The Jets are in a position to make some noise with the NFL trade deadline approaching, but there are certain players on New York’s roster that should be off-limits barring the most extraordinary circumstances.
Quinnen Williams is one of them.
Rumors have been swirling that the third pick in the 2019 NFL Draft could be dealt before the deadline. On Tuesday, the Daily News’ Manish Metha reported that the Jets are trying to trade Williams, but the report was disputed by multiple Jets beat reporters. Adam Gase then refuted the report on Wednesday, reaffirming that Williams is not being shopped and will remain with the Jets.
“He’s going to be here. Those [stories] are false,” the head coach said, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “I talked to Quinnen. I have not heard one thing from anybody in the front office about him being traded… There’s nothing to that. It’s false.”
It’s easy to understand why teams around the league would be interested in making a move for Williams. Young defensive linemen with sky-high ceilings don’t grow on trees. Williams is only 22 and coming into his own with the Jets, looking more like a franchise centerpiece with each passing week. He was a menace against the Bills in Week 7, getting to Josh Allen with regularity. Consistency still evades him from time to time and he has yet to take his level of play from good to great, but Williams’ progression is impossible to ignore.
“He’s only going to continue to get better,” Gregg Williams said of Quinnen Williams last month, per NorthJersey.com’s Andy Vasquez. “With confidence builds more confidence, he’s got a skill set that’s up there toward the top of the league.”
Joe Douglas demonstrated last trade deadline that he will listen to offers for any player when a team calls. Douglas did not draft Williams, either, which could theoretically make him more inclined to move the Alabama product in exchange for draft picks that he could use to bring in “his” guys. However, Douglas spoke to Williams and his agent in order to put the rumors to bed.
Trading Williams so early in his career would be a foolish decision by Douglas, anyway. He has yet to fully tap into his potential and still has plenty of room for growth. Why move on from a player who is so young and has the potential to become one of the best players at his position?
The only way Douglas should even consider trading Williams is if a team swoops in with a Jamal Adams-esque offer. As high as Williams’ ceiling is, it’s unlikely that someone offers New York a lucrative return in exchange for his services. Trading Williams for anything less than an eye-popping return would be a decision Douglas could come to regret for years to come.
There’s no guarantee Williams becomes the star many think he will — Leonard Williams was once on the same path to at One Jets Drive, but flopped. However, it is worth the Jets’ while to find out what will come of their blossoming defensive end. New York needs all the talent it can find while it endures yet another rebuild.
Williams should be one of the building blocks, not cast away to become a star elsewhere.