The New York Jets’ defensive shakeup reached shocking new depths on Wednesday when former All-Pro linebacker Quincy Williams learned he’d lost his starting job.
Former All-Pro LB Quincy Williams Loses His Starting Role
Former All-Pro LB Quincy Williams Loses His Starting Role (Screenshot via X/@NFL_DovKleiman)
The worst part? He received the sad news just 24 hours after watching his younger brother Quinnen Williams get drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. With the double smash, the Williams family capped off a nightmarish week as the Jets’ ongoing rebuild continues to take its toll.
Former All-Pro LB Quincy Williams Loses His Starting Role
In the span of one day, Quincy lost his starting spot and lost his younger brother to another team. While the organization sent cornerstone pieces like Quinnen and Sauce Gardner for future draft capital, Quincy got blindsided with a demotion.
Quincy came in on Monday and found himself running with the second-string defense, immediately confused about what was happening. By Wednesday, the coaches made it official that he had been benched.
“My coaches told me I was underperforming, that I’ve been underperforming since training camp,” Williams told ESPN. The assessment stings, but Williams handled it with surprising composure. “Not thrilled” with the decision, he clarified he’s “not mad” and hopes to win his job back.
The Jets’ defensive shakeup continues: Former All-Pro LB Quincy Williams has lost his starting job, he told ESPN.
“My coaches told me I was underperforming, that I’ve been underperforming since training camp,” he told me.
Williams said he’s “not thrilled” with the decision, but…
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) November 5, 2025
Tuesday’s trade deadline was supposed to be Quincy Williams’ chance to leave. The Cowboys considered acquiring both Williams brothers, which would have reunited Quincy with Quinnen in Dallas and given him a shot with a contender. Instead, Dallas filled their linebacker need by trading for Logan Wilson from the Bengals, leaving Quincy stuck in New York.
Surprisingly, the Jets didn’t trade Quincy Williams, considering their plans to bench him. Why keep a veteran on an expiring contract if you’re not even playing him?
The Jets essentially told Williams he’s not good enough to start but also not valuable enough to trade — a brutal double rejection that’s hard to spin positively.
Quincy Williams Opens Up About Jets Trading His Brother Quinnen
The conversation about his benching naturally led to questions about Tuesday’s trade deadline chaos.
“I didn’t know,” Williams admitted when asked if he thought he’d be dealt. “I came in on Monday and I was a 2, so I didn’t really understand what was going on.. I didn’t think a trade was.”
Quincy Williams is asked if he thought he would be traded by the Jets leading up to the deadline:
“I don’t know. I came in on Monday and was the 2, so I didn’t really understand what was going on. I kinda had those thoughts also, but it was one of those things where I told the… pic.twitter.com/CDYdvKbEVR
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 5, 2025
When pressed on whether he still wants to stay with the organization beyond this season, Quincy paused before answering. “Yeah,” he said. “I want to play football. I’m not gonna lie to you. I’m at the position right now where I want to play football.”
The toughest part of the media session came when Williams discussed learning about his brother’s trade in real time. “He said, ‘Hold on, y’all. I’m going to the Cowboys,'” Quincy recalled.
“So it was one of those things where it was like, all right, take a little minute and hit me up later. And he was like, ‘I’m (gonna) be on the flight tonight,'” Quincy added.
Uh Oh: Quincy Williams speaks on the Jets trading away his brother Quinnen.
“I’ve been messing with my own issues right now…I haven’t had time to take it all in.”
It was just announced that he lost his starting job…
What an awful week for Quincy.pic.twitter.com/58iahmlATB
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 5, 2025
The brothers had been Jets teammates since 2021, when New York claimed Quincy off waivers from Jacksonville. They formed the backbone of Gang Green’s defense together, with Quinnen earning three Pro Bowl selections and Quincy breaking out with his All-Pro 2023 campaign.
Now the partnership is over. Quincy must navigate his own career challenges while watching his younger brother get a chance to chase a ring in Dallas.