FRISCO, Texas -- The video went viral in 2022.
An upset Quinnen Williams got in the face of his New York Jets defensive line coach, Aaron Whitecotton, who immediately got up and stared back at the 300-pound defensive tackle. On Tuesday, they were reunited with the Dallas Cowboys when Williams was traded from the Jets.
"The funny part is the camera made sure to turn when we hugged it out right afterwards," said Whitecotton, who is in his first year as the Cowboys' defensive line coach. "It's a passionate game and we're both passionate competitors and we both want the same thing. We started out that game not going the way we all wanted it to go, and it was like a misunderstanding. ... That's passion and sometimes it comes out in frustration, but it's all love five seconds later."
Whitecotton was informed of the trade as the Cowboy were finalizing the details -- a 2026 second-round pick, the better of the two first-round picks that belong to the Cowboys and Green Bay Packers from the Micah Parsons deal, and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
Not long after, Whitecotton and Williams were speaking on the phone.
"We split up for like eight months," said Whitecotton, who was the Jets' defensive line coach from 2021 to 2024.
In that time, Williams, the third pick in 2019, became an All-Pro, finishing with 12 sacks in 2022, and Pro Bowler. The Cowboys want Williams to continue to be a dominant interior lineman while lifting a defense that ranks 31st in yards and points per game.
"I think anybody can look at the résumé. Before I had Whitecotton, I kind of was set out to be a good DT," he said. "When Whitecotton came into my life as a coach, I became an All-Pro and a Pro Bowler. The techniques that he has taught me, the things that he has done for me in my career when it comes down to coaching and stuff like that, have been unbelievable and kind of transcended my career to this day."
So how would the battle have gone if not for teammates, including current Cowboy Solomon Thomas, stepping between them?
"It probably wouldn't have ended good for me," Whitecotton said, "but at least they knew I was ready to go."
Five questions with KaVontae Turpin
If you weren't playing football, what would you be doing?
'd be a coach. If I wasn't playing, I'd probably coach the little league team out there for my city. I'd try to find a way to get them boys out the city [Monroe, Louisiana]. My basketball coach, he died, but he was a small guy too. He'd tell me, no matter how big the fighter is, it's always the heart in the fighter.
What is your favorite football memory?
When I played Texas my freshman year in college (at TCU). I had four touchdowns on them. I still hold a Big 12 record right now, most touchdowns as a freshman in Big 12 history.
Prized possession?
What can I say? What's my prized possession? I'd say my kids. They're 2 years old.
Who is the most influential teammate you ever had?
Jeff Gladden. We went to TCU together. He died in a car wreck his second year in the league. That was my guy. Me and him, we used to always do our thing at TCU. He's really like my best friend. You know how they say the best friend that you'll ever have is in your home city, then you find your next best friend? That was my next best friend.
Just at TCU together, we were roommates together. We did everything together. We just clicked as one. He's from east Texas and I'm from Louisiana. So it's close. We just clicked as soon as we started holding a conversation together.
Why did you pick your number?
I didn't want 16. The equipment guys were telling me you might as well try 9. I told them to ask [Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones], and Jerry told me I could get it. It ain't no thing about 9. I'm trying to find something that's close to me about 9 but not really. I didn't wear 9.
My favorite number I rolled with in football was 4 and 25. And in basketball I was No. 1. So this is the first time ever wearing 9. I wasn't getting 4 [QB Dak Prescott's number]. A DB had 25, but I wasn't worried about 25. At the time, I really didn't care what number they gave me. I was just trying to prove I belong here."
"Cowboy" up
When he played for the Wyoming Cowboys, Logan Wilson was given the nickname "Cowboy" as a nod to his roots. It stuck with him during his time with the Cincinnati Bengals and now Cowboy is playing for the Cowboys following Tuesday's trade for a 2026 seventh-round pick.
"It's like I'm going from being a Cowboy, then going to Cincy and then coming back to be another Cowboy," Wilson said. "It's almost pretty surreal. It's awesome." Since 2020, Wilson has 11 interceptions, tied for the most among NFL linebackers with Tremaine Edmunds.
"The first rule of any defensive system is to get the ball back to your offense," linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi said. "That's how you change a game on defense; you get the ball back. That's what he's shown in the past and hopefully he can bring that here."