Contract negotiations put a chip on Jets linebacker Quincy Williams' shoulder

Quincy Williams came into this season driven to prove to the Jets that he is better than they think he is.

Williams revealed that during his contract negotiations with the Jets, they gave him “a ceiling and a floor” of what they would pay him based on how they viewed him as a player. The hard-hitting linebacker, who signed a three-year, $18 million contract in March, didn’t like hearing about the players the Jets considered better than him.

“I’m going to be honest with you all, the contract situation kind of threw me off for real,” Williams said. “Listening to players they thought was better than me and stuff like that, they kind of put a chip on my shoulder.

“That chip on my shoulder with them telling me where I’m placed and what’s my ceiling and stuff like that, I didn’t really like that because I make my own ceiling.”

The 27-year-old Williams worked even harder on his body and game in the offseason. He trained with other players and sought advice from fellow Jets linebacker C.J Mosley on what it takes to be a Pro Bowler.

It worked. Williams is playing the best football of his career. He leads the Jets with 60 tackles, including six for loss. He also has two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

“The players that they were talking about, I knew for a fact that I was better than them, but I wasn’t showing it,” Williams said. “The biggest thing was, how can I show people that I’m really like that? So that was my mindset.”

Promoting his coaches

Robert Saleh showered defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and cornerbacks coach/senior defensive assistant Tony Oden with praise.

Ulbrich oversees a defense that has allowed one second-half touchdown all season and held Philadelphia scoreless after halftime. Saleh said Ulbrich is deserving of a head-coaching job.

“From a head-coaching standpoint,” Saleh said, “he checks every single box.”

Oden had to get his defensive backs ready for Sunday’s game without three of his top four cornerbacks and with two who were elevated from the practice squad (Craig James and Tae Hayes).

“I’d put [Oden] up against anybody in football with regards to coaching defensive backs and corners,” Saleh said.

Defense delivered

Saleh said the Jets wanted to score a touchdown on the possession after Tony Adams’ interception. There was no plan to run three times and kick a field goal.

Breece Hall scored on first- and-goal from the 8 with 1:46 to go. The Eagles appeared to let him do that in order to get the ball back sooner and preserve timeouts. The Jets didn’t care. Saleh believed his defense would make it hold up — and it did.

Embracing success

As Saleh was coming off the field Sunday, he jumped into general manager Joe Douglas’ arms and was slapping him on the back of his head. Saleh “was pumped” for Douglas, who worked in the Eagles’ front office before joining the Jets.

“Whenever you play a former team, you want to get ’em,” Saleh said. “I just know whatever joy we were feeling on the field, I promise you his joy was up there with us, maybe even more elevated. So happy for him to get that win on his resume.”

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.