Keep your eyes on this ticking time bomb.
The New York Jets are going to have a decision to make on Quincy Williams, and it won’t be an easy one. The clock is ticking, as his current contract is set to expire at the end of the 2025 season.
Quincy Williams is good — really good. No one disputes that, but a lot of players are really good who make more than they’re worth. The Jets must determine just how valuable he is to them, what portion of the cap makes sense to devote to him, and if he is at all aligned with this vision.
It sounds relatively simple. You offer a guy a number, he decides if he wants it, and if not, he goes to a new team that will pay him his number. This is a tale as old as free agency, or even employment as a concept.
But the Quincy Williams situation isn’t that simple. There are layers here that make the decision both difficult and significant.
The Jets recently locked up his fellow linebacker Jamien Sherwood on a three-year, $45 million deal, which includes $30 million guaranteed. This figure dwarfs the $6.5 million base salary that Williams will make this year.
Whether you believe Sherwood or Williams is the more valuable piece, one thing’s clear — Williams doesn’t see himself as worth less than anyone. It wouldn’t be surprising if his agents have been in constant contact with the Jets’ front office since news of Sherwood’s contract broke.
No one knows exactly what Quincy Williams is thinking, only he does. But it’s hard to imagine he’s thrilled about playing on a contract that pays him significantly less than a teammate at his own position.
Almost any team would be dealing with this same circumstance if they had two Pro Bowl-caliber linebackers due to make money around the same time. That part is far from unique.
What’s especially unique about the Jets’ situation is that Williams’ older brother, Quinnen, is not only the team’s defensive leader but arguably its best player, and he’s never been shy about speaking his mind when something doesn’t sit right.
We all remember his “eye-roll” tweet following the news that the Jets were moving on from Aaron Rodgers. Though he has since apologized, it’s notable.
So yeah, he doesn’t stay quiet when something is bothering him, and upsetting his little brother poses a high potential of bothering him. This makes the entire situation very delicate for all involved.
The Jets not only have to determine the value of their young, talented linebacker, but they must also gauge how his family is going to react to their decision. This makes for quite the tightrope that general manager Darren Mougey must walk.
What is Quincy Williams’ value?
The easy answer to this question is that I don’t know. Paying two linebackers top dollar at the same time is expensive, but replacing two high-level starters in their prime isn’t easy either. It’s a valuable asset, no doubt, but it comes at a steep cost.
Despite the recent shift toward the running game, the NFL in 2025 and beyond remains a passing league. Committing significant resources to linebackers is a tough sell. It makes more sense to allocate the bulk of your budget to pass rushers and defensive backs.
That being said, talent is talent. And you don’t know that you’ll always have the talent in the secondary to justify a high-cap percentage. We know what Williams and Sherwood are together, and it isn’t a bad duo for the Jets to tie themselves to for the next couple of years.
In four seasons in New York, Williams has never failed to eclipse 100 tackles or 15 games started. He has tacked on nine sacks and 50 tackles for loss. It jumps off the screen that he is a game-breaker.
On the open market, Williams’ value is likely comparable to Sherwood’s. So the real question isn’t what Williams is worth, it’s whether the linebacker position as a whole is worth their combined price tag.
What should the Jets do?
The Jets must not act impulsively. Based on the fact that Williams isn’t holding a new contract yet, and all the evidence we’ve seen thus far, don’t expect Mougey to rush this.
The 2025 season will serve as a major audition for Quincy Williams. If he struggles in a contract year, that might say everything you need to know. But if he delivers another standout season, the decision may become much clearer.
Either way, the answer is to wait. They cannot let Quinnen Williams dictate their money, and they cannot make long-term commitments before they have to. This rebuild will be a process, and it is crucial that the Jets remain shrewd and don’t rush that process.
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