The New York Jets sent shockwaves through the NFL on trade deadline day, dealing away a couple of All-Pro defensive players: cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
According to SNY’s Connor Hughes, the team’s relationship with Williams had “worsened” over the course of the season, with tensions dating back to before training camp.
Hughes also reported that the former Alabama standout requested a trade on three separate occasions leading up to Tuesday’s deadline.
“Quinnen Williams’ relationship with the Jets has been deteriorating, and this goes all the way back to when they made the decision to move on from Aaron Rodgers,” said Hughes. “That’s when things started to change. When Aaron Glenn was very critical of Quinnen.”
“Williams, in a 1-on-1 meeting and critical of him publicly to us, that is when things truly began to spiral. He let the Jets know he had zero plans to extend … (and) he had stressed to the Jets that he wanted to rework his deal. The Jets rebuffed that.”
The Jets dealt Williams to the Dallas Cowboys in return for a 2027 first-round pick, a 2026 second-round pick, and 24-year-old defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
The Gardner and Williams trades mark a new era in Florham Park.
The Jets got a significant haul for Williams, and paired with the Sauce deal, it’s clear they’re pressing the reset button.
Glenn and Darren Mougey are tearing everything down and stockpiling high picks to construct a quarterback-led future.
The next two drafts will define whether this bold rebuild sparks a renaissance or yet another restart.
