What Quinnen Williams contract extension means for Cowboys

OXNARD, Calif. -- The Dallas Cowboys have rediscovered the formula they used in the past regarding contract extensions for their key players. The three-year, $105.9 million extension agreed to Monday by Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams -- with an annual average of $35.3 million that is second highest among defensive tackles -- is yet another sign. The George Pickens contract situation (franchise tagged for 2026) not withstanding, in the past 12 months the Cowboys have made Pro Bowl guard Tyler Smith the highest paid interior offensive lineman (subsequently passed by the Raiders' Tyler Linderbaum and Falcons' Chris Lindstrom) at $24 million per season and Pro Bowler Brandon Aubrey the highest paid kicker ($7 million). They have also kept key players away from unrestricted free agency, including tight end Jake Ferguson and cornerback DaRon Bland, who signed deals that made each of them the eighth highest paid player at their respective positions. Ferguson's deal averages $12.5 million a season, while Bland's checks in at $22.5 million. Add defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to that list after he signed a four-year, $80 million contract in March of 2025, though he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers prior to the draft. It was not too long ago that the Cowboys sweated out deals with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. In 2024, Prescott did not agree to his record-setting $60 million a year deal until the morning of the season opener, while Lamb missed most of training camp before signing his deal that averaged $34 million and made him, at the time, the second-highest paid wide receiver. Last summer was dominated by the Micah Parsons' saga. He was set to play last season on his fifth-year option when discussions went haywire after owner and general manager Jerry Jones thought he and the edge rusher agreed to an extension only to see Parsons say he would not sign a deal without involvement from his agent. Parsons went through a high-profile hold-in during training camp, eventually demanding a trade while in Oxnard, California. The week before the season started, he was traded to the Green Bay Packers for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. If the Cowboys finish with a better record than the Packers in 2026, then Green Bay's first-rounder will be dealt to the New York Jets as part of the trade Dallas made with New York to acquire Williams in November. Williams is 28 and was signed through 2027 -- he is now signed through 2030. In the past, the Cowboys used major extensions to keep star players well away from free agency, including DeMarcus Ware, Tony Romo, Jason Witten, Terence Newman and more recently (2023) with Trevon Diggs, who was released in January. The Cowboys have a core of key figures under contract. Prescott and running back Javonte Williams are signed through 2028; Lamb, Ferguson and Bland are signed through 2029; Williams, Aubrey and Smith through 2030. Executive vice president Stephen Jones likes to say it takes two sides to get a deal done. At the start of camp, he said the organization wanted Williams for the long haul. Over the weekend, Williams' agent, Nicole Lynn of Klutch Sports, was at practice, perhaps jump-starting discussions. Perhaps Pickens will be the next one to get done, but that cannot happen until next offseason. He is playing this season on the $27.3 million franchise tag after the Cowboys declined to engage in extension talks this offseason. Jerry Jones said he has a long-term vision for Pickens. If he performs as he did in 2025 with career highs in catches, yards and touchdowns, will the talks get done as early and smoothly as the others have done lately -- or will we see a return to sweating out a new deal?