Jets are wisely sticking with Leonard Williams

The New York Jets are reportedly going to pick up the fifth-year option of defensive end Leonard Williams. It’s a wise decision for a player that will only continue to improve over time.

In his sophomore season with the New York Jets back in 2016, defensive end Leonard Williams enjoyed a breakout season. He ended the season with seven sacks, 36 tackles, and two forced fumbles. Williams was a player on the rise and when he hit his third season in the NFL, injuries and a plethora of double teams limited his impact on the gridiron.

Entering this upcoming season, it’ll be his fourth year with the Jets and they’re reportedly going to pick up his fifth-year option. In an article written by Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, he confirmed that the Jets will reportedly approve his fifth-year option for the 2019 season by the May 3 deadline.

Considering that he’s coming off a down year due to a lingering wrist injury, Williams is healing up and ready to continue playing healthy again. The Big Cat can be a force to reckon with when healthy as he’ll have high expectations next season as he continues to hone his craft as a top defensive end.

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In case you didn’t know and as Mehta reported, when a team picks up a fifth-year option, they get paid the average of the top 10 players of the positional group. If Williams continues to be a high-quality player, he’ll undoubtedly get a new contract with the Jets sooner or later after he comes back when his option gets picked up.

His work ethic, impact on the gridiron, and the fact that he’s on his way to being a locker room leader bodes well for him to get a very good contract extension with the Jets. Since the Jets parted ways with defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson this offseason, it’s a golden opportunity for Williams to step up and be a key player on defense this upcoming season.

The Jets are wisely making a great decision here since, at the end of the day, Williams is shaping up to be a very good first-round draft pick decision for the franchise. At the rate he’s going, Williams will only get better over time and continue making a name for himself across the league.