There have been a handful of brothers to play in the NFL at the same time — Peyton and Eli Manning, J.J., T.J., and Derek Watt, and Jason and Travis Kelce, just to name a few.
The Jets currently have their own pair of siblings on the roster, All-Pros Quincy and Quinnen Williams, but could become the first team to have three brothers on the same team at the same time.
Linebacker Giovanni Williams, the younger brother of the Jets’ defensive duo, went undrafted out of Miles College (an HBCU in Alabama) and is now trying out for a spot with Gang Green at rookie minicamp. Williams spoke with reporters on Saturday and said he first heard New York was interested from his agent, who told him he had a minicamp invite. He immediately expressed his interest and said it’s time to “lock in” and try to make NFL history.
“It feels good, I’ll say honestly, it feels bittersweet,” Williams said. “Just because living behind them, making my own name, I had to still live behind them, but it’s sweet because me and my brother play the same position. I can call on him for help and we got the same competition level, so it’s gonna be like competition, just like always, just like we’re back home, a big competition.”
Of course, the rookie got advice from his older brothers before minicamp and noted that it helps that he and Quincy both play linebacker.
“Quinnen told me, ‘Be yourself.’ He said, ‘Whatever happens, happens. God already got it for you,'” Williams said. “Quincy told me, he knows the position we play, we play the same position, he told me, ‘Control your mind, control your body. Just have control of yourself and you can have control of your game.'”
Williams spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Texas A&M-Kingsville (2021-22) before transferring to Miles College for his final two seasons. He helped the school win the SIAC Championship in 2024 for the first time since 2019, and racked up a total of 100 tackles, four sacks and four passes defended over 28 collegiate games.
He also joked with the media that he used to weigh 350 pounds in high school, and still played LB, before dropping down to his current weight of 222 pounds. Naturally, he used to get picked on by Quinnen and Quincy for being big, but they were always impressed with his speed.
“Honestly, I’m in the middle. So I got Quincy’s speed, but I got Quinnen’s build. So it’s like I’m in the middle of both of them, everybody compares me as the hybrid of both,” Williams said.
Williams is one of six tryout players on defense and understands that it will be a tall task to make the 90-man roster. He said he’s been “ecstatic” to watch his brothers play on the same team in the NFL, and that gave him motivation throughout his college career.
“I have my own dreams, my own story,” Williams said. “I just didn’t want to follow behind Quincy and Quinnen, I want to make my own name.”
He added about the potential of making the team: “It would mean a lot to me. Just to know I came to the minicamp and just did what I could. I was coachable, I had urgency. Just to be on the team with my brothers, it would feel good, it would be historical.”
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