Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones made a lot of noise this offseason about wanting to upgrade Dallas’s run defense. Well, he has just done precisely that.
The Dallas Cowboys have sent a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-rounder, and their 2023 first-round pick, defensive tackle Mazi Smith, to the Jets in exchange for star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
The first-round pick involved in the trade will be for whichever first-rounder is higher: Either Dallas’ pick or the Packers’ pick that Dallas received in exchange for Micah Parsons.
The Jets’ decision to part with Williams marks the second blockbuster move in nearly as many hours, following New York’s decision to trade star cornerback Sauce Gardner to Indianapolis for two first-round picks.
Williams will now join fellow star defensive tackle Kenny Clark, whom the Cowboys got from the Packers in the trade for Parsons, in forming what should be one of, if not the most formidable, defensive fronts in all of football.
The Jets selected Williams with the third overall pick in the 2019 draft. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2022, and he’s a three-time Pro Bowler.
“Williams is signed through 2027. His base salary for 2025 is $15.65 million. Next year, it increases to $20.75 million. In 2027, it becomes $25.4 million,” Pro Football Talk reports.
