FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:
1. Q factor: Call it the captain curse.
The six captains selected by their teammates before the season have experienced varying degrees of adversity:
Justin Fields, an in-game benching, public criticism from owner Woody Johnson and week-to-week uncertainty about his job; Alijah Vera-Tucker, a season-ending injury before Week 1; Garrett Wilson, the first injury of his career; Jamien Sherwood, a temporary benching; Marcelino McCrary-Ball, injured reserve; and Quinnen Williams, traded to the Dallas Cowboyson Tuesday hours before the deadline.
“Adversity” probably isn’t the right word to describe Williams’ situation — he’s thrilled to be gone — but his absence creates adversity for the Jets. He was, unofficially, the captain of the captains, a highly respected leader in the locker room. The Williams trade was a gut punch to the defense, causing a mix of emotions — from envy to concern. There’s a serious leadership void in the locker room, with some players privately wondering how it will manifest itself on the field. It will be fascinating to see how the Jets (1-7) respond, starting Sunday against the Cleveland Browns (2-6) at MetLife Stadium.
One player described the post-trade deadline mood as “weird.” The front office traded Williams and Sauce Gardner, tacitly turning the page to 2026 — a tough message for the locker room to absorb.
“A ton of production just left our building — a ton of production,” said Harrison Phillips, hopeful their replacements can rally.
When the defense was disjointed early in the season, it was Williams who organized a players-only meeting. Williams, who carried the scars of six straight losing seasons, was the tone setter, the vocal presence behind the scenes.
He went from scars to The Star.
Offensive guardJohn Simpson said the void is “something we’re definitely going to take a hit on.”
“He’s one of the best players this organization has seen, probably that a lot of people have seen,” Simpson said.
ReceiverAllen Lazard called Williams “a huge pillar to the foundation of this locker room.”
The Jets traded the heart and soul of the team, hoping the draft-pick return pays dividends in the future. In the meantime, buckle up.
2. D-molished: Everybody knows change is inevitable in the NFL, but the turnover on defense is stunning even by the here-today, gone-tomorrow reality of the league.
Two years ago, the Jets were No. 3 in defensive EPA. Wrap your brain around this: Nine of the 12 snap leaders from that unit are gone, and it’s not a stretch to project that it’ll be down to one by the time the Jets report to training camp next summer — Jermaine Johnson. The other holdovers are Quincy Williams and Tony Adams, both of whom have been benched this season and are headed to free agency. Adams is expected to return to the lineup, replacing the injured Andre Cisco at safety.
Who knows? Maybe Johnson also will be gone next year. After all, the Jets listened to offers for him right up until the trade deadline.
How does one dismantle a defense? Let us count the ways.
Four of the top 12 were traded: Gardner, Quinnen Williams, Michael Carter II and John Franklin-Myers.
Four left via free agency:D.J. Reed, Bryce Huff, Jordan Whitehead and Solomon Thomas.
One was released:C.J. Mosley, who wound up retiring in an injury-related decision. The defense started to lose its bite last season, as the takeaway total dropped to 17 from 31 in 2023. This season’s unit has only one takeaway, an embarrassingly low number that factored into the in-season makeover.
3. Gang (really) green: Be prepared to see a lot of young players on defense over the final nine games — Malachi Moore, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and Azareye’h Thomas in the secondary, Kiko Mauigoa at linebacker and Jowon Briggs on the line. They’re all rookies and second-year players. There’s also Mazi Smith, a third-year tackle acquired in the Williams trade.
“We can win with that,” defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said, trying to put a positive spin on a tough situation.
4. Benched: Quincy Williams, told by his coaches that he’s “underperforming,” lost his starting job, presumably to Mauigoa. A justified demotion?
Williams is a sideline-to-sideline linebacker known for his splash plays, but the overall run defense is statistically better when Mauigoa is on the field. With Mauigoa (258 snaps) in the game, the Jets allow 3.5 yards per rush, per Next Gen Stats. With Williams (204), it’s 4.8.
The coaches feel Mauigoa is a more physical player than Williams, but you’d be naive to think Williams’ lame-duck status has nothing to do with it. He’s in the final year of his contract and probably will leave as a free agent; Mauigoa is a rookie, handpicked by the new regime.
5. A nice ‘AD’: The Jets believe they have a potential gem in wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, acquired in the Gardner trade. Mitchell got buried on the Colts’ depth chart after his infamous fumble in a Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams; he dropped the ball as he was about to cross the goal line. Shades of Malachi Corley, Halloween Night, 2024.
Mitchell was a 2024 second-round pick, so the talent is there. Receivers coach Shawn Jefferson said Mitchell was “high on my list” of receiver prospects that year. At 6-foot-2, he could be a nice complement to the 6-foot Wilson.
With the Colts, Mitchell was known for his mercurial personality, but not everyone wanted him gone. Receivers coach Reggie Wayne told Indianapolis reporters it “sucks” to lose Mitchell, adding: “That’s the way the business goes. One day you’re 7-2. The next day you’re 1-7.”
6. Hello, goodbye: It wasn’t unusual for the Jets to trade two former first-round picks. In fact, it happens with alarming regularity.
Since the 1995 draft, the Jets have traded 16 of their 38 first-round picks. Let’s dig a little deeper. Their last six players chosen with top-6 picks, dating to 2015, all got traded. We’re talking about Gardner, Quinnen Williams, Zach Wilson, Jamal Adams, Sam Darnold and Leonard Williams.
7. Did you know? It’s rare to see Fields and Tom Brady in the same paragraph, but here you go: Fields, the presumptive starter, has gone 10 straight starts without an interception, one shy of the longest streak since the merger (1970), per ESPN Research. Jalen Hurts (2024-2025), Justin Herbert (2024) and Brady (2010) did it 11 starts in a row.
8. Bye the way: Coach Aaron Glenn can reverse a vexing trend — the post-bye blues. In their last nine games after a bye, the Jets are 1-8, with a minus-108 point differential.
9. Deck shuffling: The current 53-man roster includes 12 players who weren’t on the team at the start of training camp, seven of whom were acquired in trades.
10. The last word: “To say Nick and I butted heads over [calling the line signals] is an understatement, but I was just doing my thing, what I had always been doing [in Pittsburgh]. But it didn’t take long before I realized I didn’t need to. Nick had it all under control. He saw everything. He got everyone on the same page, and then he snapped the ball and went and dominated. I was playing with [a] future Hall of Famer.” — Pro Football Hall of Famer Alan Faneca, from his eulogy at Nick Mangold’s funeralbr/]
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