Why Jets Traded Quinnen Williams to Cowboys amid Reported 'Deteriorating' Relationship

Star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams had a strained relationship with the New York Jets before the team traded him to the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, according to SNY's Connor Hughes.

"Quinnen Williams' relationship with the Jets has been deteriorating, and this goes all the way back to when they made the decision to move on from Aaron Rodgers," Hughes reported. "That's when things started to change with Quinnen Williams and with the New York Jets. When Aaron Glenn was then very critical of Quinnen Williams in a 1-on-1 meeting and critical of him publicly at the NFL combine to us, that is when things truly started to spiral and spiral and spiral for Quinnen Williams and the Jets."

"I was told that on three separate occasions, Quinnen Williams requested a trade from the New York Jets," he added.

The Jets received a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and defensive tackle Mazi Smith from the Cowboys in exchange for Williams.

While the 27-year-old blossomed into a star on New York's defensive front during his seven years with the team, he was never able to experience the playoffs. Expectations were high for the Jets following their blockbuster trade for Aaron Rodgers in 2023, although Rodgers suffered a season-ending torn Achilles in his first game with the team.

He eventually returned for the 2024 season and appeared in all 17 games, but New York finished with a 5-12 record and released the four-time MVP in March.

Williams posted "another rebuild year for me I guess" along with thumbs down emoji on X following Rodgers' release before eventually deleting the messages.

Glenn addressed the posts at the 2025 combine.

"Listen, I understand the reaction of the players," Glenn told reporters. "But I will say this: Every decision that me and [general manager Darren Mougey] make is to win, and to win now. I understand it, but again, listen, this isn't going to be the last decision I make that will upset some people, and that's OK. As men, we talk about it. We make sure we keep it in house, and that's what we're going to continue to do."

The Jets have struggled once again in 2025, sitting at 1-7 through eight contests. They were extremely active prior to Tuesday's trade deadline, sending cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts while receiving a package consisting of two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.

As for Williams, the three-time Pro Bowler has remained impactful to open his 2025 campaign. He recorded 32 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and one sack in eight games.