Former Alabama star Quinnen Williams explains why he was the last SEC 1st-round pick to sign NFL contract
By SDS Staff
Published:
Quinnen Williams was the SEC’s highest NFL Draft pick — No. 3 overall to the New York Jets — this past April. He was also the last former SEC first-round pick to sign his rookie contract.
Williams and the Jets made things official Thursday, as Williams finally signed his rookie contract.
On Friday, Williams met with the media for the first time, and he explained why it took things a bit longer for the deal to get done. The biggest reason? Paying income taxes in Alabama as opposed to New Jersey.
“It was just a thing about taxes,” Williams said Friday. “My tax bracket is inside Alabama right now, so it would be a great thing to get my tax in Alabama. So having to defer a lot of it, next year I’ll be a resident of New Jersey.”
Williams will have a signing bonus of $21.6 million, including a total four-year contract worth of about $32.5 million. Recent reports indicated that the Jets wanted to defer payment of the bonus of more than 30 percent, but Williams wanted more of it now.
In Alabama, the top income tax bracket pays 5 percent, while New Jersey’s is 10.75 percent. The NFL Network reported that Williams will receive 75 percent of his signing bonus in 2019 and the remaining 25 percent in 2020.
With contract negotiations aside, Williams is excited to return to football.
“It was a huge relief, man, just to be back with my brothers and be back with the team, be back in New York, New Jersey,” Williams said Friday during his press conference. “It’s just an amazing feeling to get everything did (sic) and get everything situated and stuff like that so I can focus on football and ball out with my team. So it’s just a blessing — just an amazing feeling to be out here again, get to sweat, just to grind with your brothers again.”
When asked if the Jets players had any comments about how long it took the deal to get done, Williams said he’s been called “Big Money.”
The former Alabama standout has a big future with the Jets.
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
