Cowboys Sign Quinnen Williams to Three-Year, $105.9 Million Extension

The Dallas Cowboys signed defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to a three-year, $105.9 million extension. The deal includes $101 million guaranteed and keeps Williams under contract through the 2030 season.

The numbers

Williams' new deal averages $35.3 million a year, second among defensive tackles behind only Philadelphia's Jalen Carter, who signed a four-year, $152 million extension last month averaging $38 million annually.

The extension carries a $31.85 million signing bonus and $63.35 million guaranteed at signing, the most guaranteed at signing for a defensive tackle in NFL history. It tacks three years onto the two remaining on his existing deal.

Williams is now the fourth interior defensive lineman averaging north of $30 million a season, joining Carter, Tennessee's Jeffery Simmons ($35.27 million), and Kansas City's Chris Jones ($31.75 million).

How he got to Dallas

The Cowboys acquired Williams from the New York Jets at last year's trade deadline, sending New York a 2027 first-round pick, a 2026 second-round pick, and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. The Jets, mid-rebuild, also dealt cornerback Sauce Gardner to Indianapolis around the same stretch.

Williams had signed a four-year, $96 million extension with the Jets back in 2023. Getting a new deal done in Dallas mattered on a timeline: that Jets contract's guarantee language was set to expire after the 2026 season, which put pressure on both sides to move fast once he landed with the Cowboys.

What he did in seven games

Williams played seven games for Dallas after the trade and made an instant impact: 21 tackles, three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and an interception. The run defense numbers tell the bigger story. The Cowboys were allowing 143 rushing yards a game before the trade. Over the final eight games of the season, that dropped to 105.8 a game, with three outings under 80 yards on the ground.

Even with the improvement, Dallas still allowed the most points in the NFL and missed the playoffs, finishing 7-9-1 in Brian Schottenheimer's first season as head coach.

Career resume

Williams, 28, has made four straight Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2022. He has 41.5 career sacks and 342 tackles. Pro Football Focus graded him second among 134 qualified interior defensive linemen in 2025, with a run-defense grade that ranked first at the position. Last season he finished sixth among defensive tackles with 45 quarterback pressures despite facing double teams on more than 40% of his pass-rushing snaps, and he led the league with 19 run stuffs.

Why Dallas moved now

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said locking up Williams was a priority as camp opened. "It's a big part of all the moving parts that went with our trade last year," Jones told DallasCowboys.com. "This kind of puts a bow on top in terms of knowing we're going to have Q here."

The extension caps an offseason in which Dallas rebuilt its defense: hiring coordinator Christian Parker, trading for edge rusher Rashan Gary, drafting safety Caleb Downs and edge rusher Malachi Lawrence in the first round, and adding cornerback Cobie Durant and safeties P.J. Locke and Jalen Thompson in free agency.

FAQ

How much is Quinnen Williams' new contract worth?

Three years and $105.9 million, including $101 million guaranteed and $63.35 million fully guaranteed at signing.

How long is Williams under contract with the Cowboys?

Through the 2030 season.

What did the Cowboys give up to trade for Williams?

A 2027 first-round pick, a 2026 second-round pick, and defensive tackle Mazi Smith, sent to the New York Jets at the 2025 trade deadline.

Where does Williams rank among the highest-paid defensive tackles?

Second, at $35.3 million a year behind only Philadelphia's Jalen Carter at $38 million.

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*Sources: ESPN, NFL.com, DallasCowboys.com, CBS Sports.*