected to pursue Nakobe Dean, Hill adds. Parker and Dean overlapped for two seasons, and the latter is one of the top ILBs available. Dean’s injury history will make it unlikely he competes with Devin Lloyd or Quay Walker prices on this year’s market, but the former third-round pick should fare decently in free agency. Although Dean wants to stay in Philly, the Eagles paid Zack Baun and using a first-round pick on Jihaad Campbell last year. That makes Dean likely to relocate soon. The Cowboys have a clear need at linebacker, having cut trade pickup Logan Wilson this week. DeMarvion Overshown is also in a contract year.
- As Parker prepares to install a 3-4 defense, Marist Liufau will change positions. The off-ball linebacker is moving to a 3-4 OLB role, Machota adds. A 2024 third-round pick, Liufau has made 14 starts in two seasons.
Cowboys Offered Micah Parsons For Quinnen Williams, First-Rounder During Training Camp
DECEMBER 2: Jones issued a clarification on Tuesday, telling 105.3 The Fan that he offered Parsons to the Jets for Williams and a first-rounder (via Clarence Hill of Jr. of All City DLLS). It was not Parsons and a first for Williams, as many inferred from Jones’ previous comments on the subject.
NOVEMBER 28: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently revealed that he offered Micah Parsons plus a first-round pick to the Jets in exchange for Quinnen Williams during training camp. We had previously heard Cowboys-Jets discussions commenced during the runup to the eventual Parsons swap with the Packers, but the longtime owner has provided a rather notable detail here.
“I wanted a one and Parsons for Williams,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. That seems like an absurd offer, but Jones left little up to interpretation.
“A one and Parsons for Williams,” he repeated. Later, he added that the deal did not go through because the Jets “did not have the cap room to pay [Parsons].”
Jones also said something similar to WFAA’s Ed Werder: “We tried at training camp with the Jets to basically make an exchange that was ready to go, heads up, with Quinnen and Micah and a 1, and we didn’t get it done.”
Parsons, of course, was instead sent to the Packers for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. The Cowboys later acquired Williams before the trade deadline for a package including a 2027 first-rounder, a 2026 second-rounder, and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
Jones has slowly revealed more and more information about the Parsons trade since it was completed. During a September radio appearances on ESPN New York, Jones said that called the Jets regarding Williams when he was shopping Parsons before the season. The Jets were not interested, he claimed, because they “didn’t have the resources to entertain [the] conversation,” similar to his pronouncement on 103.5.
If Jones’ latest revelation is true, that means two things. First, he was willing to sacrifice a massive amount of value to move Parsons and acquire Williams. Second, the Jets made a huge mistake in not accepting the deal.
Though Williams is an excellent defensive tackle, Parsons is undoubtedly a better and more valuable player, even at a higher price point. This year, Williams has 2.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss this season; per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he ranks fifth among interior defenders with 40 pressures but 38th with a 12.1% pass rush win rate.
Parsons, meanwhile, has 12.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss, plus 67 pressures and a 24.3% pass rush win rate, both top-three marks among NFL edge rushers. In his career, he has averaged 0.89 sacks and one tackle for loss per game; Williams’ per-game numbers are 0.41 sacks and 0.60 tackles for loss.
Those numbers may not tell the complete story of either player, but it seems like the Jets should have taken Jones’ offer. Sure, they would have had to pony up for Parsons’ mega-extension, but they were already prepared to move on from Williams. Adding an extra first-round pick on top would also give the Jets an opportunity to add another starter – if not a star – on a rookie contract. That would help to offset the financial cost of acquiring Parsons.
But Jones’ words should also be taken with a grain of salt. He has spent a lot of time trying to retroactively justify trading away Parsons, especially after using some of the resulting draft capital to acquire Williams. Claiming that the Jets were not interested in Parsons and a first-rounder for Williams serves to downplay the former’s value and boost the latter’s.
