NY Jets DT Quinnen Williams drops cryptic tweet after extension comments

NY Jets general manager Joe Douglas was asked during his Tuesday press conference about when the team expects to reach an extension with star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.

Douglas offered the same response he's been iterating for months now. The Jets' GM insisted that the team is "optimistic and hopeful" that they will be able to get a deal done. Douglas added that he has had many "positive discussions" with Williams' agent, Nicole Lynn.

It was the status quo answer from Douglas, and that seemed to be that...until Williams himself chimed in on Twitter.

Williams tweeted out a gif of himself in the iconic sipping tea meme with a caption that simply read, "optimistic." Note that the word optimistic was in quotes in the tweet.

There are two ways to take this. Either Williams isn't exactly sharing the same optimism about an extension as his general manager, or Williams knows that a deal is going to be reached soon.

It's impossible to know exactly what Williams is saying here, but many seem to believe it's the former and that he's taking a subtle shot at his general manager.

When will the NY Jets extend Quinnen Williams?

Williams is not in attendance for the Jets' offseason program that began last week. The 2022 first-team All-Pro insisted in January that he would not show up for the voluntary portion of the Jets' offseason without a new contract.

By all accounts, the Jets and Williams seem very willing to get a deal done. The team re-signed his brother, Quincy Williams, last month, and the two sides seem to be on good terms with one another.

The expectation has been that, once the Aaron Rodgers trade was finalized, the Jets would be able to get to work on hammering out the details of Williams' extension, along with a host of other roster moves.

The Rodgers deal is essentially done. Now, one would assume that Williams becomes the team's top priority.

Numerous Jets players have tweeted out their support for Williams in recent days. Jets running back Breece Hall tweeted yesterday that he wants the Jets "to quit playin with Big Q." He retweeted that tweet following Douglas' comments today.

Quincy Williams tweeted out a gif of his brother on Monday with a thinking face emoji. It's clear that a number of Jets players are hoping a Williams deal gets done soon.

There should be no major concern about a Williams extension at this time. The Jets have every reason to negotiate a fair deal with their superstar defensive lineman, and Williams missing OTAs shouldn't be a significant worry.

The real issue comes if Williams doesn't have a new contract by the time mandatory minicamp begins in June. The Jets could theoretically fine Williams if he holds out of minicamp.

For now, it's business as usual in Florham Park. The celebration from the Rodgers trade is still on. The 2023 NFL Draft promises to dominate headlines for the next few days.

But soon enough, it should be Quinnen Williams' time. The Jets need to get this deal done sooner rather than later.