Quincy Williams

Jets Activate LB Quincy Williams From IR

Just three days after opening his 21-day practice window, the Jets have opted to activate linebacker Quincy Williams off of injured reserve. To make room on the 53-man roster, two players were placed on IR. Wide receiver Josh Reynolds and linebacker Cam Jones will miss at least the next four games after both suffered recent hip injuries.

Williams should easily fit back into the starting lineup on defense next to Jamien Sherwood. Just a year and a half removed from a first-team All-Pro season, Williams should immediately bring improvement to the Jets’ defensive front seven. Rookie fifth-round pick Kiko Mauigoa has been starting in Williams’ place and will likely revert to the third linebacker role, in which he’ll work on the first-team defense for formations that don’t require extra defensive backs.

Another interesting aspect of this transaction concerns the narrative of the trade deadline arriving in 10 days. Despite spending the last four weeks on IR, Williams has reportedly been monitored by teams looking for linebacker help on the trade market. Despite his recent All-Pro acclaim, Williams saw Sherwood, a former special teamer who developed into a starting role, earn a shiny, new deal as Williams made his way into a contract year. Though the shoulder injury may have dinged his value a bit, if a team comes in with the right price, the winless Jets are certainly in position to sell.

Reynolds has been running as WR2 in the Jets bottom-ranked pass attack this year. In five games, he’s caught 11 passes for 101 yards as the fourth most-targeted pass catcher on the offense, behind rookie tight end Mason Taylor and running back Breece Hall. With Reynolds out, fourth-round rookie Arian Smith and veterans Allen Lazard and Tyler Johnson will need to step up behind WR1 Garrett Wilson.

With Jones joining Reynolds on IR, the Jets had an open spot on the 53-man roster. The team opted to fill that spot by signing practice squad receiver Brandon Smith to the active roster. Smith will add depth to the receiving corps during Reynolds’ extended absence. Additionally, New York announced that it would call up defensive tackle Payton Page as a standard gameday practice squad elevation.

The Jets’ other practice squad elevation will be utilized on undrafted rookie quarterback Brady Cook. The Mizzou product is being called up for the second time this year to serve as the team’s backup quarterback on Sunday. Though it was initially thought that veteran Tyrod Taylor would be replacing Justin Fields as QB1, a knee injury will hold Taylor out, forcing Fields back into the first-team lineup and necessitating the elevation of Cook to back him up.

Jets More Open To Moving Jermaine Johnson Than Will McDonald; Teams Monitoring Quincy Williams

At 0-7, the Jets are an obvious seller ahead of the November 4 trade deadline. A host of Joe Douglas-era acquisitions have come up as potential pieces to be moved, but the team is sitting tight for the time being.

Breece Hall, Jermaine Johnson, Michael Carter II, Allen Lazard and even the injured Alijah Vera-Tucker have come up as trade chips. We can add Will McDonald and Quincy Williams, according to veteran insider Jordan Schultz, who notes the third-year defensive end and seventh-year linebacker are among those buyers are keeping an eye on presently.

Determining which players are in good standing with Aaron Glenn and GM Darren Mougey will be part of this Jets process ahead of the deadline, and McDonald may well be one of the untouchables for the team. The Jets have the 2023 first-rounder signed through 2026, and they can exercise his fifth-year option to move the rookie contract through 2027. That would lead the Jets to set a high price, which the team has been doing with other assets as well.

The Jets look to be more willing to part with Johnson than McDonald, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. New York picking up Johnson’s fifth-year option moved his contract year to 2026, but unlike fellow 2022 first-round picks Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner, the team did not extend the fourth-year defensive end. That leaves Johnson on uncertain terrain alongside Carter, whom Fowler adds is drawing interest despite not living up to his eight-figure-per-year contract.