The idea that the Jets could not afford to pay Parsons does not hold water, either. After his extension, the All-Pro edge rusher’s cap hit in 2025 is just $9.97MM. New York certainly could have designed a similar contract structure and absorbed
Perhaps the Jets did want to commit so much money to Parsons as they were clearly contemplating a rebuild. Parsons would still be a cornerstone for that effort, but he may not have wanted to weather any losing seasons in the hopes of a future turnaround. But again, adding another first-round pick would have accelerated that process, and a core of Parsons, cornerback Sauce Gardner, and wide receiver Garrett Wilson seems like a solid foundation for the Jets to build from. That is an expensive trio, but having elite players at three of the sport’s most important positions is a good problem to have.
Instead, the Jets declined the Cowboys’ initial offer for Williams before moving him and Gardner at the deadline as part of what appears to be a full-on franchise reset.
Quinnen Williams’ Criticism Of Jets’ QB Decision Made Impact; Latest On Cowboys’ DT Plans
The Jets decided against selling off auxiliary cogs at the trade deadline, opting instead to gut the core of their team by trading Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams in barely an hour. While the team collected three first-rounders and more from the Colts and Cowboys in those swaps, the current regime will be tasked with high-profile efforts to replace two All-Pros.
Williams fetched a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first and former Cowboys first-round defensive tackle Mazi Smith in the blockbuster deal. The Jets had discussed Williams with the Cowboys as part of the Micah Parsons trade, but no deal commenced then. Dallas circling back required the team to agree to a condition that could prove valuable for New York. The Jets will receive the higher of the Cowboys’ two first-round picks in the 2027 draft, one believed to be teeming with top-end talent.
[RELATED: Bills Pursued Williams Before Deadline]
Competing with the Jaguars to land Williams, the Cowboys entered into serious trade talks with the Jets on Monday, ESPN’s Rich Cimini notes. The Jets were not a lock to deal Williams to the Jags had the Cowboys not upped the ante, as Gang Green needed to be “blown away” to give in on Williams’ trade push. The Cowboys giving the Jets the sweetener of having access to the higher of Dallas’ 2027 first-rounders finalized the trade, Cimini adds.
Months before Williams was dealt, he had made it known on multiple occasions he would like to be moved. The seventh-year veteran’s tweet about another rebuilding year being likely — a social media salvo launched after the team’s plans to release Aaron Rodgers became known — did not go over well with some in the organization, Cimini adds.
Williams later admitted a mistake there, but the three-time Pro Bowler made no secret about his frustration with the Jets’ losing ways. The Jets have not made the playoffs since 2010 — far and away the NFL’s longest-running drought — and Williams went 0-for-6 in .500 seasons as a Jet, with the team topping out at seven wins during his tenure. The Jets have won two straight, though they started 0-7 as Justin Fields struggled. The picks obtained in the Gardner and Williams deals figure to be aimed at acquiring a long-term quarterback answer.
The Jets had also used Williams more as a three-technique tackle in Aaron Glenn‘s scheme, after he had played more nose previously. While Williams’ snap percentage in the A-gap did not decline noticeably under Glenn, Cimini said the subtle position shift contributed to his unhappiness. Williams, 27, now joins Kenny Clark, Osa Odighizuwa and Solomon Thomas in a suddenly crowded Cowboys D-tackle corps.
Adding Williams does create a complication for a Cowboys team now carrying three $20MM DT salaries. The team plans on using all three when it uses five on-ball defenders, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano. Though, only two will play when the team is using four down linemen.
The Cowboys are planning to be creative to get all three on the field at once, per Graziano, though it will be interesting to see the snap percentages when Williams, Clark and Odighizuwa share the field. The Cowboys believe Williams’ presence will also help a struggling sect of edge rushers draw more favorable matchups.
This NFL period has involved far more sub-package sets than base defenses, and teams do not make a habit of including DTs as edge rushers when in nickel. That adds more scrutiny to Dallas’ decision to trade two premium picks for Williams after already paying Odighizuwa (four years, $80MM) in March and then taking on Clark’s three-year, $64MM Packers extension in the Parsons trade.
