Trick Williams had the opportunity to make an NFL comeback after joining WWE. However, he turned it down without hesitation.
The former NXT Champion revealed that he received a call from the New York Jets in the middle of filming a vignette and immediately chose wrestling over football.
Williams shared the story during an appearance on The Mack Down Report. He explained the moment happened early in his NXT run, around 2021 or 2022, while filming a barbershop segment with Carmelo Hayes.
While at NXT, we were filming a barbershop vignette—with myself and Carmelo Hayes. This is like 2021, maybe 2022—early on. At this point, I'm probably like three years out of football. And right before we shoot this vignette, the New York Jets call me.
Trick Williams Chose WWE on the Spot
The call came from a Jets scout who had evaluated Williams during his football career. Instead of entertaining the opportunity, Williams brushed it off immediately to continue filming.
Like, 'Hey man—you know Trick Williams? I'm not sure if you remember me, I scouted you back then—we were this, we were that—I was just seeing how you're doing, seeing how everything is working.' I'm like, 'Uh, excuse me, I'm in the middle of something—got to go.' And that's when I knew my football career was done.
Williams explained his mindset had already shifted completely to wrestling by that point. He had fully committed to becoming a WWE superstar and saw no reason to look back at his football past.
From NFL Dreams to WrestleMania
But I was so far gone, man. I'm a superstar now. And I respect football—I played football for 20 years. I respect the game. I played with some greats, under some great coaches. But I love what I do now. I'm an athlete. I'm an entertainer.
Williams is set to challenge Sami Zayn for the WWE United States title at WrestleMania 42 inside Allegiant Stadium on April 19.
