Cleveland Browns linebacker Quincy Williams is promising a rough reunion for the New York Jets.
Williams returns to MetLife Stadium on Sunday for a Week 5 matchup against the team he spent the previous five seasons with. The veteran linebacker leaned into his “Joker” nickname while setting the stage for his return.
“Going back to Gotham City. I’m the Joker, so it’s kind of like my home,” Williams said.
Williams said he warned the Jets last year about what would happen if he did not re-sign.
“I know y’all are going to have a nightmare playing against me. So the nightmare starts on Sunday,” Williams said.
The teams enter the matchup headed in opposite directions. Cleveland has won three straight to reach 3-1 under first-year head coach Todd Monken. New York is 1-3 after dropping its past three games.
Quincy Williams Had Uneven Finish With Jets
Williams played some of the best football of his career in New York, earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2023 and recording four consecutive 100-tackle seasons from 2021 through 2024.
Across five seasons with the Jets, he started 73 of 78 games and totaled 554 tackles, 58 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks. His final season included a November benching, which he discussed with ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
“My coaches told me I was underperforming, that I’ve been underperforming since training camp,” Williams said. “I’m not thrilled about it, but it’s one of those things where I’m not mad about it because they told me what I need to get better at.”
Cleveland brought Williams aboard in March, reuniting him with defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg. Rutenberg coached the Jets’ linebackers from 2021 through 2024, a stretch that covered Williams’ All-Pro season and all four of his 100-tackle campaigns.
Their relationship goes back even further. Rutenberg was Jacksonville’s assistant linebackers coach during Williams’ rookie season in 2019.
“I don’t want to speak for him in terms of it being a personal game for him, but Quincy’s now been in the league, jeez, make me feel old, seven, eight years, going even back to Jacksonville, and you see his game going this way, you see his energy going this way, you see his vibe with his teammates going this way,” Rutenberg said. “And he’s found a way through his career really to continue to get better as the season goes, no matter what game he’s playing in. And I’m really proud of him, but I’m also really excited for him to continue just to keep chopping wood and swinging hard to keep taking his game that way.”
With the Browns, Williams joined a linebacker group led by Carson Schwesinger, the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2025.
Browns Counting on Quincy Williams Against Jets
Williams has started all four games for Cleveland, recording 23 tackles and a pass defensed.
The Browns will need steady play from their linebackers with injuries thinning the defensive front. Defensive tackles Mason Graham and Mike Hall Jr. have been ruled out against the Jets. Graham is dealing with knee and ankle injuries, while Hall has an ankle injury. Kalia Davis will also not return from injured reserve to provide reinforcements.
Cleveland’s pass rush produced five sacks against Pittsburgh despite injuries along the line. Sustaining that pressure would help the Browns keep their winning streak going and give Williams a chance to deliver on his warning. Cleveland is a 2.5-point underdog for the matchup.
Browns LB Quincy Williams Sends ‘Nightmare’ Warning to Jets