Odighizuwa’s 2026 money is fully guaranteed, while Clark’s through-2027 contract does not have any guarantees beyond this season. Beyond Kirk Cousins, the Chiefs have the NFL’s most expensive backup (tackle Jaylon Moore, who is at $15MM per year). The Cowboys’ base 4-3 alignment figures to vault either Clark or Odighizuwa past Moore.
It would be odd for the Cowboys to bail on Clark after prioritizing him in the Parsons trade, but Dallas carrying three $20MM-per-year DTs — with Williams having previously pushed the Jets for a contract rework (and not yet receiving it) — to go with a $60MM-AAV quarterback (Dak Prescott) and $34MM-per-year wide receiver (CeeDee Lamb) will be a challenge. A Williams extension would reduce his 2026 cap number, slated to check in at $21.75MM.
The team may need to find another rookie-contract edge rusher, as the Parsons void remains at that position. Keeping its two 2026 first-rounders will help on that end, but for the time being, how Matt Eberflus deploys his three high-priced DTs during this season’s second half will be very interesting and perhaps prove telling about the team’s long-term plans.
Bills Were “High Bidder” For Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle, Also Pursued DT Quinnen Williams
After Tuesday’s trade deadline passed, Bills GM Brandon Beane lamented the fact that he was unable to swing a deal to improve his roster. He also noted that his club’s salary cap situation – Buffalo has under $3MM of cap space – prevented him from “fishing in the deep end of the pond.”
But subsequent reports suggest Beane did plenty of deep sea (or pond) fishing. The problem is that several of his targets are/were on teams in the same division, making it more difficult to consummate a trade.
According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the Bills were the “high bidder” for Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle. The team was known to be interested in a receiver upgrade, and Waddle certainly would have fit the bill(s).
Champ Kelly, the Dolphins’ interim GM, was said to be more amenable than Chris Grier, his predecessor, to a Waddle deal. Kelly nonetheless set a high asking price on Waddle, which was reported to be a first-round pick “and then some.”
According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Dolphins were seeking a third-rounder in addition to a first–round selection in a Waddle trade. Pelissero reports Beane was willing to meet that price, but not in the way Miami wanted (video link). Beane was prepared to part with a 2026 third-rounder and a 2027 first, but Kelly wanted the first-rounder to be in 2026. Plus, Pelissero’s NFL Network colleague Mike Garafolo hears Kelly would have required even more than that if he were to agree to send Waddle to the division-rival Bills. Waddle’s prorated 2025 base salary of $1.17MM would have been feasible for Buffalo to absorb, but the cost of the trade itself clearly was not. In the end, Waddle stayed put.
More difficult from at least a financial standpoint for the Bills to acquire was Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, though Pelissero reports Beane pursued him as well (and offered a first-round pick as part of his proposal). Buffalo has one of the worst run defenses in the league, and starting DT Ed Oliver suffered a torn biceps in Week 8 and will not return until the postseason (if at all). Williams would have been an ideal on-field fit, but his prorated 2025 salary of $15.65MM would have required a great deal of last-minute maneuvering on Beane’s part (as Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com observes). And, it is fair to assume New York, like Miami, would have set an even higher price tag for a divisional foe (Gang Green ultimately dealt Willams to the Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 second-rounder, a 2027 first-rounder, and DT Mazi Smith).
Having struck out in their trade pursuits – which also included a stab at a CB upgrade and linebacker Logan Wilson – the Bills will hope their existing roster can make another playoff run. The team is 6-3 and in a close race with the surprising Patriots (8-2) for the AFC East title.
Latest On Sauce Gardner Trade; Jets HC Aaron Glenn’s Job Is Safe
The Jets’ deadline trade sending cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Colts in exchange for a 2026 first-rounder, a 2027 first-rounder, and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell caught many by surprise. However, the foundation for those types of deals is typically laid well in advance of the agreement itself. That is exactly what happened here, as multiple reporters, including Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic (subscription required), detail that the framework of the Gardner deal – and the other swaps New York made – began to take shape in Week 4.
At that time, GM Darren Mougey and his staff began to hold weekly meetings to discuss, among other things, the trade value of each player on the roster. The idea was to avoid recency bias as the November 4 deadline approached and other clubs began making trade offers.
