Back in February, Dallas Cowboys DT Quinnen Williams predicted that Tennessee Titans’ DT Jeffrey Simmons would be the Defensive Player of the Year in 2026, playing under new head coach Robert Saleh. The Titans also believe something similar will happen and made their 4x Pro Bowler the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history. They signed Simmons to a three-year contract worth $105.8M with $100M guaranteed. And now, per insiders, Williams might be looking at his own contract and thinking his numbers look rather small.

When NFL insider Ian Rapoport broke the news of Simmons’ extension on X, former Cowboys wide receiver Jesse Holley hinted Dallas might not do the same for Quinnen Williams because they tend to favor bigger contracts for the offensive players. At the same time, Holley also noted that Williams is a better player than Simmons. In an ensuing thread of responses, Cowboys insider Clarence Hill Jr. dropped his verdict on the situation.

“None of this was lost on Quinnen Williams,” Hill Jr. wrote. “His eyes are wide open. He knows what’s up. The Cowboys are going to have to make him right.”

Williams is set to make $21.6 million this year and another $25.5M in 2027. Spotrac’s market value evaluation gives him a 3-year, $94M deal with an average of $31.3M. That’s roughly $4 million below Simmons’ average of $35.3 a year.

For Simmons, the upside was obvious. He’s the franchise legend that brought 11 sacks to the Titans in 2025, along with 60 pressures (and caused 5 turnovers with those pressures), ranking the best in the league in all three categories, per Next Gen Stats. He also boasted the highest pressure rate (13.9) in the league. But was Quinnen Williams better, just as Holley said he is?

Williams played eight games in a New York Jets defense that couldn’t make a single interception the entire season. Then, he came into a Dallas D that had been bleeding points and blowing games all season. But in the seven starts he gave the Cowboys, he made his presence felt.

Williams finished 2025 with 51 pressures (7th in the league), three forced fumbles, 2.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 12 QB hits – across two teams. What’s more, on the final day of the mandatory minicamp, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer claimed that they were “seeing the best version” of Williams, as well as Kenny Clark (last year’s acquisition from the Micah Parsons trade). The case for a bigger contract is strong, but can Dallas afford it?

Wide receiver George Pickens, set to play 2026 on his $27.3M franchise tag, will draw the most attention for an extension next offseason. Analysts suggest the Cowboys could make him the highest-paid WR in the league next offseason if he plays well in 2026. That figure will have to cross Jaxon Smith-Njiba’s $42.5M average. On top of this, Dallas will also owe $76M to quarterback Dak Prescott, $46M to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. If they really want to extend Williams, they’d have to move some serious money around with restructures just like they did this offseason.

On the other hand, Williams’ mentality this offseason is already enough to make the case for a bigger paycheck.

“[I want to] continue to learn and grow every single year,” Williams said at the mandatory minicamps. “I didn’t have my best year when it came down to it, statistically, as a pass rusher last year. I wanna be better. I wanna do better, and not for myself, but for this team. And I know I can be better.”

Williams had also told Dak Prescott that he’d never been to the playoffs with the Jets, and Prescott, in turn, has promised to take him there:

“I told him, ‘I’ll get you to the playoffs, but I need you to go help us win it,” Dak said.

He’s got the right mentality, but will that, combined with a production season, be enough to sway owner/general manager Jerry Jones to splurge on a defensive extension? Quinnen Williams’ agent, Nicole Lynn, also reps Myles Garrett, and recently helped him land a five-year extension with the Los Angeles Rams. Now, Lynn might have to fight a similar battle for Williams. But if there’s one thing for certain, Jerry’s not going to make it easy.