Latest news with #QuinnenWilliams
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Who is the Jets' face of the franchise?
East Rutherford, NJ October 1, 2023 Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes gets out of the grasp of Quinnen Williams of the Jets in the second half. The New York Jets host the Kansas City Chiefs at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on October 1, 2023. Credit: Chris Pedota, / USA TODAY NETWORK East Rutherford, NJ October 1, 2023 Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes gets out of the grasp of Quinnen Williams of the Jets in the second half. The New York Jets host the Kansas City Chiefs at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on October 1, 2023. Credit: Chris Pedota, / USA TODAY NETWORK As a result of the many years of losing seasons, Jets fans are typically quick to rip on players. In that way, they are like every other New York sports fan. But some players are just beloved by the fans, even if they aren't a top performer. Those athletes who succeed in New York City become immortalized. Advertisement Here, I'll go over some of the Jets' fan favorites and players who are cherished Is Quinnen Williams the face of the Jets' franchise? Starting off with possibly THE fan favorite, Quinnen Williams has a strong case for being considered the Jets' face of the franchise. I mean, what is there not to love about this guy? Fans love him for so many reasons, including the iconic moment when he blessed himself after sneezing. Since then, Williams has been nothing but a consistent and strong force on the interior of the Jets' defensive line. Over the last three seasons, he has been a Pro Bowler, and in 2022, he was a first-team All-Pro. Advertisement Along with his on-field skills, off the field, he has been a big part of the community. After losing his mother to breast cancer, Williams has donated and motivated a lot of his time outside of football to fighting the cause. The Quinnen Williams Foundation helps support single-parent households and promotes cancer awareness. What is there not to love about Quinnen Williams? Breece Hall is stellar both on and off the field Breece Hall is a dynamic, playmaking running back who is cherished by Jets fans. This past season, Hall didn't look like himself, but you couldn't tell that to Jets fans. To them, this guy is the greatest runner of the football ever. But even with Hall not looking great this season, he is definitely talented. Credit: Kevin R. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images In 2023, Hall had just shy of 1,000 yards on the ground and was just short of 600 yards through the air, with nine touchdowns. Even though he did not have a great season in 2024, the talent is still obviously there. Advertisement Outside of football, Hall is engaged in many different organizations and groups. One of his biggest supporting roles is being a big member of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where he supports and spends time with hospitalized children and their families. He also has a cereal brand named after him, 'Breece The Beast Box,' where some of the proceeds gathered go towards underserved youth football teams for equipment. Sauce Gardner One of the most talented players in the NFL, Sauce Gardner is praised and loved by all Jets fans. If you don't take a deep dive into the 2024 season, and look at the past two, it is obvious why Gardner is considered among the best defensive players in the NFL. Advertisement A two-time All-Pro, two-time Pro Bowler, and Defensive Rookie of the Year, the resume for Gardner is absolutely elite. Credit: Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images In Detroit, where Gardner is from, he gives back to the community. His biggest contributions back to his community are hosting football camps, where underprivileged youth get to learn from one of the best. At these camps, the youth not only learn about football, but they are also taught the importance of education and all that comes from it. All of these players are more than just that. They are very strong willed men, who love to help out their communities and causes. This is why they are beloved by Jets fans. Advertisement Related Headlines
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Highlights from New York Jets OTAs (video)
Highlights from New York Jets OTAs (video) The New York Jets completed their first OTA offseason workouts of 2025, as the team all came together and began to gel with perfect attendance. These sessions, the first of three, were from May 20-22. They'll also have OTAs from May 28-30 and June 3-5. It all starts with OTAs. Head coach Aaron Glenn is laying the foundation to build his culture and players are either entering into their known role or are trying to prove they belong on the field. Leaders on the team like Quinnen Williams and Garrett Wilson took the field and will help usher in the younger crowd while learning under a new coaching staff themselves. Here are some highlights from the first week of Jets OTAs: Jets OTAs highlights Jets OTAs highlights Armand Membou at OTAs — Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) May 21, 2025 Jets OTAs highlights Jets OTAs highlights Jets OTAs highlights HC Aaron Glenn at #Jets OTAs today — Harrison Glaser (@NYJetsTFMedia) May 21, 2025 Jets OTAs highlights Jets OTAs highlights Jets LT Olu Fashanu at OTA practice today looking 100 percent healed from the foot injury that ended his season last year in Week 16. — Dan Leberfeld (@jetswhispers) May 21, 2025 Jets OTAs highlights
