The NFL trade deadline is looming, which means rumors are running rampant about a number of players on the block. Typically that means several selling teams are trying to cast off short-term assets for any long-term gains that they can. The defined category of players involved, then, is rarely impactful. Instead, trades at this time of year are about addressing injury concerns and providing security.
From time to time, however, it's possible a big name is made available, and Quinnen Williams fits that mold by any definition of the word "big."
Williams, a star defensive tackle for the New York Jets, is suffering through yet another losing season in 2025. The Jets are 0-7 at present, and the most wins Williams has ever had in his tenure with the Jets is seven. Somehow, however, the Jets have sunk to new lows this season, which could lead to wholesale changes in the organization.
If Quinnen Williams is really available, the Chiefs (and every other NFL team) should be making the call to at least explore the possibility.
It's near impossible to find a high-impact, three-down interior defender in the NFL, which is why the idea of trading Williams feels absurd. Yet that's where the latest rumors are swirling, saying Williams could be had for a potential second-round pick.
According to SNY 's Connor Hughes, there is a chance that Quinnen Williams is traded prior to the trade deadline.
— Judge Baltimore (@JudgeBaltimore) October 22, 2025
"I was told by somebody very tied into this situation that the Jets are probably looking at a 2 (value wise)... There are rumblings around there that Quinnen… pic.twitter.com/743abJF6vB
For a team like the Kansas City Chiefs, or any other NFL franchise for that matter, Williams is worth the phone call. He's a premier run-stopper who can also wreck the pocket, and he's on a very short list of candidates competing for Best Defensive Tackle in the Game Not Named Chris Jones, who also happens to be employed by the Chiefs.
The Jets selected Williams at No. 3 overall in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he's more than lived up to those expectations in the last seven years. He earned his first Pro Bowl nod in year four, and he's made it every season since then with consistently elite play up front while proving exceptionally reliable for New York. He has 139 pressures and 40 sacks from the interior in his career.
Williams was rewarded for his efforts with a four-year deal worth up to $96 million in 2023, making him an incredibly expensive player. That's also a significant hurdle for any team looking to potentially acquire him, especially for the Chiefs. K.C. already has significant financial commitments on the roster for 2025 and beyond, including Jones' $95 million deal signed one year after Williams got paid.
A team like the Chiefs picking at the bottom of every round, there's very little doubt that general manager Brett Veach would have to part with a first-round pick (and perhaps more) in a trade for Williams. Then he would have to absorb the cost. When a team operates on a tight budget in terms of cap management, cost-controlled picks are important to maintaining success.
But rules are made to be broken, and the opportunity to grab Williams (or even Tennessee Titans' defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons) is an exception. The Chiefs' biggest roster need is found at defensive tackle, where the well behind Chris Jones has been dry for quite some time.
Under normal circumstances, the Jets would be silly to even entertain ideas of losing Williams, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And the best NFL teams know how to leverage that desperation to their advantage. It's a ridiculous thought on most days, but if there's even a window of opportunity here for the Chiefs, they at least have to explore the idea to see what's possible.