Report: Leonard Williams' 5th-Year Contract Option to Be Picked Up by Jets

The New York Jets are reportedly planning to exercise the fifth-year option in defensive end Leonard Williams' rookie contract for the 2019 NFL season before the May 3 deadline.

Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported the update on Wednesday and noted the Jets want to sign the lineman to an extension before potentially having to use the franchise tag for 2020.

Williams is scheduled to have a cap hit of $5.9 million for 2018 before the number jumps to a projected $14.2 million under the fifth-year option next year, per Spotrac.

The 23-year-old USC product saw a decline in production in 2017. He tallied 47 total tackles and two sacks while appearing in all 16 regular-season games. He put up 68 tackles and seven sacks in 2016.

Pro Football Focus still graded him as the league's No. 21 interior defender last season, though.

In December, Williams told reporters he wasn't overly concerned about the statistical drop-off because there are other ways to make an impact:

"It doesn't eat at me, because I know sacks are the stats that the fans want to see, but as a defensive player, it's about being disruptive. And if you're getting to the quarterback and hitting him and causing him to throw incompletions and causing him to be uncomfortable in the pocket and causing him to scramble and look at the rush instead of looking down the field, that's what a good pass-rusher does. Get to the quarterback. Make him uncomfortable."

He'll remain a key cog up front alongside Steve McLendon and Xavier Cooper as New York's defense tries to bounce back after ranking 25th in yards allowed last season.