New York Times
22-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How Justin Fields looked, and perfect attendance on a rainy day: Observations from Jets OTAs
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — It was cold and wet on Wednesday at the Jets' practice facility, but everyone was there anyway. These workouts are all voluntary, yet there stood 91 men wearing Jets uniforms. That was the case on Tuesday and, Aaron Glenn is pretty sure, on Wednesday too. That's 100 percent attendance. No contract holdouts, no pre-planned vacations to faraway lands, just a young football team, out on the field, practicing together when they don't have to. That includes two stars seeking new contracts, still showing up to get to know their new teammates, their new coaches, their new quarterback. This might not amount to much in the end, but it's at least a sign that, in these early days, the new-look Jets are buying into the culture Glenn is trying to build. Advertisement Quinnen Williams might be more at liberty to speak on that than anyone; he's the second-longest tenured Jet behind long snapper Thomas Hennessy. Williams has bore witness to turmoil and turnover and a whole lot of losing. He's never sniffed the playoffs as a Jet. He's on his third head coach (fourth if you count 2024 interim coach Jeff Ulbrich) and third defensive coordinator, and it's the fourth time since Williams got here that the Jets have invested in a new quarterback (from Sam Darnold to Zach Wilson to Aaron Rodgers to Justin Fields). When the Jets announced Rodgers was being released in February, Williams — who hadn't spoken to Glenn yet at that point — vented his frustration on Twitter about the prospect of going through another rebuild. Then he spoke to Glenn, and now he's met him — Williams' tune has changed. He said he regrets sending the tweet, calling it immature, and said that understanding his new coach has changed his frame of mind. He sees it working on his teammates too. Just look at the perfect attendance. 'It just goes to show you the belief we have in the new staff, the new head coach and the new regime, the new organization and the way we want to get this thing going,' Williams said. 'Especially for the guys that have been here for the last two to three years, or four years, and want to go in the right direction to win football games.' Glenn, though, still feels the Jets are far away from finding out if his new culture is really permeating, really making a difference. 'The real sign of where your culture is really starting to get to where you want is when adversity hits,' Glenn said. 'And we haven't hit any adversity. What I do know is we have a lot of our guys here — all of our guys here. And that tells me one thing: Our guys are buying in. They believe. They don't have to be here. So when I look at culture right now, I look at how many guys are showing up, and how are they working.' Advertisement On Wednesday, media members got their first look at how the new-look Jets are working. Here are some observations from the second practices of OTAs… It was a light practice. They all are this time of the year — there is no tackling and no pads — but it was still at least notable watching Fields running things with the starters for the first time. His mobility and ability to escape pressure was obvious right away, and he had to evade pressure quite a bit during team drills. The defensive line tends to have the advantage this time of the year in team drills because of the lack of true contact, but by my count Fields was either heavily pressured or sacked on six of his 10 dropbacks during 11-on-11 drills. He was able to get away and gain some yards rushing on a couple occasions, but he didn't have a lot of time to take shots down the field. One thing was obvious right away though: Fields will be looking Garrett Wilson's way early and often this spring — and when the summer and fall roll around too. That shouldn't come as a surprise, but their connection back to their days at Ohio State is obvious, to the point that it seems like Fields is more comfortable trying to thread difficult throws to Wilson knowing there's a decent chance he'll find a way to come down with it. 'We've been picking up where we left off,' Wilson said. Two of Fields' four throws during seven-on-seven drills were completed to Wilson; on one of them, he hit Wilson on a slant in front of cornerback Brandon Stephens. In a two-minute drill at the end of practice in 11-on-11, Fields threw it a little away from Wilson but Wilson was still able to stretch his arms and make an impressive catch in the middle of the field. Tight end Jeremy Ruckert — another Ohio State alum — also received a heavy dose of work in team drills with Fields. Advertisement There weren't any particularly pretty passes, and Fields did miss an open tight end (Stone Smartt) down the field during that two-minute drill, but keep in mind that it was rainy, windy and this was his second practice with this group of players. All told, I had him completing 4 of 5 passes in 11-on-11 drills while getting sacked four or five times. The two-minute drill: Wilson catch, incompletion, sack, sack. Defensive end Will McDonald looks different — and not just because he changed his number from 99 to 9. McDonald is coming off a breakout season (10.5 sacks) and added 15 pounds of muscle to his frame since, something that the previous Jets coaching staff was pushing him to do since he came out of Iowa State as an undersized edge rusher. The new weight didn't seem to impact his explosiveness. McDonald was dominant on Wednesday, beating rookie tackle Armand Membou (and others) on a few occasions, quickly getting to Fields in the backfield. He would have had at least two sacks if the Jets were calling them. '(Bulking up) allows him to be able to set the edge a lot better,' Glenn said. 