Jets Rebuild Roster with Trade of Quinnen Williams to Cowboys

The New York Jets have taken a significant step in their roster rebuild by trading defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys. This move comes in the wake of the Jets’ disappointing 1-7 start to the 2025 NFL season and follows their earlier decision to trade cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts for two first-round draft picks and wide receiver Adonai “AD” Mitchell.

Reports from NFL insider Connor Hughes indicate that the Jets will receive the Cowboys’ first-round pick in 2027, a second-round pick in 2026, and defensive tackle Mazi Smith in exchange for Williams. The Jets’ management has signaled their intent to rebuild the team, leveraging these trades for future assets.

Williams’s discontent with the Jets began earlier this year when he expressed his frustration over the team’s decision to part ways with future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Hughes noted that first-year head coach Aaron Glenn addressed Williams’s concerns both publicly and privately during the NFL Combine. Relations soured further after the team declined Williams’s request to renegotiate his contract, which has only $5 million guaranteed remaining.

As the Jets entered their bye week with a dismal record, Williams communicated to close associates that he desired a fresh start and was no longer interested in pursuing an extension with the Jets. Ultimately, he found a new home in Dallas, a team that has been seeking defensive reinforcements. Hughes further remarked on Williams’s preference for the Cowboys, suggesting that the feeling was mutual.

The trades involving Williams and Gardner send a clear message to the Jets’ players and fans: no player is untouchable. The Jets now possess valuable assets, including two first-round picks and two second-round picks in 2026, and three first-round picks in 2027. This positions them well to potentially acquire a franchise quarterback in the upcoming draft or through a future trade.

These developments also imply that neither general manager Darren Mougey nor coach Glenn is likely to face dismissal in January. Despite the team’s struggles, Jets owner Woody Johnson expressed his confidence in Glenn even when the team was winless in October.

Critics have pointed out that trading away two of the team’s highest-paid players—Williams, 27, and Gardner, 24—signals a belief that the talent left by the previous management was overrated. The current Jets leadership appears fully committed to reshaping the roster and building for a more competitive future.