Johnson’s 2026 option salary ($13.41MM) is fully guaranteed, providing a complication for teams. Having suffered an Achilles tear in September 2024 also dings Johnson’s stock. While he has recovered, three game absences have taken place as well. That stands to lower Johnson’s price tag — during a season in which he has started with one sack and just two QB hits — and it will be interesting to see if the Jets seriously consider selling low. Keeping Johnson through 2026 and hoping he boosts his value ahead of a future trade may be the smarter play, though Fowler adds he has drawn some trade interest.

Viewed as a Broderick Jones consolation prize in the ’23 first round, McDonald did not play much as a rookie. But he broke through in 2024, registering 10.5 sacks and 24 QB hits. This season, McDonald has just two QB drops — both came in Week 1.

The Iowa State alum would still stand to generate extensive interest, as a low-cost 2026 salary is in place ahead of a potential option season. The Jets, who let Bryce Huff walk in free agency last year before trading John Franklin-Myers, do not have much of note behind these two rushers. While moving Douglas-years pieces is likely, scanning elsewhere on their roster may be necessary to find a move.

Williams remains in the strange position of seeing a less accomplished player (Jamien Sherwood) lap him on the contract front. The Jets re-signed the special-teamer-turned-starter to a three-year, $45MM deal, doing so while not extending Williams, who is in the final season of a three-year, $18MM pact. Although Gang Green added incentives to Williams’ deal, he was deemed a higher priority by the Douglas-Robert Saleh regime than this one. Williams is also on IR with a shoulder injury, clouding his trade value.

A former first-team All-Pro, Williams is attached to a $6.5MM base salary. An acquiring team would need to pick up more than $3MM if the Jets dangle Williams closer to the deadline. Carter has come up as a trade piece as well, as the slot cornerback is not viewed as a long-term part of this equation any longer.

Extended on a three-year, $30.75MM pact in September 2024, Carter has battled injuries and shaky play since. The Jets also traded for Jarvis Brownlee this season and have given him some slot work. Carter, who is on just a $1.7MM base salary for 2025, has drawn some interest, per Fowler. Two former Jets defensive leaders — Saleh (49ers) and Jeff Ulbrich — have landed DC jobs elsewhere, making for potential fits.

An additional $4.1MM of Carter’s 2026 money becomes guaranteed on Day 5 of the 2026 league year, giving an acquiring team some flexibility. Considering the Jets have paid Gardner and authorized a $12MM-per-year Brandon Stephens deal, it would stand to reason they would be eager to get off the Carter contract before the deadline.

Jets Designate LB Quincy Williams For Return From IR

The Jets are hoping to see the return of an All-Pro on defense soon after designating linebacker Quincy Williams for his return from injured reserve. Williams has been out since New York’s Week 3 loss to the Buccaneers, and will now face a 21-day practice window, during which he can return to the active roster at any time. If he fails to be activated, though, he will revert to season-ending IR.

That likely is not a possibility, or at least, not an expected one. When the 29-year-old suffered a shoulder injury, the Jets realized that he would likely be out for a good stretch of time, but they did not consider him to be in danger of missing the remainder of the season. New York has been quiet on Williams’ progress coming back from injury so far, but his return to practice this week should provide some insight. He was a full participant today, and if that continues throughout the week, the team may not hesitate to get him back in the game.

The Jets typically run with two linebackers on defense, though a third starter is designated for formations that don’t require an extra defensive back. During Williams’ All-Pro year in 2023, he played next to C.J. Mosley, while Jamien Sherwood served as the occasional third starter. Last year looked to be a similar lineup, until Mosley saw toe and neck injuries limit him to only four games. With Mosley out, Sherwood stepped up next to Williams, and former college quarterback Chazz Surratt played the third-man role.

This season, following Mosley’s retirement and Surratt’s departure in free agency, it looked to be Williams and Sherwood reprising their roles with third-year linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball as the occasional third. McCrary-Ball had almost exclusively been a special teamer in his first two seasons, only appearing on the field for three defensive snaps before this year, and he had already set new career highs through three weeks of play when it was announced that he would be joining Williams on IR with a hamstring injury.

