Jets may be open to Quinnen Williams trade

[Broadway Joe]

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The Jets have reached the point in their winless season when any player on the roster who might be able to fetch some draft picks in a trade has to be considered on the block.

So it was no surprise that Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported that the “Jets are shopping” defensive lineman Quinnen Williams.

That report, however, was immediately contradicted by multiple other Jets beat reporters, who said that the Jets are not shopping Williams.

The difference might just be a matter of whether the Jets are actively shopping Williams or whether they’re merely making it known that they’re open to taking calls for Williams. The Jets are at the starting point in what is sure to be a major rebuild, so it makes sense that they’d be open to taking calls for just about anyone.

Still, it’s unusual that the Jets would consider a Williams trade only a year and a half after taking him with the third overall pick in the NFL draft. Williams is talented and only 22 years old, so he’s the kind of player you’d think they’d want to build around, not trade away.

But Jets General Manager Joe Douglas didn’t draft Williams. Mike Maccagnan drafted him, and then was fired. It’s possible Douglas has never been high on Williams and doesn’t think he’s worth what the Jets have invested in him.

The original report says the Jets would demand more than a second-round pick for Williams, so it seems unlikely that anything is going to happen before the trade deadline a week from today.