Former All-Pro LB Quincy Williams says he's been benched as Jets' shakeup continues

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The New York Jets’ shakeup this week was not just limited to two blockbuster trades involving franchise cornerstones on defense.

Gang Green has also benched one of the remaining leaders of its front seven.

Linebacker Quincy Williams, who was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2023, said on Wednesday that he’s been benched.

“My coaches told me I was underperforming, that I’ve been underperforming since training camp,” Williams told ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

Williams added he wasn’t “thrilled” with the move but he hopes to win back his starting spot.

Williams started the first three games of the season before landing on injured reserve due to shoulder injury suffered in the Jets’ loss to the Buccaneers on Sept. 21. Williams returned to the starting lineup for New York’s Week 8 win over the Bengals, but evidently head coach Aaron Glenn decided to make a change over the ensuing bye week.

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Williams’ play has steadily declined since his All-Pro season in 2023 when he logged a career-best 139 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 10 passes defensed and an interception.

He’s currently the 57th ranked linebacker out of 82, per Pro Football Focus, with an overall grade of 55.2. That’s down from 32nd out of 83 in 2024 (68.0 grade), and 10th out of 83 in 2023 (81.1 grade).

Expect to see more of a role for rookie Francisco Mauigoa, who has started since Williams’ injury, and sixth-year pro Mykal Walker moving forward.

There was thought that Williams, in addition to running back Breece Hall and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II, could have been part of New York’s selloff on Tuesday’s league-wide deadline for trades. New York sent All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Colts and then dealt three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, who is also Quincy’s brother, to Cowboys.

When the dust cleared on Tuesday, Quincy Williams remained in New York facing a new reality of life as a backup with his brother on another team.

“I don’t know,” Williams said on Wednesday when asked if he thought he’d be part of the Jets’ deadline deals. “I came in Monday with the 2s, so I didn’t really understand what was going on. I kind of had those thoughts also, but it was one of those things where I told the Jets I wanted to be a Jet for the long term.”

Williams, who is set for free agency in 2026, said Wednesday that he hasn’t had time to process his brother shipping off to Dallas.

“I ain’t really have time to think about it,” Williams said. “I’ve been messing with my own issues. Just getting on the field, getting my starting spot back. That’s really what I’ve been doing. I ain’t really have enough time to take it all in. But I talked to him earlier this morning. Everything good with him.”

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