'He has a skillset as far as rushing the passer — I haven't been around a lot of guys like what we have with him. I'm going to enjoy seeing what he can do with us. We're going to let him loose, we're going to let him get the passer, that's what he does best.' Wilson admits he hasn't been great at hiding his emotions when he's frustrated — and he's been frustrated a lot through three NFL seasons, even if it's hard to blame him considering all the turmoil around him. Despite that, Wilson has consistently been one of the Jets' best players and a leader; he's showing up for voluntary OTAs even in an offseason when he wants a new contract. (Same for cornerback Sauce Gardner, by the way.) Not only has Wilson shown up for OTAs, but he was in attendance for every day of offseason workouts up to this point too. For him, it was never a question of whether he'd show up. The other stuff will work itself out. Advertisement 'I want to be a part of something special,' Wilson said. 'I don't think a whole bunch of individuals make something special. I wanted to get in and know my teammates. I wanted to get in and know my coaches, learn the new material they're putting out and not be the guy that's behind. There's a way you go about business when you love what you do, and stuff like that is not really an option. I get the opportunity to come out here and work, make myself better at the game I love, let's take advantage of it.' As for the contract: Wilson wants to be a Jet long-term. He said as much, the most declarative he's been about his future since the miserable 2024 season ended. 'I'm hopeful I'm a Jet for life and that we get this thing rolling, that all of our best days are ahead of us,' Wilson said. 'I'm going to do my part to make sure that it's undeniable when the time does come and those conversations are had, I'm going to try to do my part to make sure that it's undeniable.' Wilson also said there have been 'a few' of those conversations between the Jets and his agent about a new deal already. Glenn, for his part, understands what he has in Wilson. When the coach was asked what he learned about his top receiver, he answered simply: 'Give him the ball as much as possible.' • There could be a legitimate competition at center between Joe Tippmann and free-agent signee Josh Myers — something general manager Darren Mougey alluded to at the league meeting in March. 'Those guys are battling their asses off right now, just competing,' guard John Simpson said. 'They both are super intelligent and just fighting. They're warriors.' • Defensive tackle Byron Cowart had an impressive day rushing the passer. I had him with one or two sacks in team drills. Other sacks came from cornerback Michael Carter II, linebacker Quincy Williams and McDonald. Defensive end Rashad Weaver and defensive back Isaiah Oliver sacked Tyrod Taylor in team drills too. • In Taylor's two-minute drill, he threw a pass behind wide receiver Allen Lazard but Lazard was able to adjust and catch it while sliding on the ground. Taylor also completed a pass down the field to Tyler Johnson earlier in the day, though he also missed a couple of throws. Advertisement • Two undrafted rookies got some solid pressure on quarterback Adrian Martinez: defensive tackle Fatorma Mulbah and linebacker Aaron Smith. • In the kicking competition, Anders Carlson has the early edge over undrafted rookie Caden Davis. (Greg Zuerlein was released recently.) Carlson nailed a couple field goals from 50-plus and missed a shorter one wide left. Davis made his shorter ones and missed one from 50-plus. Both went 3 for 4 in bad weather conditions. • Defensive end Jermaine Johnson (Achilles) worked off on a side field with trainers; he's not expected to practice before training camp. Wide receiver Malachi Corley also appeared to leave early with a trainer but it's unclear why. (Photo of Garrett Wilson: Noah K. Murray / AP)
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Quinnen Williams' new outlook comes with ‘super confidence' in Aaron Glenn's Jets direction
Quinnen Williams swapped his dread of a rebuild for restored faith in the Jets after spending time around Aaron Glenn. Throw a superhero's cape into the trade, too. The Feb. 9 news that the Glenn-coached Jets were cutting Aaron Rodgers hit hard for Williams, who tweeted 'another rebuild year for me, I guess,' with a thumbs-down emoji. Advertisement 4 Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams talks to the media on May 21, 2025. Bill Kostroun / New York Post But three months later — after the second OTA practice in the third phase of voluntary offseason workouts — Williams has a different outlook. 'It was an immature thing for me to do at the moment — out of emotions, out of frustration,' Williams said Wednesday afternoon. 'I hadn't talked to Aaron previous to that. Just looking at it as trying to grow as a leader. Talking to him and the staff gave me a super, super excited, super, super confidence that we are going in the right direction to win football games and do the things that I want to do.' Advertisement What exactly does Williams — the second longest-tenured Jet — want to accomplish under the third head coach and fourth defensive coordinator (Steve Wilks) of his seven-year career? Start with getting the team into the playoffs for the first time since 2010. 