OXNARD, Calif. — Quinnen Williams will be with the Dallas Cowboys through 2030 after signing a three-year, $105.9 million extension this week.
Williams is not spending much time on the contract now that it is finished.
Dallas agreed to terms with the defensive tackle Monday and made the deal official Wednesday. Williams said his agent and the Cowboys handled most of the work while his attention stayed on the field.
“I think my agent and then Jerry and the team and organization did a phenomenal job getting it done,” Williams said. “It wasn’t, I wanna say, important to me. The most important thing about is winning and getting better every single day and winning football games. So it’s super dope to see an organization that want me here for a long run, that believe in me. And I’m super excited for an organization and a team like this to want me here and believe in me also. But the most important thing is winning football games and getting better on defense every single day. So I think that’s the most important, and I’m kind of focused on that.”
The extension adds three years to the two seasons Williams already had left from the contract he signed with the New York Jets in 2023.
Williams will receive $101 million in guarantees. The $35.3 million average annual value on the new money ranks second among defensive tackles behind Jalen Carter of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Quinnen Williams Wanted To Stay In Dallas
Williams arrived in Dallas at the Nov. 4 trade deadline last season.
The Cowboys sent the Jets a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and Mazi Smith. The first-rounder came from the Green Bay Packers as part of the trade that sent Micah Parsons to Green Bay shortly before the 2025 season.
Williams said he knew quickly that Dallas was where he wanted to stay.
He played seven games for the Cowboys after the trade and recorded 21 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and an interception. Between New York and Dallas, Williams appeared in 15 games, finished with 2.5 sacks and earned his fourth straight Pro Bowl selection.
He signed his previous extension with the Jets in 2023. That four-year, $96 million contract briefly made him the highest-paid defensive tackle in football.
The next deal didn’t lead to much celebration.
Williams said he wants the next five seasons to be about winning games and competing for a championship.
“Just because you got guys with the same mindset from top down,” Williams said. “You got a guy like Jerry Jones — he’s just strong believing in winning and winning championships. You got guys like Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb. You got the coaching staff. Everybody has the same mindset when it comes down to getting better and winning and doing everything we can possibly do to win.
“And honestly, the last time I kind of had that feeling was at Bama, where everybody coming in, iron sharpens iron, wanting to win football games, wanting to win championships, wanting to win playoff games, and wanting to get better every single day,” Williams continued. “And being a part of an organization and of a team like that, with the same mindset that I have, is unbelievable. So I’m super excited to be here.”
Dallas Cowboys Give Quinnen Williams A Different Defense
Williams is coming back to a defense that looks much different than the one he joined in November.
Dallas allowed a franchise-record 511 points last season and finished 7-9-1. The Cowboys missed the playoffs for the second straight year.
Christian Parker replaced Matt Eberflus as defensive coordinator. Dallas used both of its first-round picks on defense, made another trade with Green Bay for an edge rusher and changed much of the personnel along the defensive front.
Williams has seen enough to believe in the direction.
“Oh, 100% belief, man,” Williams said. “When you do the things that we did this offseason — bringing the guys in, bringing the coaching staff in to do things that they did, making the efforts to change this defense around, not only from a schematic standpoint but a personnel standpoint also — it’s amazing, and I’m here for it.
“I want to be here to help change this thing around, and I feel like this is one of the best opportunities and the best organizations to win,” Williams added. “So I’m just super excited to be here the next five years and get a chance to win for this organization and the fan base.”
Williams also pointed to Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens when discussing what Dallas already has in place. Kenny Clark is another familiar presence in Williams’ position room, and the two have already spent time watching film together.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told DallasCowboys.com that completing Williams’ extension tied together the remaining pieces from last year’s trade. Jerry Jones said Thursday that Dallas understood what a future deal could cost before acquiring Williams from New York.
The contract is finished now.
Williams’ next game action could come after Dallas gets through the preseason. The Cowboys open that schedule Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT on KTVT and NFL Network.
Dallas returns to Oxnard afterward and closes its California camp Tuesday with a joint practice against the New Orleans Saints.
