Jumbo Package: Quinnen Williams gets paid by New York Jets

Happy Friday, everyone. Biggest news of yesterday was that the Jets made Quinnen Williams an even wealthier man with his second contract.

“We are thrilled to secure Quinnen as a New York Jet for the foreseeable future, as he embodies everything we look for in our players,” said Jets GM Joe Douglas. “He is a leader on and off the field, who does everything asked of him and more. He is a young, ascending player who has shown a consistent ability to dominate the line of scrimmage and help this team win. We are happy to have the business of football behind us and to turn our focus to getting ready for the 2023 season.”

“Quinnen is the epitome of a Jet,” added Chairman Woody Johnson. “His commitment to this organization and our fans is consistently on display in his play, in his preparation, and in his work serving those in this area. We are looking forward to him, his wife, Maranda, and their new baby girl being Jets for a long time.”

The deal is reportedly for $96M over 4 years, with $66 million guaranteed. Williams becomes the second highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL, and sets a record for the biggest second contract for a DT in NFL history. Well done, Quinnen.

He’s also, with apologies to some very solid contributors like Phidarian Mathis and Byron Young, the last true difference maker that Alabama had up front. There are some candidates on the roster with the potential to fill that void this year. Hopefully one of them will do it.

Sark seems confident.

He also explained why he thought Texas could reverse its fortunes and pull off the win in 2023.

“I think we’ll have the mental fortitude to go do it,” he said. “The mental toughness to go do it and the physical toughness to go do it because this is going to be a physical football game. They’re a big, physical football team that will be very well coached and we just have to make sure that they get our best shot.”

Alabama hasn’t lost at home since 2019 and only once in the past seven seasons, but as Saban says every year he has a new team. We will see relatively soon what this one has.

Athlon pegs Alabama as the team with the best shot to beat big, bad Georgia.

Until Nick Saban retires, I’d say Alabama will always be the biggest threat to anybody in the nation. Remember when David Pollack said Georgia is now the king of college football while sitting right next to Saban? I’m sure Saban remembers. He’s tired of hearing about Georgia, and he’s ready to remind the nation that he’s the greatest coach the game has ever seen. It’s not like Georgia has Bama’s number either. Alabama has beaten Georgia seven out of the last eight times the two have met, including once during Georgia’s national title season in 2021. I don’t need to get into the who’s who on the Alabama depth chart, who can lead in production and all that. It’s Alabama – it’ll be a threat to anybody it plays this year.

Saban was named to the Dodd watch list.

“We are proud to recognize these men as great leaders in our sport who have consistently exemplified The Dodd Trophy’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity,” Gary Stokan, president and CEO of Peach Bowl Inc. said in a news release. “Both on and off the field, these coaches have shown what it takes to always strive for excellence and help push their student-athletes to be their very best.”

Jahvon Quinerly chose his destination.

Last, the GM who drafted Jahmyr Gibbs seems quite excited about him.

“When I first got with the Rams in 2003, Marshall Faulk was still there, and I was a huge Marshall Faulk guy — just kind of seeing what he does in both phases,” Holmes said. “And just from a scouting standpoint, when Christian McCaffrey came out, he was the last guy that I was like, ‘Holy cow, this guy can run routes like a slot receiver but also run it.’ So, you start getting reminders of those players. I’m not sitting here saying Jahmyr Gibbs is those players, but just a special weapon like that. We have a lot of excitement and optimism.”

That’s about it for today. Have a great weekend.

Roll Tide.