With both Williams and McCrary-Ball out, New York has turned to Miami (FL) fifth-round rookie Kiko Mauigoa. The 22-year-old has gone from appearing in a couple snaps here or there in the first two weeks to playing nearly full game snap shares alongside Sherwood. Over the last two weeks, former practice squad linebacker Mykal Walker has stepped into the third role of this thin linebacking corps.

If Williams is able to come back soon, Mauigoa will likely shift into the third-man role, at least until McCrary-Ball can also return from IR and compete for the job. Once he’s back in the starting lineup, Williams will work to get back up to the level of play he’s displayed over the past two years for the Green & White.

Jets Place Quincy Williams On IR, Add Mark Robinson From Patriots’ Practice Squad

The second level of the Jets’ defense will be shorthanded for a notable period. Linebacker Quincy Williams is headed to injured reserve, as first reported by ESPN’s Rich Cimini. The team has since confirmed the news.

Today’s news ensures Williams will miss at least the next four games. The 29-year-old is dealing with a shoulder injury, and he will be sidelined for a stretch. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Williams is not in danger of missing the remainder of the season but this shift to IR is a sign a lengthy absence is in store.

Williams was not among the Jets who received an extension this offseason, but the 2023 All-Pro had $1.5MM in incentives added to his pact in August. Reaching those targets will now be much more difficult with missed time set to occur. New York will also be without an impact starter for the time being. Since being claimed off waivers in 2021, Williams has served as a full-time starter and remained highly consistent. He is a pending free agent.

The Jets’ linebacking core will also be without Marcelino McCrary-Ball for the time being. The third-year special teams contributor has also been placed on IR. Cimini notes he suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday. McCrary-Ball has only logged 80 career snaps on defense in his career, but his third phase ability will be missed while also leaving New York without another linebacker option.

To help compensate for their losses, the Jets are looking to an AFC East rival for help at the LB position. Mark Robinson has been signed off the Patriots’ practice squad. The 26-year-old was among the Steelers’ final roster cuts in August, ending his three-year run in Pittsburgh. Robinson quickly landed in New England, and he was a gameday elevation for each of the team’s three games this season. The Patriots would have needed to promote the former seventh-rounder to the active roster for at least one week to continue playing him, but that will no longer be possible.

Robinson handled a part-time defensive role in 2023, but since then he has played all-but exclusively on special teams. A third phase workload can be expected with the Jets, especially given the McCrary-Ball injury. It will be interesting to see how the Jets’ defense fares without Williams available, though.

Jets Add Incentives To Quincy Williams’ Deal

Quincy Williams has thrived during his time with the Jets. One year remains on his contract, and the veteran linebacker is currently positioned to play out his walk year.

Williams will do so with the potential to increase his 2025 earnings, however. The Jets have added $1.5MM in incentives to the final year of his pact, ESPN’s Rich Cimini notes. Williams was already owed a base salary of $6.5MM, but his compensation for the year could see a slight bump as a result of this move.

Since being claimed off waivers from the Jaguars in 2021, Williams has operated as a full-time starter for New York. The former third-rounder has racked up between 106 and 139 tackles during his four Jets campaigns while adding nine sacks during that span. Quinnen Williams‘ older brother earned a first-team All-Pro nod in 2023 and remained a core member of the team’s defense last season.

That is expected to be the case once more in 2025. Another productive outing from Williams would help his free agent stock in the event he were to reach the open market next spring. The 28-year-old’s current pact averages $6MM per season at a time when 16 inside linebackers are now into eight figures in annual compensation. One of those, of course, is Jamien Sherwood. Just before free agency, Sherwood re-signed with the Jets on a three-year, $45MM pact containing $30MM guaranteed.

