Source: Quinnen Williams does not attend Jets' voluntary workouts
New York Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams celebrates a sack against the New York Giants during the first quarter of a preseason game at MetLife Stadium last August. Credit: Brad Penner
The Jets began their offseason program on Monday with their quarterback situation still unsettled and without their best defensive player.
Quinnen Williams doesn’t have a new contract yet and was not in attendance for the first day of voluntary OTAs, according to an NFL source.
The defensive tackle is coming off his best season. He led the Jets with 12 sacks, earning First-Team All-Pro for the first time and his first Pro Bowl selection.
Williams said after last season that he would skip the voluntary parts of the Jets’ offseason workouts if he didn’t get a new deal. The third overall pick in 2019, Williams is under contract for $9.6 million this season after the Jets picked up his fifth-year option.
“I do want to get a contract done before the offseason program,” Williams said in January. “I do feel like I deserve to get a contract done before the offseason program just because I did everything right on the field and did everything right off the field.
“Just having the organization behind me just like I’m behind them just shows that they really support me.”
Jets general manager Joe Douglas has had contract discussions with Williams’ agent, Nicole Lynn. Those negotiations will continue. Douglas has expressed optimism that they would eventually reach an accord.
“I would say we’re in a positive place there,” Douglas said at last month’s league meetings in Arizona. “No exact timeline for when that’s going to get done. Had good conversations with Nicole and still feel like it’s in a positive place."
With Williams, the Jets are expected to break their recent trend of not signing one of their first-round picks to a second contract. Muhammad Wilkerson was the last to get an extension in 2016. Williams likely will receive a contract that pays him more than $20 million per season.
Defensive tackles have gotten paid this offseason. Tennessee’s Jeffery Simmons and Washington’s Daron Payne signed extensions worth $23.5 million and $22.5 million annually, respectively. The 49ers signed Javon Hargrave to a deal for $21 million per season.
Williams no doubt is a priority, but he is under contract for 2023. The Jets’ most pressing matter is finalizing a trade for Aaron Rodgers. They opened OTAs with Zach Wilson and Tim Boyle as the only quarterbacks on the roster.
Douglas and Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst are at a standstill in trade discussions. Those should start heating up, though. The NFL Draft is next week, and much of the compensation centers around draft picks.
The Jets don’t want to part with the No. 13 pick in a trade for Rodgers, who may only play one or two seasons. They could use that selection on an offensive tackle. The Jets have back-to-back picks in the second round, Nos. 42 and 43. One of those likely would go to the Packers in a trade.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
