New York Jets All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is usually going after quarterbacks. On Wednesday, Williams had his sights set on a quarterback that's been out of the game for 23 years: broadcaster Troy Aikman.
During the Monday Night Football game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Jets, Aikman claimed that Williams had referred to himself as the NFL's “highest-paid decoy.” Williams denied Aikman's claim, calling it “weird,” “upsetting,” and “misleading” per the New York Post's Andrew Crane.
In fact, Williams said he's never even spoken to the Dallas Cowboys legend. “I never talked to Troy Aikman,” the Jets star said. “I never said that to Troy Aikman. Like I don’t know where he got that from.”
In the segment, Aikman spoke about how Williams is still an impact defender, despite his numbers being down in 2023.
Williams recorded 12.0 sacks last season, but has just a half-sack so far this year. He's facing increased scrutiny after signing a four-year, $96 million contract extension in July of this summer.
Williams content with Jets role
Another aspect of Aikman's report touched on Williams wanting the Jets' coaching staff to manufacture more sack opportunities for him.
The broadcaster reported that Williams approached Jets head coach Robert Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, asking them to get him in more one-on-one situations against offensive linemen.
Williams responded that his sack total is irrelevant and doesn't care how teams scheme to block him.
For his part, Saleh shared Williams' lack of concern about sack numbers.
“Unfortunately, we live in a society where sack production is the measure of how good a player is and it’s not even close,” Saleh said, arguing that his star DT is still “wrecking games.”
One thing is certain: Williams' play, along with the rest of the Jets defense, is hardly the issue to be concerned about with this team.
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