Getty New York Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams reacting on the football field.
Rich Cimini of ESPN shared a concerning report on the “Flight Deck Podcast” about mounting “tension” in the New York Jets locker room and if things continued southward that things could “implode.”
Quinnen Williams was asked this week about the noise outside the building and how they ignore it.
“You just keep it outside man, like we know people gonna come up with all kinds of stuff, all kind of foolery just to turn us against each other because it has been happening all five of my years being here,” Williams explained to the media.
“People coming up with rumors and different things about the locker room and what has been said in the locker room, but nobody is on this team, and nobody knows what really goes on in this locker room but us. Handling it our way, keeping everything in and ignoring the outside noise is our main focus. The focus is on each other because this is a team, we are a family, we have to have each other’s backs no matter what.”
#Jets DL Quinnen Williams (@QuinnenWilliams) was asked about all of the outside noise, ‘we know people gonna come up w/ all kinds of stuff, all kind of foolery to just turn us against each other’ + he said it’s been happening all 5 of his years here, ‘people coming up with rumors…
Jets Dealt With Locker Room Issues in 2022
Last season the Jets had a divide in the locker room. Gang Green’s defense was ranked fourth best in the league, but their offense finished No. 25.
The defense kept putting up terrific performances, but the offense struggled to deliver on their end of the bargain.
It all came to a head in Week 11 when the Jets traveled to New England to play the Patriots. The defense only gave up three points, but they still somehow found a way to lose on a painful last-second punt return for a touchdown.
After the game Zach Wilson was asked if he felt like he let his defense down only scoring three points, he responded, “no, no.”
Those press conference comments went viral and quickly found their way into the locker room. Wilson’s lack of accountability rubbed a lot of his teammates the wrong way and the team ended up benching him.
Fast forward a year later and there’s a chance history could be repeating itself.
The defense is performing, ranked No. 12 in points per game allowed (20.3), but the offense isn’t averaging just 14 points per game (last in the league).
Cimini said emphatically that he knows there is “tension” in the locker room regarding this situation on his podcast.
Williams Earns Permanant Spot as Team Captain on Jets
Prior to the season the Jets as a team voted and selected three team captains. Those players were linebacker CJ Mosley, special teamer Justin Hardee, and veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers tore his Achilles in Week 1 versus the Buffalo Bills and was later ruled out for the season. With Rodgers’ ‘C’ on his shirt up for grabs, head coach Robert Saleh revealed on Friday September 29 that Williams had replaced him and taken that spot.
“He embodies everything,” Saleh explained. “He was fourth on the vote list [to be a team captain] and it was really high, he got a significant amount of votes. After just thinking about it, I was just like why not? I mean the guy is such a big vocal leader in this room, on this team. He says all the right things, he does all the right things, and stands for everything that we believe in.”
Coach Saleh on making DT Quinnen Williams an additional permanent captain.
Williams established himself as one of the best players on the team in 2022 and since then has become one of the most important leaders on the team.