'Change the whole narrative of the New York Jets losing streaks or the playoff [droughts] and different things like that,' Williams said. 'I was drafted here a long time ago, and I was paid to help change things around. And I wear that as a badge of honor and cape to make sure that before I leave this game the New York Jets are going to be on top, the New York Jets are going to be the team to watch. I kind of live that every day, and I want everybody around me to be that.' Williams is coming off a third straight Pro Bowl season, but he has totaled just 11.5 sacks over the past two years — down from the career-high 12 in 2022 that helped him land a four-year, $96 million extension. His run defense grade fell to No. 46 among defensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. Advertisement 4 Jets coach Aaron Glenn looks on during Jets OTAs in Florham Park, NJ. Bill Kostroun/New York Post '[I made] a lot of mistakes, especially when it comes down to the run game, block-shedding, extension in my arms, finishing my pass rushes, pad level,' Williams said of last season. 'Different things like that I kind of struggled with, I want to be able to get better at and fine-tune some things this year so I can be a better player in those aspects.' The Jets need a dominant Williams to fulfill Glenn's message that the new regime is 'here to win now.' Defensive linemen Haason Reddick, Javon Kinlaw, Solomon Thomas and Takk McKinley left and were replaced by Byron Cowart, Derrick Nnadi and Jay Tufele. Jermaine Johnson is coming off last season's torn Achilles tendon. Advertisement 'I'm still trying to see where I can be my best at and be myself at,' Williams said. 'Enjoying learning my new defensive line coach, new head coach and new defensive coordinator. 4 Quinnen Williams celebrates after he tackles Jacoby Brissett during the Jets' home win over the Patriots last season. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post 'Just seeing what they see for me and my future. They're just telling me what I'm bad at and what I'm good at, and trying to get on the right page.' Part of Williams' renewed optimism stems from the free agent signing of Justin Fields as Rodgers' replacement. Fields had an inaccurate passing day Wednesday, but flashed the athleticism that allowed him to run for 1,143 yards in 2022. 'I chased him a couple times a day and I was like, 'Yeah, he's fast,' ' Williams said. 'So I think that definitely brings excitement. 4 Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams talks to the media on May 21, 2025. Bill Kostroun / New York Post 'And there's his attitude on wanting to win and wanting to show the world that he can do what we all know he can do.' Advertisement Glenn, a former Jets star, previously addressed Williams' critical tweet by saying he understands when players are upset that teammates are let go, but he wants to keep emotional reactions in-house. It's clear Williams heard Glenn's message through their leadership talks. 'I just know right now, in the moment, it's going in the right direction to win games by the standard that coach has set for us,' Williams said. 'It's a long way to the first game right now, but I feel the path that we are going is going to be successful if we just listen to him.'
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jets Play ‘My 3 Sons' With Historic Brothers Roster Moves
FLORHAM PARK -- The New York Jets know how good the first two Williams brothers have been for the organization. Linebacker Quincy Williams has grown into an All-Pro leader in his own right. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams has been one of the best defensive tackles in the sport since he was drafted third overall in 2019. Advertisement Both players have been central parts of the Jets' defense over the last few years. Because of that, New York has seemingly given the third Williams brother a chance to crack a spot on the incoming roster under head coach Aaron Glenn. Linebacker Giovanni Williams was invited to Jets rookie camp in a tryout basis this weekend. The youngest Williams brother spent his first two college seasons at Texas A&M-Kingsville before transferring to Miles College, an HBCU in Fairfield, Alabama, for his final two years. Williams was not given an invite to the Scouting Combine and did not receive an undrafted free agent deal following the 2025 draft. He remains a long shot to be on the team by the time training camp roles around. So why did Glenn give him a tryout? Advertisement "I don't know if there has ever had three brothers actually suit up for the same team in some capacity," Glenn said. "I think it's outstanding he has a Jets jersey and both of his brothers are here. It's a beautiful story." Speaking to reporters after the completion of rookie camp, Giovanni explained that he feels he has Quinnen's build, but Quincy's speed. Getting to play on the same teams as his brothers is a historic moment for both the family and the league itself. "Honestly, it feels good," the youngest Williams brother said. "Me and my brother (Quincy) play the same position. It's going to be like home with my be a competition." Giovanni is a long shot to make the final roster this year. But the mere fact he was able to practice as a member of the Jets shows that the team has already made history here. Related: Jets Hopeful Speed Merchant Rookie Can 'Drop' 1 Key Worry Related: Jets 1st-Round Pick Starstruck At $32 Million Rookie Contract
