Quincy Williams disaster in Week 15 exposes a brutal Jets mistake

Darren Mougey made some masterful moves at the trade deadline. He took big swings like the Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams trades. He identified undervalued assets by swapping the disappointing Michael Carter II for John Metchie III.

With earlier moves like Harrison Phillips, Jowon Briggs, and Jarvis Brownlee also on his ledger, navigating the trade market has been one of the early success stories for Mougey as the Jets' head decision maker.

Even some of the moves he didn't make, like not giving away Breece Hall for less than he's worth, look smart. But there's one glaring exception to his otherwise glowing trade record, and a brutal showing in Week 15 just brought it back to the forefront.

The Jets made a grave mistake by not trading Quincy Williams.

Quincy Williams disastrous Week 15 proves the Jets made a mistake by not trading him at the deadline

Let's be real, linebacker is no longer the defensive glamor position that it once was when guys like Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher, and Patrick Willis were household names. The way the game has evolved has made those monsters in the middle more auxiliary pieces of a stout defense rather than the focal point.

Investing heavily in the linebacker position, thus, is not advisable. The Jets already lavished Jamien Sherwood with a hefty three-year, $45 million extension in March, and with Williams' contract expiring at season's end, there was no way they'd do the same with him. A trade, especially given the team's struggles, seemed like the only path forward.

To be fair, the Jets did listen to offers for Williams, but with the asking price reportedly being set at a fourth-round pick, it was always going to be a tough sell.

As stellar as Williams was in 2023, which earned him the three-year, $18 million contract extension he's currently playing out, he took a step back in 2024, most notably falling off in coverage. So far, 2025 has been another step in the wrong direction, and Week 15's showing against his former team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, makes the whole thing sting that much more.

Jacksonville dominated the Jets by a score of 48-20, with five Trevor Lawrence touchdown passes doing the bulk of the damage. If you look closely at those touchdowns, you're likely to see Williams' No. 56 jersey well out of position as he was repeatedly beaten like a drum.

Abysmal might not be a strong enough word to describe Williams' stat line in the horrendous affair. The speedy linebacker was targeted six times and surrendered six completions, with four of them going for touchdowns. His preliminary PFF coverage grade was a dreadful 28.5 as he surrendered a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

Williams will walk away in the offseason, and while someone else will give him a chance, he's regressed to the point that he is the same undisciplined mess he was when the Jets claimed him off waivers five years ago.

That means, likely any team bringing him in over the offseason won't be doing much more than taking a flier on a guy who once oozed athleticism on a one-year prove-it deal. What does that mean for the Jets? Aside from the inevitable departure, it means the club is highly unlikely to get a comp pick once Williams leaves.

And there's the mistake. A fourth-rounder would have been nice. So would a fifth, sixth, or seventh. Anything is better than letting a player walk for nothing, especially when the guy isn't contributing to your team, and then skips out on talking to reporters following a tough performance.

At this point, the only veterans worth having around are those who can mentor the young guys, and if Williams can't face the heat after an embarrassing showing, then he should have been shipped out a while ago.