Jets might’ve missed a chance to get even more in Quinnen Williams trade

The New York Jets shook up the NFL on Tuesday, trading cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys.

While it’s tough saying goodbye to the two defensive stars, the Jets did get back a couple of intriguing young players, as well as a ton of early-round draft picks to help jumpstart a rebuild. For as great as the returns were in both trades, the Jets apparently could’ve gotten a little bit more in the Williams trade by including one additional player.

In an ESPN piece released on Wednesday, NFL insider Dan Graziano reported that the Cowboys actually wanted to trade for Williams and his brother, linebacker Quincy Williams.

For whatever reason, it didn’t work out, so Dallas got the deal done for Quinnen only and traded with the Cincinnati Bengals for linebacker Logan Wilson. All things considered, it could have been a mistake by the Jets not to send both brothers in the trade and get a little more in the deal.

Cowboys reportedly wanted to trade for Quinnen Williams and Jets linebacker Quincy Williams

Quincy Williams was a third-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the same 2019 draft that his younger brother was selected third overall. After two years with the Jaguars, the linebacker was waived and immediately claimed by New York. He quickly went from just being Quinnen’s brother to an elite linebacker, being named first-team All-Pro in 2023.

The older Williams carved out a place for himself in the middle of the Jets defense, establishing himself as a run-stopping, tackling machine.

However, just like his brother, his time with the Jets is likely coming to an end. Williams is set to enter free agency this offseason, and even before Quinnen was traded, the expectation was that he could be moving on. That now seems like a guarantee, especially after he was benched.

The Cowboys, who need all the help they can get defensively, could welcome Quincy Williams with open arms in free agency this offseason. The Jets will likely lose him this offseason anyway, so at the very least, the team could’ve gotten an extra late-round pick for the linebacker.

Instead, the Jets held on to Quincy Williams and will keep him around for nine more weeks before he takes off to join his brother in Dallas.