Quinnen Williams Trade Rumors: Conflicting Reports Emerge on Jets DT's Future

Conflicting reports have emerged Tuesday about Quinnen Williams' long-term future with the New York Jets.

The New York Daily News' Manish Mehta initially reported the Jets are exploring their options with Williams ahead of the Nov. 3 NFL trade deadline: "Although general manager Joe Douglas has repeatedly said that he's willing to take calls from any team, the Jets have been proactive in attempting to get more draft capital in exchange for the third overall pick of the 2019 draft."

However, the New York Post's Brian Costello reported shortly thereafter that New York is "not shopping" the 22-year-old defensive lineman. Rich Cimini of ESPN corroborated that report.

Trading Williams wouldn't be totally out of step with how the Jets have operated since Douglas took over in June 2019.

The team sent Leonard Williams to the New York Giants prior to last season's trade deadline and moved Jamal Adams to the Seattle Seahawks in July. Douglas doesn't appear to have a ton of personal investment in young players he didn't draft.

Those two situations differ from that of Williams in that he's only in the second year of his rookie contract. Leonard Williams was due to hit free agency prior to his trade to the Giants, and Adams had a well-publicized breakdown with the front office over his next extension.

Even as the Jets sit winless after their first seven games, offloading Williams now wouldn't make a ton of sense. The former Alabama star has 27 total tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble in 2020. One could argue he hasn't dominated in the way New York might have expected after selecting him third overall in 2019, but it's tough to know how much of that is simply down to the sorry state of the team.

This could be a case of Douglas keeping all of his options open. If a team comes forward with a massive offer for Williams, then maybe he wouldn't be averse to a deal. But that isn't the same thing as shopping a player to interested suitors.