It was only a matter of time before the Jets would trade receiver Mike Williams.
That time was on Tuesday, NFL trade deadline day, with Williams sent to the receiver-needy Steelers in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round draft pick.
Williams, who was signed as a free agent in the offseason and worked his way through a knee injury to play this season, was deemed expendable the moment the Jets acquired Davante Adams in a trade with the Raiders last month.
Adams, of course, is best friends and a favorite target of Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Predictably, Williams’ snap counts diminished in recent weeks.
The Steelers had spent the past few months trying to trade for a receiver.
They’d been linked to the 49ers Brandon Aiyuk, who remained in San Francisco and is out for the season with a knee injury, and Jacksonville’s Christian Kirk, who’s out for the season with a broken collarbone.
The Steelers faced the Jets two weeks ago in Pittsburgh and got a close look at Williams.
The Steelers had reportedly reached out to the Jets a couple of weeks ago about Williams, but a deal was not consummated until Tuesday.
According to ESPN, the Steelers will take on the remainder of Williams’ contract for this season.
Williams becomes a free agent after this season.
Williams’ run with the Jets wasn’t exactly a distinguished one.
The 30-year-old veteran caught just 12 passes in nine games, though he did average an impressive 13.8-yards per reception.
His low point with the Jets came last month, when the Jets lost to the Bills at home and Rodgers had a late pass to Williams picked off by Buffalo.
After the game, Rodgers threw Williams under the bus for running a poor route on the play.
“It was two verticals,” Rodgers said of the play. “Allen [Lazard is] down the seam, Mike’s down the red line. So, I’m looking at Allen, he puts his hand up, three guys go with him. So, I’m throwing a no-look to the red line. And when I just peek my eyes back there, [Williams] is running an in-breaker. So, um, it’s gotta be down the red line.”
Williams never publicly responded to the Rodgers criticism.
On Tuesday, Rodgers, on his regular spot on “The Pat McAfee Show,” said all the right things about Williams, calling him “a quiet guy.”
“Mike had a rough injury last year, that ACL and it’s tough to come back from and he worked his ass off all offseason,” Rodgers said. “That’s a tough injury. I had that injury and it’s the mental part that takes the longest. We kind of knew with Davante coming in that there would be less targets for everyone. If this gives Mike more opportunities, that’s awesome.”
The Jets and Rodgers now roll with Garrett Wilson, Adams, Xavier Gipson and rookie Malachi Corley at receiver. Lazard, a favorite target of Rodgers, is on IR with a chest injury and hopes to return.
Williams now joins Russell Wilson and will play alongside George Pickens, Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson.