New York’s regime led by general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn authorized a big-ticket deal in the form of Sherwood and has since worked out monster extensions with each of Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner. Especially with Sherwood set to lead the way in terms of linebacker compensation for years to come, it will be interesting to see if the team makes a new financial commitment to Williams next spring. For the time being, his attention will be focused on hitting his new incentives in advance of a potential free agent departure.

Jets Unlikely To Extend Breece Hall, Jermaine Johnson In 2025; Latest On Alijah Vera-Tucker

Even as a new regime took over, the Jets completed lucrative extensions for Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner this month. Gardner’s came at a market-setting rate. The team is committed to the duo as pillars for the Aaron Glenn-Darren Mougey foundation.

The Jets’ 5-12 2024 season notwithstanding, the team has a few more extension candidates. As it stands, though, that lot is more likely to wait until 2026 for deals to commence — if they ultimately do. Breece Hall said (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) he is not expecting an extension this year; this aligns with earlier reporting on the subject. Some of Hall’s teammates may also be waiting a while.

The team is unlikely to go through with more extension this year, per Cimini. This would leave Alijah Vera-Tucker and Quincy Williams uncontracted in 2026, while Jermaine Johnson‘s fifth-year option covers next season. Johnson is coming off a major injury, and Vera-Tucker missed much of the 2022 and ’23 seasons before returning last year. The Joe Douglas-Robert Saleh regime was readier to redo Williams’ deal compared to the Mougey-Glenn pairing.

We’ll see. I mean, what did we shell out, 200-something million dollars? [We] have to take it easy a little bit, but I hope so,” Glenn said (via Cimini) when asked about more extensions coming. “With the guys that we have here, I hope we’ll be able to do that.

This would set up a situation in which the Jets have franchise tag candidates, but two of the players poised to play out contracts are at positions where tags are rare. The CBA grouping all offensive linemen together would make Vera-Tucker an unlikely tag recipient; ditto Williams, as all linebackers — including 3-4 edge rushers — are tied to the same tag price. This would leave Hall the likeliest player to be cuffed in 2026, but the former second-round pick has yet to show the form that made him an eye-catching rookie. The Jets have Braelon Allen in place as a key Hall sidekick; Allen’s rookie contract runs through 2027.

Hall suffered an ACL tear midway through his rookie season, while Johnson went down with an Achilles tear last September. Vera-Tucker’s in-season shifts to right tackle brought season-ending triceps and Achilles tears. Glenn did say he hopes the Jets and Vera-Tucker can talk about a second contract at some point; Vera-Tucker would embrace an extension, per Cimini. Williams is the only member of this quartet without a major injury on his NFL medical sheet.

The Jets not paying Williams sets up a strange backdrop at linebacker. The team gave three-year-backup-turned-contract-year standout Jamien Sherwood a three-year, $45MM deal just before free agency. As a less proven player is tied to a $15MM-per-year contract, Williams — a first-team All-Pro in 2023 — is at just $6MM per. Williams is also set to play an age-29 season, potentially complicating a pursuit for a lucrative third contract in free agency.

While the Jets’ effort to improve — after the Aaron Rodgers period produced nothing of consequence — will draw the most attention, PFR’s pages will be monitoring Johnson and their batch of contract-year starters. The Glenn-Mougey duo will have big decisions to make by March, and it will be interesting to see how these respective contract years influence the team’s long-term thinking.

Previous Jets Regime Considered 2025 Quincy Williams Extension

Jamien Sherwood‘s market producing the result it did creates an interesting issue for a new Jets regime. A special-teamer for three seasons, Sherwood stood out subbing for the injured C.J. Mosley in 2024. The result: a three-year, $45MM contract — agreed to just before free agency — that came with $30MM guaranteed at signing.

That deal matched Nick Bolton‘s second Chiefs contract, with both approaching Zack Baun‘s Eagles re-up. This trio helped provide a bump for the off-ball linebacker market, which had taken some hits in recent years. The market soon included three more eight-figure AAVs — in Robert Spillane (Patriots), Dre Greenlaw (Broncos) and Terrel Bernard (Bills). However, the Jets’ most accomplished linebacker is not among this expanding group.

