It sounds like the Jets passed on an even better Quinnen Williams trade with the Cowboys

The New York Jets had a full-blown fire sale on Tuesday, just hours before the 4:00 p.m. ET cutoff for the trade deadline. First, the Jets traded away cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. Shortly after this blockbuster, the Jets had another in store.

The Jets traded defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. Williams had been a mainstay on the Jets since being selected third overall in 2019. Sadly, Williams didn't experience a playoff trip or a winning season, for that matter, during his time with the team.

Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones teased trades on Monday night ahead of the trade deadline. Earlier in the day, the Cowboys acquired Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson. As it turns out, the Cowboys had their eyes on Williams for quite some time, and even offered a huge player in the deal — Micah Parsons.

Jets reportedly discussed a Quinnen Williams for Micah Parsons trade during offseason

According to Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star Telegram, the Jets and Cowboys discussed a Parsons for Williams trade during the offseason, but both teams could not meet in the middle for an agreement.

"Before trading Micah Parsons in August to the Green Bay Packers, the Cowboys called the New York Jets about trading for Williams for a package that would include Parsons. The two sides couldn’t find middle-ground, and Parsons ended up getting dealt to the Packers instead. Less than three months later, Jerry Jones gets the defensive tackle he was hunting all along."

Nick Harris

Imagine if the Jets landed Parsons? That would have been quite the deal for the Jets. The issue is, Parsons was seeking a long-term contract extension, and it was unknown if he would opt to ink a deal with the Jets. But it's quite possible that the Jets had heard Parsons would be open to signing a deal.

Ultimately, Parsons was dealt to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for 2026 and 2027 first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Additionally, Parsons signed a four-year, $180 million contract extension.

In his first eight games with the Packers, Parsons recorded 20 combined tackles, 14 quarterback hits, and 6.5 sacks.

The Jets landing Parsons would have been a gigantic get. Ultimately, no deal transpired. However, Jets general manager Darren Mougey decided to move forward with their rebuild and bring in much-needed high draft capital. It could help them find their franchise quarterback in the 2026 draft and build around them.

But for most Jets fans, they'd rather keep their players or get Parsons.