Jets may have just found the perfect Quincy Williams trade partner

The New York Jets have a number of players on their roster who are expected to generate interest from NFL teams as we draw closer to the trade deadline early next month. One such player who's reportedly on the block is linebacker Quincy Williams.

Quincy Williams is in the final year of his contract and set to hit free agency after the season. The former All-Pro turns 30 before next season, and with the Jets already investing heavily in Jamien Sherwood last offseason, it’s unlikely they’ll commit top dollar to his position-mate as well.

That means there's a very real chance that Williams will be traded within the next few weeks. And on Sunday, one unfortunate injury may have just presented the Jets with their most obvious trade partner.

San Francisco 49ers' All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner suffered a fractured and dislocated ankle in his team's Week 6 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, another crushing blow to a defense that already lost star pass rusher Nick Bosa for the season.

Given the 49ers’ sudden need for a difference-making linebacker — and with former Jets head coach Robert Saleh back in San Francisco — it almost feels inevitable they’ll come calling about a potential Williams trade.

49ers have emerged as the obvious Quincy Williams trade destination

Williams is currently on the injured reserve after suffering a shoulder injury in the Jets' Week 3 loss to the Buccaneers. While the injury is not expected to be season-ending, he will be forced to spend at least one more week on IR.

It's unclear when Williams will be able to return to the field, and his health is obviously a significant determining factor in his trade status, but if he's healthy, it would make sense for the Jets to explore trade opportunities.

Williams was a brilliant waiver-wire find by former general manager Joe Douglas, evolving from an athletic but inconsistent linebacker who was cut after just two years in Jacksonville into one of the Jets’ defensive leaders — and, at his peak, one of the top linebackers in football.

He’s been everything the Jets could have hoped for in an on- and off-field leader — and then some. Williams had every right to push for a new contract this offseason after teammate Jamien Sherwood secured a hefty payday. Instead, he stayed patient and opted to play the year on a modest $6 million salary.

Unfortunately, Sherwood's contract makes it highly unlikely the Jets will look to extend Williams. There isn't a team in the NFL currently spending over $10 million a year on multiple off-ball linebackers.

It’s also fair to note that teams don’t have a great track record of extending linebackers once they hit 30. It’s just not a position that tends to age well in the NFL, aside from a few rare cases.

All signs point to this being Williams' final season with the Jets, and if that's the case, it would make sense for the team to try and recoup whatever assets they can acquire for him at the deadline. The recent performance of rookie linebacker Kiko Mauigoa makes that decision even easier.

Saleh’s 49ers defense has been ravaged by injuries and is in desperate need of a high-level starter, ideally someone the former Jets coach already trusts and who can immediately fill the void left by their injured All-Pro linebacker.

Don't be surprised if the 49ers come calling about Quincy Williams in the coming weeks. It almost feels too obvious at this point.