Quinnen Williams’ massive extension clears the financial path for Jerry Jones to pursue a blockbuster trade, potentially pairing the league's elite interior anchor with a dominant pass-rushing superstar.
Just days after Nicole Lynn of Klutch Sports was spotted in Oxnard chatting with the Dallas Cowboys' brass, she helped secure Quinnen Williams' long-term future with the franchise.
Williams, 28, agreed to a massive three-year, $105.9 million extension on Monday, ensuring "Q" will have a star on his helmet for the next five seasons.
But avoiding any Micah Parsons-esque contract drama wasn't the only perk to getting Williams' deal done early. While we don't have the final figure yet, the Cowboys created quite the cap relief for themselves upon inking Williams.
So ... it could be time for Jerry and Stephen Jones to go shopping.
Dallas hasn't been shy about its willingness to hunt for a "big fish" since its "state of the Cowboys" address ahead of training camp.
The front office's answer to a question regarding negotiations with Maxx Crosby ignited further speculation, leading many to believe that the Cowboys could still manage to a blockbuster trade for the star pass rusher before Week 1.
The Williams' extension makes that possibility even more likely now, and if Dallas gets the chance to acquire Crosby, the impact he'd have cannot be overstated.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) recently released its top 32 EDGEs in the NFL, and Crosby landed at No. 7. He trailed only Myles Garrett (No. 1), Will Anderson Jr. (No. 2), Micah Parsons (No. 3), Aidan Hutchinson (No. 4), Josh Hines-Allen (No. 5) and Nick Bosa (No. 6).
"Crosby’s peak as a pass-rusher came in 2021 with 108 total pressures on a 91.9 PFF pass-rush grade," PFF's Gordon McGuinness wrote. "While he has dropped off since then, he has still managed to total 107 pressures and 73 tackles resulting in a defensive stop over the past two seasons."
The EDGE list dropped on the same day as PFF's interior defender rankings, which saw Williams land at No. 2 after the freshly-extended anchor posted run-defense grades above 90.0 in two of the past three seasons.
It's important to remember that PFF isn't the holy bible of all things football.
But ...
Should the Joneses utilize the new available cap room to revisit — and eventually execute — a trade for Crosby, the Cowboys would enter the 2026 season with the seventh-highest-graded pass rusher and second-highest-graded defensive tackle.
Regardless of one's stance on PFF, that's quite the contrast from where the defense was at this time last year:
On the verge of losing who PFF listed as the third-best pass rusher in football in Parsons, with Solomon Thomas as the likely starting 1-tech.
Crosby remains a Raider, and there's no guarantee that changes before Week 1. But after locking up Williams and creating additional financial flexibility in the process, the Cowboys are better positioned to make another splash if the opportunity presents itself.
If that opportunity is Crosby ... this defensive overhaul could have one more "massive" move left.