So, although ESPN’s Rich Cimini says the Jets never intended to move Gardner – whom they signed to a four-year, $120.4MM contract extension in July – they did establish what it would take to consider trading him if an offer came in. Per Cimini and Albert Breer of SI.com, that price was indeed two first-rounders and a quality player.
After the Colts’ Week 6 victory over the Cardinals improved their record to 5-1, Breer says Indianapolis’ assistant GM, Ed Dodds, placed calls around the league seeking CB help (Charvarius Ward suffered a concussion prior to the Arizona contest and landed on injured reserve as a result, and rookie Justin Walley sustained a season-ending ACL tear in August). Dodds’ efforts led him to Mougey, who indicated he would listen to offers on anyone on the roster, even if he was not actively looking to trade certain players.
Mougey and Colts GM Chris Ballard then discussed the possibility of a Gardner trade. While Cimini says Ballard initially balked at the asking price, Mougey himself noted Indianapolis’ offers “kept getting richer and richer.” The Colts inquired on the Giants’ Deonte Banks (per Cimini) and the Saints’ Alontae Taylor (as previously reported), but Gardner is on an entirely different tier.
As Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon put it during a conversation with Ballard on the eve of the deadline, “[d]o you want to Band-Aid [the cornerback position] or fix it for the long-term?” (via Breer). When Ballard explained how valuable Gardner could be, particularly considering the importance of CBs in defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s scheme, Irsay-Gordon agreed the long-term fix was the right choice.
According to Cimini, the Jets were emphatic about including Mitchell in the trade. Breer adds Indianapolis grew increasingly amenable to moving the 2024 second-rounder, who had become an afterthought in the team’s offense. With the Jets high on Mitchell and the Colts prepared to move on, all of the pieces for the Gardner trade were in place.
Of course, Gardner was not the only elite defender Mougey jettisoned at the deadline. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams was sent to the Cowboys in a swap that netted the Jets DT Mazi Smith, a 2026 second-rounder, and the higher of Dallas’ two 2027 first-rounders. Per Breer, Mougey knew the Cowboys would not give back everything they had gotten in the offseason Micah Parsons trade, which is one of the reasons why the GM began to consider a first-rounder in 2027 instead of 2026. The other reason is that he and his staff believe the ‘27 draft class offers more promise than the ‘26 crop. Now, thanks to the Gardner and Williams deals, the Jets have three first-round selections (including their own) in a year they consider to be rife with quality prospects.
Both Brian Costello of the New York Post and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network write that head coach Aaron Glenn was heavily involved in the trade discussions, which bolsters Rapoport’s report that Glenn will not be a one-and-done coach. Owner Woody Johnson recently called Glenn “the real deal,” and sources tell Rapoport that Glenn will not be judged by the Jets’ 2025 record and will be given a chance to guide the club through its rebuild.
Johnson has a history of being something of a meddlesome owner, but Cimini suggests that was not the case at this year’s deadline. Instead, when his first-year GM and HC told him of the plan to trade Gardner mere months after authorizing a lucrative extension for him, Johnson simply reaffirmed his faith in his top power brokers.
Jaguars Pursued Quinnen Williams; Sauce Gardner Deal Accelerated Jets’ Willingness To Move On
Mason Graham-to-Jacksonville was a mock-draft staple for a while, but the Jaguars moved in a different direction by trading up for Travis Hunter. Their defensive tackle need went on the back-burner, but we heard before the deadline the team had circled back to it.
The Cowboys completed the trade deadline’s second-biggest deal by sending a 2026 second-round pick, a conditional 2027 first-rounder and defensive tackle Mazi Smith to the Jets for Quinnen Williams. This blockbuster, however, came after the Jaguars made what veteran insider Jordan Schultz describes as a “strong push” for the disgruntled Jet. In the end, the Cowboys made the better offer, dangling one of their four first-round picks from 2026-27 to seal the deal.
Williams came up in Cowboys-Jets Micah Parsons talks, and Dallas circled back to its target — as an enduring goal to repair its run defense now involves a second megadeal. Several teams pursued Williams, Schultz adds, and the Jets determined the offer of first- and second-rounders plus Smith was enough to move on from a player who wanted out.
