Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams were the New York Jets’ lone Pro Bowl representatives
The New York Jets and the rest of the NFL should know by now that the Pro Bowl is a popularity contest. It’s not that different from the NFL’s Top 100 list every year.
This became especially clear in 2022 when Xavien Howard made the Pro Bowl at cornerback over D.J. Reed. This year, at least it was Jalen Ramsey, who has played pretty well, beating out Reed and not the other putrid Dolphins corner.
This year, the Jets’ two representatives are Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner. Both players were named starters. While this is not a knock on either one — they are excellent players who both had Pro Bowl-worthy years, and Gardner should likely win another first-team All-Pro honor — many other Jets players could have earned berths but were snubbed.
The Jets’ social media team and their players took exception to the snubs. It started with the team’s X (formerly Twitter) account.
We would argue all six of these guys deserve to be in Orlando 🫡 pic.twitter.com/AZDheCNN60
— New York Jets (@nyjets) January 4, 2024
This is not an outrageous argument to make. Thomas Morstead is tied for the NFL lead in punts downed inside the 20. Greg Zuerlein has missed just two kicks all year (one blocked) and is 5-for-6 from 50+ yards.
Despite losing a step, C.J. Mosley has 55 defensive stops. Breece Hall is one of the league leaders in rush yards over expected (RYOE) per attempt despite playing behind the worst offensive line in the league, and he has also established himself as a dangerous threat out of the backfield. Since Week 4, Jermaine Johnson has a 14.5% pressure rate, a blocked punt, and a pick-six.
Above all else, Quincy Williams’ Pro Bowl snub is particularly befuddling. Williams established himself as one of the league’s best linebackers this year, ranking first with 77 defensive stops, per Pro Football Focus, 14 more than the No. 2-ranked linebacker. He allowed just 8.0 yards per reception and led all linebackers with eight pass breakups.
Hall, Johnson, and Williams had something to say about the Pro Bowl.
Telling yall now
2024: I will be a Top RB
I Will be in the Pro Bowl
I Will be an All ProAnd it will continue years after that🤞🏾
— Breece Hall (@BreeceH) January 4, 2024
Y’all gon feel me next year…
— Jermaine Johnson II (@ii_jermaine) January 4, 2024
2024: Leave No Doubt
— Quincy Williams (@quincywilliams_) January 4, 2024
Meanwhile, nickel Michael Carter II, who was not selected even as an alternate despite his consistent play as one of the best nickel corners in the league, had his own comment.
Nickels matter 😂
— Michael Carter II (@mcarter2nd) January 4, 2024
Key voices in the media apparently agree that Williams, at least, was snubbed. NFL.com listed him as the No. 5 player snubbed from the Pro Bowl, while Ian Rapoport selected him as the top snub.
From The Insiders on #NFLPlus: My Pro Bowl snub? #Jets LB Quincy Williams. pic.twitter.com/z8fXKeRai9
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 4, 2024
While it would have been fun for Jets fans to see their players more amply represented, these snubs serve as a reminder that winning teams tend to get more recognition for their top players. If the team wants to send more players to the Pro Bowl next year, the simple solution is to win more.
