Before he put on a Dallas Cowboys uniform, Javonte Williams was considering retirement. The running back said on the “Downs 2 Business” podcast on Thursday that he seriously considered it after his time with the Denver Broncos ended.
Williams entered the NFL as a second-round pick of Denver in 2021 and had success as a rookie. A major knee injury in his second season affected his next three seasons with the team.
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He then signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Cowboys and revived his career in 2025, with career highs in games started (16), rushes (252), yards (1,201) and touchdowns (11). He had 11 TDs in his four seasons in Denver.
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“I was really about to just hang up the cleats,” Williams said. “No disrespect to nobody in Denver or nothing like that — I respect everybody over there; I respect what they got going on — just coming to Dallas, it felt like a new awakening. I felt like a rebirth.”
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The Cowboys’ coaches played a large part in that, according to Williams.
“Just leaving there and coming here, the coaches believing in me, everybody just like lifting me up. It kind of felt like UNC all over again,” Williams said. “Me just going out there just playing, having fun.”
Williams said he had already bought a home and was thinking about a second career.
“I might just start my real estate or something,” he said.
Williams credited his faith and his family for helping him give football another shot.
Javonte Williams powers Cowboys past Eagles
Javonte Williams ran for a career-high 155 yards and scored his eighth rushing touchdown of the season, tied for the NFL lead, in a 38-21 win at Philadelphia on “Monday Night Football.”
Dallas ran 38 times for 204 yards, its best rushing output of the season. Williams was not tackled behind the line of scrimmage once, a credit to an offensive line and tight ends who controlled Philadelphia’s front.
The win lifted Dallas (3-4) to second place in the NFC East, behind the New York Giants (4-2-1). The Cowboys host the Arizona Cardinals at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein
