There seemed to be something different about Quinnen Williams, the second-longest tenured member of the Jets, when he spoke with reporters on the second day of OTAs, Phase 3 of the team’s voluntary offseason program.
Entering his seventh season in the NFL and about to play for his third head coach and fourth defensive coordinator, Williams, 27, stood tall, spoke slowly, with conviction and with determination, sending a message that he’s going to do all in his power, all that is necessary to help HC Aaron Glenn and his teammates to succeed in the 2025 NFL season and beyond. The goal is simple, he said.
“Change the whole narrative of the New York Jets losing streaks or the playoff [droughts] and different things like that,” Williams said on Wednesday. “I was drafted here a long time ago [No. 3 overall in 2019 out of Alabama], and I was paid to help change things around. And I wear that as a badge of honor to make sure that before I leave this game the New York Jets are going to be on top, the New York Jets are going to be the team to watch. I kind of live that every day, and I want everybody around me to be that.”
Williams is at the heart a Jets’ defensive line that should benefit from an infusion of talent via free agency (Byron Cowart, Derrick Nnadi and Jay Tufele), the return from injury of edge Jermaine Johnson and the continued development of Will McDonald IV (who led the team last season with 10.5 sacks). Williams has earned Pro Bowl honors the past three seasons, totaling 154 tackles and 23.5 sacks. He has 11.5 sacks the past two seasons and has been among the most durable players on the Green & White, having played in 90 of a possible 102 games across his first six seasons.
“I’m still trying to see where I can be my best at and be myself at,” Williams said. “Enjoying learning from my new defensive line coach [Eric Washington], new head coach [Glenn] and new defensive coordinator [Steve Wilks]. Just seeing what they see for me and my future. They’re just telling me what I’m bad at and what I’m good at and trying to get on the right page.”
And Williams likes and has embraced Glenn’s message, to him and the entire roster.
“Hard-nosed football is one of those things that he believes in, toughness, he believes in execution,” Williams said of Glenn. “He believes in being smart when it comes down to executing the plays and then not penalizing yourself. So his standard was set from Day 1, and it hasn’t been broken there ever since he said it. So, it’s one of those things that’s bleeding out to the captains and bleeding out to everyone on the staff, everyone in the organization, everyone on the field. So, it’s one of those things that I’m kind of super happy about and super, super proud of.”