The Cowboys are done messing around after an ugly 2025 finish. Dallas is changing the tone on both sides, with Brian Schottenheimer running a stricter camp while the front office pours serious money into fixing the defense. Quinnen Williams is the clearest example, landing a massive extension as the Cowboys push to turn that unit around.

“Usually if you have two people wanting to get something done, it can get done. … Every deal is different. You just hit certain bumps in the road where things don’t. It’s not because we don’t want to. … We’re always in the mode if it’s the right situation to do a deal,” said Stephen as reported by the Cowboys beat writer for The Athletic, Jon Machota, on August 10. 

Williams joined the Cowboys on November 4, 2025, after Dallas traded for him from the New York Jets. Nine months later, the Cowboys locked him in with a three-year, $105.9 million extension, making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid defensive tackles.

Dallas had already invested heavily in Williams before handing him the extension. The Cowboys sent the Jets a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and Mazi Smith to land him last November. Williams was also already under contract through 2027, so Dallas was not rushing to avoid losing him. Instead, the new deal keeps him in Dallas through 2030.

Williams secured $101 million in total guarantees and $63.35 million fully guaranteed at signing, marking a record for a defensive tackle. His $35.3 million average annual value makes him the NFL’s second-highest-paid defensive tackle, behind only Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Carter at $38 million per year. Williams also sits just ahead of Tennessee’s Jeffery Simmons, who averages $35.27 million.

Dallas director of player personnel Stephen Jones, the son of owner Jerry Jones, had already hinted at the start of training camp that the franchise was in talks with Williams’ agents about an extension. It took Dallas just two weeks to get the deal done. Jones has also praised Williams’ work in practice, leadership and impact on the defensive culture. Williams is part of the Cowboys’ leadership council, while Brian Schottenheimer has described him as a humble star focused on winning.

Before the extension, Dallas was in the mindset to lock in Williams. Back in November, they traded for the defensive tackle. In the process, they surrendered one of the two first-round selections they had acquired in the blockbuster deal that sent Micah Parsons to Green Bay. And now comes the extension, which shows how Jerry Jones and his team are locked in to fix the defense that ranked 30th last season, averaging 377 yards.

Dallas clearly sees Williams as a long-term piece. He backed that up last season with a league-best 91.7 PFF run-defense grade among interior defensive linemen, while also leading the NFL with 19 run stuffs and adding 36 run stops.

And Dallas has spent big on defensive tackles before. In 2025, the Cowboys gave Osa Odighizuwa a four-year, $80 million deal before he could hit free agency.

Williams now fits into a bigger Cowboys push to lock in key players, joining Tyler Smith, Brandon Aubrey, Jake Ferguson, DaRon Bland and Hunter Luepke. Dallas clearly sees him as a major piece of its playoff push, especially for a run defense that gave up 24 rushing touchdowns in 2025.

As Dallas tried their luck handing an extension to Williams, questions automatically arise about the George Pickens situation. 

Stephen Jones Leaves Door Open for George Pickens Deal

Much like Williams, Dallas and the Pittsburgh Steelers reached a trade agreement in May last year that sent Pickens to the Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick. Both Pickens and the franchise had until July 15, 2026, to agree on a long-term contract extension after putting the wide receiver on a one-year franchise tag worth $27.3 million. 

However, Dallas failed to arrive at a decision, meaning that in case a long-term contract comes, it will be only after the 2026 season ends. After all, there has been no urgency since, unlike the defense, they had one of the league’s best offenses. Yet, the Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones never shied away from expressing how he sees Pickens as part of the franchise’s long-term future. 

“This can be a very win-win thing that we’ve done here, us and George being on the team,” Jones said in July. “Make no mistake about it, George could be a Cowboy for the rest of his career and that’d be a long time.”

Unfortunately, his son, Stephen, does not hold so much confidence when it comes to the wide receiver. 

“I asked Stephen Jones if he hopes talks regarding a George Pickens deal next year can go as seamless as deals like Quinnen Williams and others have gone the last year or so: “I’m worried about this season, to tell you the truth. I want to go win some games,” reported ESPN NFL Nation reporter Todd Archer on August 10. 

Still, Stephen has not shut the door on Pickens. When asked if Dallas could realistically keep both Pickens and CeeDee Lamb long term, he said, “I think it’s realistic.” But that is far from a promise. For now, Dallas is letting the 2026 season play out before deciding whether Pickens gets his long-term deal.