Quincy Williams remains attached to a three-year, $18MM deal. Considering the multiyear Mosley ILB partner has a first-team All-Pro nod on his resume and has played well for four Jets teams, it would seem the team’s Darren Mougey-Aaron Glenn regime has an update to make. It is not yet known if they have another payday in mind for Williams, but ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini notes the Joe Douglas-Robert Saleh partnership was open to a 2025 extension.

As the off-ball linebacker market stagnated following the Fred Warner and Shaquille Leonard extensions in 2021, Williams expressed disappointment with the contract he ultimately received from the Jets. Re-signed months before younger brother Quinnen received a high-end extension, Quincy disagreed with the comps the Jets used in negotiations. That 2023 offseason saw a host of off-ball LBs sign deals in the Williams neighborhood, but the Jets received a bargain. The former Jaguars castoff soared to the All-Pro level during his first season on that contract and added another strong season in 2024, though last season brought front office and coaching staff overhauls.

Sherwood received a much better market for his services this year, as the cap had climbed by a staggering $55MM between the 2023 and ’25 offseasons, but only has one season as an LB regular on his resume. Sherwood, however, is nearly four years younger than Williams; the latter is going into his age-29 season. That adds to a potential Jets dilemma, one that likely soon will involve Williams taking issue with his now-low-middle-class contract. The Murray State alum, who posted four forced fumbles and two sacks to go with 14 tackles for loss this past season, has become one of the league’s top off-ball LBs. He is now the NFL’s 37th-highest-paid player at the position.

One of the top acquisitions of the Douglas era, Williams is now in a key period regarding earning potential. This will be the last last season of his 20s to market toward a lucrative contract, and a $15MM-per-year floor certainly makes sense for a player who has been one of the drivers for the Jets’ Saleh-Jeff Ulbrich-era defensive turnaround. It will be interesting to see how Glenn views the productive ILB, who is due a $6.5MM base salary in 2025.

Elsewhere on the Jets’ payroll, the team added Josh Myers for even cheaper than initial reports suggested. The four-year Packers center signed with the Jets on a one-year, $2MM deal, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. It is fully guaranteed. This is well outside the ballpark fellow free agent center Drew Dalman landed in, and it profiles as a “prove it” pact. Myers, though, does not have a clear path to starting in New York, which has its 2024 interior-line trio (John Simpson, Joe Tippmann, Alijah Vera-Tucker) returning.

Rounding out Jets O-line notes, the team’s Chukwuma Okorafor contract is worth $1.3MM, Cimini tweets. Despite bailing on the Patriots after one game last season, the former Steelers RT mainstay received $758K guaranteed. He will vie for time at tackle for a team that lost 2024 RT starter Morgan Moses to the Pats.

AFC East Notes: Reddick, Jets, Corley, Barmore, Patriots, Godchaux, Farley, Bills

The 49ers and Cowboys ended their holdouts recently, but the Jets‘ impasse persists. Robert Saleh has not made any recent contact with defensive end Haason Reddick. The fourth-year Jets HC confirmed he has not spoken to the team’s holdout edge rusher since before training camp. As one source informed veteran reporter Josina Anderson, “nothing has changed” in this standoff. Reddick is on the verge of missing out on an $838K came check. The trade acquisition has already cost himself more than $2MM in nonwaivable fines thanks to this holdout.

Having expected the Jets to revisit extension talks only to see the team balk at doing so, Reddick has not been seen in the building since his introductory news conference April 1. Reddick has requested a trade, and rumblings about him extending the holdout into the season have surfaced. The Jets, who have been linked to being open to sweetening Reddick’s Eagles-constructed deal rather than extending him in advance, are certainly short on time to integrate him into their defense before the 49ers opener.

