NEWSLETTER
The New York Jets are taking a different approach this year and wrapping up their offseason program early. According to head coach Robert Saleh, the Jets will not hold mandatory minicamp next week.
The reason is that the Jets are reporting to training camp a week earlier than most teams due to being a part of the annual Hall of Fame Game. Saleh complimented his team’s effort in the offseason program and said they deserved the time off.
“With the Hall of Fame Game, we’re reporting a week earlier than everybody else,” Saleh said (via SNY). “Guys need to get away. They’ve put in a really good offseason. . . . You need a week off and you gotta rev back up to get ready for the season.”
The Jets will take on the Cleveland Browns in Canton, Ohio on August 3, less than two months from today. The Jets start of training camp hasn’t been announced yet, but it will be around July 19.
This is good news for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who hasn’t been at any of the offseason program. Williams and the Jets are working on a new deal for the defensive tackle. Robert Saleh said this week that he would like it “sooner than later,” but it will happen before training camp.
“I speak for everyone — I probably speak for Quinnen — in that we all want get done sooner rather than later,” Saleh said (via ESPN). “I’ll let the business guys handle all that stuff, but it’s going to get done. He’ll be here for camp. He’ll be ready to roll and once he is, I’m sure it’ll be the same guy who was here.”
So, Saleh is not only confident that a deal will get done, but that it will get done before training camp.
Williams is due to make a guaranteed $9.6 million in the final year of his contract (his fifth-year option). He has openly expressed his desire for a new agreement on social media. Williams said he will not report to Jets camp until he receives a new contract. Williams is due for a raise after a 12-sack season and a first-team All-Pro nod in 2022.
We’ve seen the defensive tackle market explode this offseason. Dexter Lawrence, Jeffery Simmons, and Daron Payne have all received extensions in the $22-23.5 million range this offseason. Aaron Donald is the league’s top-paid DT at $31.7 million per season.
