Jets cornerback Qwan'Tez Stiggers (c) and teammates.
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Cornerback Qwan'tez Stiggers may be on his way off the Jets roster.
The New York Jets began the third phase of their offseason program on Monday, known as organized team activities or OTAs. The voluntary workouts consist of 10 practice sessions over a four-week period, with no contact allowed. Players may wear helmets, but no pads.
For new head coach Aaron Glenn, the OTAs are a time to communicate the identity of the 2025 Jets to his players.
“I want those guys to know exactly who we are. I think that’s the best way to do it, to teach it in stages instead of putting everything on those guys,” Glenn said, as quoted by NewYorkJets.com. “They’re completely buying in. I give a lot of credit to those guys and I’m happy what they’re doing.”
But for some players the stakes are higher. Their performances at the OTA sessions could go a long way toward determine whether they will have a place on the Jets roster when the team kicks off the season by hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 7.
One of those players is a second-year cornerback who comes with one of the most inspirational stories in the NFL. Whether that story will resonate with Glenn and new general manager Darren Mougey, at least enough to keep cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers on the team, is another story altogether.
Rare Player in NFL Without College Football Experience
Playing high school football at B.E.S.T. Academy, a small all-boys school in northwest Atlanta, Stiggers — one of 13 children in his family — fell through the cracks in the college recruiting process. He finally received a scholarship offer from Lane College, a Division II historically black college in Jackson, Tennessee.
But the COVID pandemic wiped out what would have been his freshman season — and then an even worse calamity struck. His father was severely injured in a traffic accident in February 2020, first falling into a coma the passing away in September of that year.
Feeling lost and depressed, Stiggers gave up on football, taking jobs at a truck washing station and as a DoorDash driver.
It was his mother, Kwanaa who pulled him out of it. She signed him up to play in a local semi-pro league known as Fan Controlled Football, a seven-on-seven indoor league that let fans call plays. It quickly became clear that Stiggers was perhaps the best defensive player there.
One of the coaches had previously worked in the Canadian football League, and a few phone calls later, Stiggers made the roster of the Toronto Argonauts — the team that had won more championships, 18, than any other in the CFL.
In his one season in Toronto, the Argos lost in the Eastern Conference Final, but Stiggers was named the season’s Outstanding Rookie.
In April of 2024, the Jets drafted him in the fifth round.
New York Jets
Make sure you have the tissues in reach for this one.
Qwan’tez Stiggers gets the call of a lifetime 🥺💚
Inspirational Story May Not be Enough for Stiggers
But will his story be enough? Though he was a personal favorite of then-coach Robert Saleh, who was fired after a 2-3 start, Stiggers, now 23 years old, saw action mainly on special teams as an NFL rookie. He played only five percent of available defensive snaps while starting only one game.
That’s why this week’s OTAs could be crucial for Stiggers.
“If you were a guy the old coaching staff overlooked you have a real opportunity to prove yourself,” commented Locked on Jets podcast host John B. “But there’s a flip side. If you were kind of like a favorite project player of the old coaching staff and GM you could be in danger.”
That description, perhaps unfortunately, fits Stiggers all-too-well.
“Qwan’Tez might have been one of those guys for (former GM) Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh. We know for a fact Saleh really liked him. With Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey around, it may not be such a clear path for Stiggers.”
The OTA sessions, and a possible switch to safety where the Jets have greater needs than at cornerback, may be the only way for Stiggers to keep his inspirational story alive, according to the Locked On host.