Here is the latest from the AFC East:

  • Malachi Corley competed for the Jets’ slot receiver role in training camp, but the rookie third-rounder might be trending toward healthy-scratch status to begin his career. Xavier Gipson is expected to be the Jets’ slot receiver, and the New York Post’s Brian Costello does not see a path for Corley to be on the 48-man gameday roster Monday. Viewing the Western Kentucky alum as a long way away from being an offensive regular, Costello notes the rookie’s lack of a special teams role hurts his chances of suiting up early.
  • The Jets also created some cap space recently, adjusting Quincy Williams and Tyler Conklin‘s deals. The move created $8MM in cap space for the team, ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets. These moves will inflate the Jets’ cap-space total past $18MM.
  • While Christian Barmore is on the Patriots‘ reserve/NFI list, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport confirms the team will continue to pay him his full salary. Considering Barmore is dealing with a blood clot issue, the Pats not paying him would have generated extensive backlash. Barmore signed a four-year, $84MM extension this offseason and already collected an $18MM signing bonus. Common with extensions, Barmore’s base salary is low ($1.82MM) in Year 1.
  • The Pats giving Barmore the $21MM-per-year extension affected Matt Judon‘s New England outlook, and SI.com’s Albert Breer notes it changed the equation for Davon Godchaux as well. Godchaux’s push for a raise intensified after the Pats paid Barmore. The veteran nose tackle held in during minicamp and expressed a desire for a new deal to open training camp. Paying numerous Bill Belichick-era pieces, New England’s Eliot Wolf-led front office agreed to terms with Godchaux on a two-year, $16.5MM deal soon after.
  • Caleb Farley struggled to stay healthy with the Titans and has not seen game action since November 2022. The 2021 first-round pick, whom the Titans waived last week, also missed camp time with a hamstring injury. The malady-prone cornerback auditioned for the Patriots on Tuesday, Yates tweets. Farley, 25, has two ACL tears and three back surgeries on his medical sheet since college.
  • The Bills also completed some minor restructures recently, with Yates noting the team adjusting DaQuan Jones and A.J. Epenesa‘s deals. Both D-linemen re-signed with Buffalo this offseason. The moves created $2.78MM in cap space.
  • After the Vikings cut running back/kick returner Kene Nwangwu, the Saints made a waiver claim but also moved on with a failed physical designation, the Jets checked in on him. Nwangwu visited the Jets on Monday, per KTSP’s Darren Wolfson. Nwangwu has three career kick-return TDs on his resume, each coming from 2021-22.

AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Jets, Onwenu

Last year, the Dolphins made a splashy trade on deadline day. They sent the Broncos first- and fourth-round picks, along with Chase Edmonds for salary-matching purposes, for Bradley Chubb and subsequently signed the edge rusher to an extension. Although the Dolphins have shown more firepower this year and reside atop the AFC East at 5-2, they may not be too interested in a major exchange before Tuesday’s deadline. Mike McDaniel said (via the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson) he is “very, very comfortable” with the team’s roster and that GM Chris Grier has not come to him with any trade offers.

The Dolphins, who have endured two double-digit losses, rank first offensively but have seen injuries stack up on their offensive line. Terron Armstead and Connor Williams have missed multiple games, and left guard Isaiah Wynn suffered what looks like a season-ending injury. Vic Fangio‘s defense also ranks 27th in points allowed, though Jalen Ramsey‘s return will be a significant in-season acquisition of sorts for that unit. While Miami also was connected to just about every potentially available running back this offseason, its De’Von Achane pick has been a hit, despite the third-rounder residing on short-term IR.

