FRISCO, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys are in the process of finalizing a trade with the New York Jets for All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, sending a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and defensive tackle Know Smith to New York in exchange.
The Jets will receive the better of Dallas’ two 2027 first-round picks. The Cowboys got those extra first-round picks in the Micah Parsons trade earlier this offseason.
Williams, 27, has been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the last three seasons with the Jets. Now, Dallas adds greater depth to its defensive line, along with Kenny Clark and Osa Odighizuwa.
In Dallas, Williams will be reunited with his former defensive line coach, Aaron Whitecotton, who now holds the same position with the Cowboys. So far this season, Williams has accumulated 32 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and one sack in eight games.
In July 2023, Williams signed a four-year, $96 million contract extension with the Jets, keeping him under contract through the 2027 season and making him an unrestricted free agent in 2028, meaning the Cowboys will take over that deal.
The trade for Williams is the second move of the day for Dallas, both focused on the defensive side of the ball. Earlier on Tuesday, the Cowboys sent a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for linebacker Logan Wilson, as Jerry Jones backed up his statements that the team had “several moves afoot.” He also hinted that Cowboys fans “would not be disappointed” with the transactions made.
“You won’t be disappointed because I didn’t get carried away or do something illogical by betting everything on winning the Super Bowl,” Jones said. “I don’t think they’ll be disappointed.”
While Williams begins a new stage in Dallas, Mazi Smith will do the same in New York with the Jets. The Cowboys’ first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft had been struggling to find consistency, alternating between being active and inactive during the 2025 season, and now he will have the opportunity to rediscover himself on a new team.
