The Dallas Cowboys have reached an agreement with star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams on a mammoth extension, according to NFL Media. Specifically, it's a three-year, $105.9 million deal that will make Williams one of the highest-paid defensive linemen in the NFL.
Williams receives $101 million in total guarantees, including $63.35 million fully guaranteed at signing, per ESPN. That is the most guaranteed at signing for a defensive tackle in NFL history. His $35.3 million in average annual value ranks him just above Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons ($35.27 million) and behind Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter ($38 million) for the second-richest in the league.
Williams and the Cowboys had reportedly been circling around this extension as training camp unfolded and, in a deviation from how previous negotiations have gone down with Jerry Jones, Dallas is getting out in front of locking the 28-year-old down. Under his previous deal (which was signed when he was a member of the New York Jets), the former All-Pro was under team control through the 2027 season, but the guarantees within the deal ran dry after this season.
Williams entered the NFL as the third overall pick of the Jets in 2019 and has established himself as one of the top defensive tackles in the NFL. Overall, he was named a first-team All-Pro in 2022, and the Alabama product has received a Pro Bowl nomination in each of the past four seasons.