A big market checks out for a player of Williams’ caliber, and we heard late last month the Jets were listening on their longtime front-seven centerpiece. The three-time Pro Bowler denied his relationship with Aaron Glenn was broken, as a Tuesday report noted the D-tackle’s one-on-one meeting with his new HC launched his quest to be traded.
While Williams confirmed he was frustrated with the Jets’ losing ways, he said (via ESPN.com’s Todd Archer) respects Glenn’s approach this year. Perhaps being diplomatic now that a trade has been completed, Williams will now see his reported pursuit of a contract rework fall in the Cowboys’ hands. His four-year, $96MM deal — which has just $5MM in guarantees left beyond 2025 — runs through 2027.
Although the Jets were not intent on trading Williams and Sauce Gardner, they decided on the latter move after the Colts bet big on the cornerback. Indianapolis sending New York two first-round picks and wideout Adonai Mitchell for Gardner made the Jets’ decision to moving Williams earlier, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes.
New York made the deal with Indianapolis barely an hour before the Williams swap. Prior to that, the Colts pursued Alontae Taylor in what would have been a much lower-profile trade. It would have been interesting to see if the Jets would have followed through on the Williams trade had Indy not stepped up on Gardner. The Jets will have plenty of work to do on defense, having gutted a unit that ranked in the top five in yards allowed from 2022-24. Though, Glenn’s first year has produced a 20th-place ranking in total defense through eight games.
The Jaguars are among the NFL’s best run defenses, ranking third in that area. Williams, Pro Football Focus’ No. 1-ranked interior D-lineman in run stoppage, would have provided the fringe contender a significant boost in this department. The Jags have 2024 free agency addition Arik Armstead and DaVon Hamilton in place as starting DTs, while Austin Johnson, former second-round pick Maason Smith and Khalen Saunders are in place behind them.
Armstead leads the Jags with 3.5 sacks, though he is not quite on Williams’ level as a 32-year-old defender. Williams made the past three Pro Bowls and notched 23.5 sacks in that span. However, he only posted one sack and three QB hits this season. The Jags also have not seen any of their DTs besides Armstead record a sack this season. They will attempt to keep getting by as is, though Armstead’s age and the Williams interest points to the franchise making moves to bolster this area in 2026.
Jets Trade Quinnen Williams To Cowboys
The Jets are adding a third first-round pick in barely an hour. Rumblings of the team being more open to trading Quinnen Williams have indeed preceded a deal, as the Cowboys will acquire the standout defensive tackle.
A first-rounder “and more” is headed to the Jets in exchange for Williams, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. This deal comes shortly after the Jets sent Sauce Gardner to the Colts for two first-round picks. Here is how the now-official trade breaks down, via The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and ESPN’s Adam Schefter:
Cowboys receive:
- Williams
Jets receive:
- 2026 second-round pick
- Higher of Cowboys’ two 2027 first-round picks
- DT Mazi Smith
The Cowboys, of course, had some ammo to play with after acquiring two first-rounders for Micah Parsons this summer. The Cowboys and Jets had discussed Williams — as Dallas shopped for D-tackles — as part of a Parsons trade. After the team ended up making the Parsons trade with Green Bay, Dallas is loaded at defensive tackle now. They obtained Kenny Clark in that trade and having re-signed Osa Odighizuwa just before free agency. SNY’s Connor Hughes had indicated the Jets were believed to be softening their stance on keeping Williams, noting the price also may have dropped. The team still pried first- and second-rounders from Dallas, doing so after it seemed weeks ago Williams was off the table.
[RELATED: Williams Issued Multiple Trade Requests]
For a team sitting 3-5-1 — after a two-score loss to the Cardinals — it is borderline astounding to see the Cowboys give up future first- and second-round picks here. But Jerry Jones hinted at the Parsons trade giving the Cowboys options to trade picks for players. Weeks later, that has come to fruition.
