Browns' Quincy Williams finally reveals reason for benching in final season with Jets

Quincy Williams developed into an All-Pro linebacker during his time with the New York Jets, and it seemed like he would be a staple on the defense for years to come. However, three years after his All-Pro selection, Williams is now a member of the Cleveland Browns. This comes after a 2025 season in New York where it was clear his relationship with the team was souring.

The moment that made that especially clear was when the linebacker was demoted heading into Week 10 of last season. At the time of the demotion, Williams told reporters that he lost his starting job because the coaches said he was underperforming. However, on Friday, during his introductory press conference with the Browns, Williams admitted that it wasn’t the real story.

The veteran linebacker explained that his demotion had nothing to do with performance and that it wasn’t even a real demotion. In reality, Williams says he had a conversation with “coach,” not naming any names, and that they disagreed about something. As a result, Williams said the coach decided to use his power to penalize the linebacker by not having him start the game.

Quincy Williams reveals Jets tension was due to a disagreement with a coach

Williams further proved his point by highlighting that he was only kept out of the game for the first three plays, and admitted he was also held out of practice leading up to the game. Additionally, after that week, he returned to the starting lineup. That aligns with his explanation that he wasn’t actually demoted, but was being sent a message instead.

The linebacker didn’t want to speak on the actual details during the season because he didn’t want the story to be a distraction, but he admitted he probably should have gotten ahead of things after seeing how big a story it became.

Either way, Williams seemed like a player who was happy to have moved on from the Jets. Prior to answering the question about the demotion situation, the linebacker asked the Cleveland media if they could promise that Friday would be the last day they would ask him Jets questions. Williams also expressed that he felt rejuvenated by being with a new team, and even joked that he now has to take the green out of his locs. While the color is an ode to his Joker alter ego, he said it’s too close to New York’s colors for comfort.