Quinnen Williams says the New York Jets are getting more than just his brother in Quincy Williams
Even James Bond couldn’t handle this much firepower from Q.
After his breakout season in 2020, the New York Jets probably decided that they would be perfectly fine with having another Quinnen Williams on their roster. Cloning an NFL player has not proven feasible yet, so they’ve done the next best thing and added part of the Williams’ bloodline to the fold.
With the Jets in dire need of defensive reinforcements, the team added the lineman’s older brother Quincy, a linebacker off Jacksonville’s waiver wire. The elder Williams was the 98th name called at the 2019 NFL Draft, 95 picks after his sibling was labeled the third overall choice by the Jets. Quincy spent the last two seasons with the Jaguars, who included him amongst their final cuts last week.
Should the Williams pair suit up together during any of the 17 games on the 2021 ledger – which is very possible considering the large investment into Quinnen and Quincy being called into a shaky linebacker room after Jarrad Davis’ injury – they would become only the second pair of brothers to simultaneously wear metropolitan green in a Jets regular season game (Robert and Larry Woods in 1974-75).
It’ll be the first time the brothers wear the same football uniform since their shared tenure at Wenonah High School in Birmingham, Alabama. Quinnen went on to partake in Alabama’s seemingly eternal college football dynasty while Quincy made a name for himself at FCS Murray State.
Get Started: Learn More About Becoming A Jet X Member
Adding first initials in front of “Williams” on NFL jersey’s nameplate fulfills a dream set forth by the brothers’ late mother Marquischa.
“I know my mom would be super-proud,” Quinnen Williams said on Monday, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. “We both definitely dreamed about being in the NFL, but definitely not on the same team.”
On that note, Quinnen sought to dispel the notion that the Jets signed his brother solely for the familial connection.
In Botte’s report, Quinnen conveyed the message that Quincy believes that last week marked his final time getting from an NFL roster and that he vows to “to let people know that I’m a good football player, not just Quinnen Williams’ brother … every single day”.
“I respected that and told him the same thing,” Quinnen said in Botte’s report. “I was like, ‘When you come into this building, bro, I don’t care if you’re my brother or not. We want to win. I want to win. Not to go out there and lose … So you need to come in with the best (attitude) every day and put your best foot forward every single day.
“I know I’m going to do that … That’s what the whole team expects from both of us.”
Quincy should make an immediate impact on a team that’s reeling after the medically-induced losses of Davis, Carl Lawson, and Vinny Curry (the latter pair will miss the whole season).
Another crucial factor unites Quincy and Quinnen far beyond their surname: the desire to win.
Nothing more needs to be written about the carnage in the background of Quinnen’s breakthrough sophomore season. The only team behind the Jets in the overall standings were Quincy’s former comrades in Duval County, whose one-win ledger was enough to beat the couple of wins from the Jets in the endeavor for Trevor (Lawrence) at the NFL Draft. New York nonetheless earned what appears to be a desirable consolation prize in BYU thrower Zach Wilson.
Squads featuring Quincy and Quinnen have been on the winning end of only 16 games over the last two seasons. One of those victories came at the expense of Quinnen, as Quincy’s Jaguars took a 29-15 decision in October 2019 (albeit with Quincy inactive).
Now united in green, the fraternal two simply wish to contribute to victorious football efforts. If it happens to come with a familiar face by each other’s side, so be it.
“We care about winning football games. That’s all that matters to us. He is not just Q’s brother. We want to win,” Quinnen said, per team reporter Jack Bell. “Whether he’s my brother or not, we play football games to win, not to lose. He needs to come in and put (his) best foot forward every day, and we need to hold each other accountable.”
“It’s super-exciting for my family, my brothers, my sister. It’s amazing to have a great guy like him here. He can help the team with his explosiveness, his speed, his knowledge and his football IQ.”
The Jets open their 2021 season against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