Jones hinted at a trade being agreed to Monday, but the Cowboys acquired Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson on Tuesday morning. This Williams addition is a much bigger splash. The Cowboys’ defense has crumbled in Matt Eberflus‘ first year in charge, with Parsons’ exit being felt immediately. The Cowboys have been unable to stop opponents from passing or running, ranking 31st in points and yards allowed. The Cardinals continued that trend Monday night, and Jones is responding — as a way to help a high-powered offense stay in the playoff race.
Dallas’ defense has struggled despite Jones remarking the Parsons trade would help the team improve against the run. Williams will certainly help there, but this is now a third high-priced D-tackle contract hitting Dallas’ payroll. The team re-signed Odighizuwa to a four-year, $80MM deal in March. The Cowboys then obtained Clark’s three-year, $64MM extension from the Packers. Williams is tied to a four-year, $96MM accord that runs through 2027.
The Jets extended Williams in summer 2023, a transformative offseason on the D-tackle market, and had seen him earn three straight Pro Bowl nods. In the year prior to the extension, Williams became a first-team All-Pro. The former No. 3 overall pick — selected during Mike Maccagnan‘s fifth and final draft as Jets GM — tallied 12 sacks in 2022, helping Robert Saleh‘s defense rocket from last place in 2021 to fourth in ’22. Williams combined for 11.5 sacks from 2023-24. Thus far this season, he has one to go with seven tackles for loss and three QB hits. Williams has 40 career sacks, recording at least 5.5 each year from 2020-24, to go with 59 TFLs.
Circling back to the Cowboys’ porous run defense, Jones is adding the player Pro Football Focus ranks first among all D-tackles in run stoppage. ESPN’s run stop win rate metric ranks Williams second, while slotting him 17th in pass rush win rate among DTs. Dallas now has the top two players in run stop win rate at DT, with Solomon Thomas ranking first. Though, Thomas’ placement has not moved the needle for a woeful Cowboys defense.
While this trade has proven costly, the Cowboys are landing an accomplished player who will not turn 28 until December. Williams should have a number of prime years left, and they are now slated to come in Dallas.
Smith did not work out in Dallas, finishing his tenure as a healthy scratch Monday night. Like Adonai Mitchell in the Gardner deal, Smith is more of a throw-in for a Jets regime intent on collecting draft capital to bring in its own pillars — after ditching Joe Douglas‘ on defense. Weight issues plagued Smith, who has become the rare modern Cowboys first-rounder to struggle.
The 2023 draftee is signed through the 2026 season. Smith is just 24, and he made 17 starts last season. PFF ranked Williams as the NFL’s second-worst D-tackle regular in 2024. He will not compare to Williams, but the Cowboys added the Michigan product to be a run-stuffing presence. Aaron Glenn and Steve Wilks will now begin grooming him in their scheme.
While the Cowboys are adding a proven piece, the Jets continue to tear down a defense that was viewed as one of the league’s best in recent years. Although the unit did not perform as well in 2024 following the Saleh firing, it ranked fourth in total defense in 2022, third in ’23 and third in ’24. Zach Wilson‘s struggles contributed to the team placing 12th in scoring defense in 2023, and Jeff Ulbrich‘s interim HC season closed at 20th in points allowed. But the Jets were one of the toughest teams to move the ball against during the Gardner-Williams years.
It can be argued the Jets will have a difficult time finding replacements for Gardner and Williams, even if the ones added may well be rookie-contract pieces for a while. Gardner earned two first-team All-Pro nods in three full Jets seasons; he is in his age-25 season. The team has now traded Williams and John Franklin-Myers in consecutive years, and Jermaine Johnson could be on the move — for a second-round pick — today as well. Needless to say, the Jets will have a difficult time stopping opponents through season’s end. But their plan is now draft-centric.
The 2000 Jets are the only team to make four first-round picks in the same draft, though Douglas made five combined first-round selections from 2021-22. Of that quintet, only Garrett Wilson appears a safe bet to be with the team in 2026. The Jets traded Wilson last year and have Alijah Vera-Tucker in a contract year. From the 2022 draft, Gardner is gone and Johnson could be following him out the door.