Here is the latest from the AFC East:

  • The Jets re-signed Quincy Williams to a three-year, $18MM deal days before free agency, and the former Jaguars third-rounder has received rave reviews from the coaching staff this season. Pro Football Focus also ranks Williams as a top-10 off-ball linebacker. Williams, however, said he disagreed with the comps the team made when assessing his value this offseason. “I’m going to be honest with you; the contract situation threw me off, for real, for real,” Williams said, via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini. “Listening to the players they thought were better than me, that kind of put a chip on my shoulder.” While that makes it rather interesting Williams did not test the market to gauge how other teams viewed him, his $6MM-per-year contract ended up similar to most of the veteran ILBs who hit free agency this year.
  • Robert Saleh said Duane Brown will not be designated for return this week. While Brown is eligible to practice this week, the New York Post’s Brian Costello notes he will not do so until at least Week 9. The 38-year-old tackle has been on IR with a hip injury since Sept. 23. The Jets moved Mekhi Becton to left tackle, but with RT replacement Alijah Vera-Tucker out for the season, it will be interesting to see if Becton is kicked back to the right side to create a spot for Brown.
  • Regarding the Jets’ Mecole Hardman trade, Saleh said (via Cimini) rookie UDFA Xavier Gipson made the free agent signing expendable. Gipson, who has operated as the Jets’ kick and punt returner this season, has only played 39 offensive snaps. Hardman only logged 28 during a disappointing Jets tenure, but it should be expected Gipson will see a bit more time at receiver going forward. Hardman played in the Chiefs’ Week 7 game, notching an impactful punt return and playing 11 offensive snaps back with his original NFL team.
  • Riley Reiff is now on IR for a second time this season, and trade acquisition Vederian Lowe struggled to replace him at right tackle. The Patriots moved guard Michael Onwenu back to right tackle in Week 7, with Bill Belichick approaching the contract-year player about the switch last week, per MassLive.com’s Chris Mason. Onwenu has spent time at right tackle during his Pats career but had settled in at guard. With the former sixth-round pick in a contract year, a right tackle switch could certainly affect his 2024 market.
  • Malik Cunningham once again passed through waivers and onto the Patriots’ practice squad, but the team was not as lucky with DB Ameer Speed. New England waived Speed last week, but ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss notes the team wanted him back on the P-squad. The Colts nixed that plan with a claim. A sixth-round pick this year, Speed played in five Pats games before his Foxborough exit.

Jets, LB Quincy Williams Agree To Deal

The Jets have taken care of some internal business days before free agency officially opens. New York has agreed to terms on a three-year, $18MM deal with linebacker Quincy Williams (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network).

Pelissero adds that the deal has a maximum value of $21MM. SNY’s Connor Hughes tweets that the pact also includes $9MM guaranteed at signing. It allows the Jets to retain the 26-year-old without him being able to test the open market. Williams’ rookie contract was set to expire on Wednesday, but his stay in New York will now continue after his arrival with the team two years ago.

Williams was drafted by the Jaguars in 2019, but his tenure in Duval County was short lived. The former third-rounder logged a starter’s workload as a rookie, but saw his defensive playing time drop considerably in his second season. He was waived on roster cutdown day in 2021, and claimed by the Jets in a move which reunited him with his brother, 2019 third overall pick Quinnen Williams.

That also helped the Jets shore up the middle of their defense, and give them a productive linebacker to pair with C.J. Mosley. Williams has logged 1,672 snaps in New York, a major step up in usage compared to his Jaguars tenure. His has responded by notching 100-plus tackles in each of his Jets seasons, adding a total five sacks during that span. As such, a new deal keeping him in the fold was a priority for the team, and this pact accomplishes one of several goals they have this offseason.

Another of those – aside from a franchise-altering quarterback acquisition, of course – is a new deal for the younger Williams brother. Quinnen is due for a substantial pay raise given his production, and the effect on the DT market likely to be seen from today’s massive deal given by the Commanders to Daron Payne. The Jets are optimistic that an extension with Williams could be in the cards soon, which would secure the financial future of another major member of their defense. Regardless of what happens on that front, the elder Williams will be able to continue his stay with his second NFL team for the intermediate future.