Jets Should Trade Quincy Williams to Niners
A door has opened for a potential trade, and the Jets should take it by trading Quincy Williams to the San Francisco 49ers.
Fred Warner broke and dislocated his ankle in the 49ers 30-12 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. They now need to fill that void. Even though Quincy Williams is on the reserve/injured list for another week (minimum), the Jets should be on the phones with the Niners right now.
This trade would be beneficial for both sides. The Niners need a replacement for Warner, even though, technically, it is truly impossible to do that, as he is the best off-ball linebacker in the NFL.
For the Jets, they’d get a draft pick in return for a player that they’d not be re-signing anyway. So, how should the deal be shaped.
From a Jets standpoint, they should offer to pay this upcoming week’s salary for Williams to cover the minimum time on the reserve/injured list. This would result in a cap savings for the Jets of $3,972,222. That number would then be applied to the 49ers cap.
The deal could net the Jets the Niners third-round pick for the expiring contract. His talent and age could also lead the 49ers to an extension, if they wanted to.
The Jets would also be guaranteed to now take on the $4,875,000 in dead cap for the remaining prorated signing bonus left on his contract, which would’ve been the case anyway, since he was unlikely to return.
The unfortunate side effect of this trade would be how it impacts his younger brother, Quinnen Williams.
Quinnen Williams is a building block at a position that typically has a longer shelf-life than many others. That said, with the departure of his brother, and another terrible Jets season, he could either flat out demand a trade, or just refuse to sign an extension (two years left on his current contract).
Should Jets Sell off Talent as Trade Deadline Looms?
November 4 is approaching, and there’s a looming question that’s very difficult to answer at this point, though many are going to make it out like it’s a very easy decision. Should the Jets be sellers as the trade deadline approaches?
The ripple effect would be that the Jets now have a huge hole to fill with a disgruntled, talented player no longer wanting to be there. It would be the signs of a rebuild as well, which the Jets didn’t want to do.
They would have to convince Quinnen Williams that it’s worth it to stick around for the next few years.
That said, the trade, in the long run, is worth it for the Jets. It would alleviate some cap space to carry over into 2026 and get something in return for a player who’s unlikely to return in 2026.