Joe Douglas Provides Update on Extension Talks With Quinnen Williams
With the first three seasons of Quinnen Williams' career with the Jets in the books, the former No. 3 overall pick is eligible for an extension for the first time this offseason.
Asked on Monday about Williams' future, Jets general manager Joe Douglas assured that New York would love to keep their star defensive tackle around, but conversations regarding any sort of contractual agreement haven't occurred yet.
"We haven’t really started those conversations with Quinnen and his agent," Douglas told reporters. "Obviously, Quinnen is a valuable member of this team and a valuable member of this front and he does a lot of positive things and I believe he finished the season with [six] sacks and there’s a lot of things that he does to disrupt the game. He is a player that we all value and appreciate and want to keep here for a long time."
Williams was approached with a similar question earlier on Monday as well.
The 24-year-old explained that he's been focused on winning football games and hasn't thought about his future yet either.
"I haven't been a big person on money and stuff like that," he said.
READ: Is Devin Lloyd the Jets’ Linebacker of the Future?
Williams had another strong year, racking up 53 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits and six sacks this season. He played in a career-high 15 games as well, only missing time at the very end of the campaign after he tested positive for COVID-19.
Even with those solid numbers, Williams is far from satisfied after his third year in the league. The Alabama product wants to take his game to the next level this offseason, putting him in the same category as some of the best defensive tackles in the sport.
"I'm not near where I want to be when it comes down to the production or the player that I want to be," Williams said. "I can be a person where I dominate and take over football games, like Aaron Donald, Fletcher Cox and those guys, playing at an elite level where they can take over football games. I feel like I have that ability also and I've got to tap into a new level this offseason to become this player that I know I can be and this organization needs me to be."
Williams is currently under contract through next season with a club option in 2023. New York should certainly do their best to keep Williams in green and white, though. He's already proven that he's one of the best young players at his position in football and if he can stay healthy, his numbers will continue to get better over the next few years.
Despite all the losses that Williams has been a part of with the Jets over the last three years, the tackle assured that he is happy in this organization. It would be a different story if the players and coaches around him weren't committed to this rebuild, but Williams said that everyone in the Jets organization cares about this team's future.
"It's not difficult at all. It's not frustrating at all," Williams said on losing 36 games in the last three seasons. "It's one of things where nobody comes to work to lose, nobody is on this football field to lose, nobody is in this locker room or coaching staff or in this organization to lose football games. Everybody wants to win football games and you can see it each and every day from the way people practice, the way people talk, we're just an inch short."
MORE:
- New York Jets Raise Ticket Prices For 2022 Season
- Jets, Robert Saleh 'Fired Up' to Coach in 2022 Reese's Senior Bowl
- Ex-Jets Scout Explains Why New York Should Draft OT Ikem Ekwonu
Follow Max Goodman on Twitter (@MaxTGoodman), be sure to bookmark Jets Country and check back daily for news, analysis and more.