Glenn and GM Darren Mougey will have a chance to add their own foundational pieces beginning next year, as this Jets team is headed toward a top-five pick. The Colts are supplying them with a second first-rounder next year, and the Jets will have three 2027 first-rounders — barring a trade — as well. It will be interesting to see how the team begins its recovery effort, as the Jets were previously viewed as featuring a well-built defense.
Of Williams’ 2026 salary ($21.75MM), $5MM is guaranteed. The Jets are taking on dead money hits of $13.2MM in 2025 and $9.8MM in ’26, according to Spotrac. This is actually more dead cap than the Gardner trade is bringing ($19.75MM) due to contract structure.
Dallas entered the day behind only the Patriots in cap space. Even with Smith’s fully guaranteed contract in the deal, the Cowboys will use a chunk of it on Williams, who is owed roughly $8MM through season’s end. The Cowboys are loaded up with DT salaries, with Clark under contract through 2027 and Odighizuwa through 2028. Williams’ 2027 base salary is nonguaranteed, while Clark is due an $11MM roster bonus on Day 3 of the 2026 league year. Odighizuwa’s 2026 salary is fully guaranteed.
Quinnen Williams Made Multiple Trade Requests In Final Jets Stretch
The Jets cleaned house Tuesday. While several of the team’s trade chips are still on the roster, the club cashed out on Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams on deadline day.
Gardner is now a Colt, while the Cowboys paid up to pry Williams from the Jets. As it turned out, the Pro Bowl defensive tackle wanted out. Williams had made three separate trade requests to the Jets, according to SNY’s Connor Hughes. They met the last one, dealing him to Dallas in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first and former first-round D-tackle Mazi Smith.
Aaron Glenn was critical of Williams in their head-to-head meeting upon the former Lions DC taking the HC job, with Hughes noting the relationship began to spiral at that point. Williams also was not onboard with the Jets’ quarterback plan, commenting on X that it would be “another rebuilding year” for him after the team cut Aaron Rodgers this offseason. Glenn addressed that disapproval with Williams months ago, and while the standout D-tackle called his tweet immature, Hughes notes the Rodgers release did mark a key point on the Williams-Jets timeline.
The Jets have struggled with Justin Fields at the helm, benching him in Week 7 and then seemingly being prepared to start Tyrod Taylor in Week 8 before the backup was deemed unable to play due to injury. A 2019 draftee, Williams has not been part of an eight-win team yet as a Jet. He will head to a Cowboys team that has been far more successful in recent years, albeit one synonymous with postseason failure.
Williams’ trade asks stemmed from unhappiness with the Jets’ direction, per The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt. He is certainly not the first veteran to gripe about being part of a rebuild, and the Jets’ 0-7 start pointed them in that direction ahead of the trade deadline. Breece Hall made a trade request following the Williams and Gardner deals, but the Jets held onto their starting running back.
As Williams’ frustration with the situation spread around the NFL, Rosenblatt adds the Jets were still informing teams they were not trading him. The Jets discussed him with the Cowboys as part of a potential Micah Parsons trade, but no deal happened then. Hughes previously noted the team’s stance softened here, and the Jets began listening on deadline deals involving their top D-lineman recently. Receiving first- and second-round picks became enough to sever ties. He now joins Kenny Clark and Osa Odighizuwa in a Dallas DT corps including three $20MM-per-year contracts.
The Jets gave Williams a four-year, $96MM extension in July 2023. At the time, the former No. 3 overall pick’s $47.86MM fully guaranteed topped the market at DT. Chris Jones, Nnamdi Madubuike and Milton Williams now top that, and Christian Wilkins had done so before his messy Raiders divorce. Williams had also pushed for a rework, according to Hughes, that would have added guaranteed money to his deal.
Only $5MM guaranteed remains on the Alabama alum’s contract post-2025, but with Williams under contract through 2027 and the Jets changing regimes, nothing happened on this front. Williams, 27, had then made it known he had no intention to sign another Jets extension. Mike Maccagnan drafted Williams, and Joe Douglas extended him. After Darren Mougey traded him, the Cowboys will be the ones in charge of a potential rework now.