The New York Jets traded wide receiver Mike Williams to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Williams struggled with production and with building a rapport with quarterback Aaron Rodgers in his first season with New York. He became expendable when the Jets acquired Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders last month.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the teams hadn’t announced the deal. ESPN first reported the trade.
Williams, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract with New York in the offseason as a free agent, had just 12 catches for 166 yards in nine games with the Jets. He heads from the scuffling Jets to the first-place Steelers (6-2), who have been searching for a complement to top wideout George Pickens for months.
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“Mike’s a good guy,” Rodgers said during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” just as news of the trade was being reported. “He’ll be good in that locker room. … He’s had a nice career, and sometimes a change of scenery is great for certain guys. It was great for me to kind of get re-enthused and stuff.
“We kind of knew with Davante coming in, there would be less targets for everybody.”
The addition of Williams also gives the Steelers a big red zone target for Russell Wilson, along with Pickens and tight end Pat Freiermuth. While Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III have seen their production tick up since Wilson returned after missing the first six games with a calf injury, both lack Williams’ size and his résumé.
“If this gives Mike more opportunities, that’s awesome,” Rodgers said. “We wish Mike well.”
The 6-foot-4 Williams spent his first seven NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, for whom he caught 309 passes for 4,806 yards and 31 touchdowns. He tore the ACL in his right knee in Week 3 last year and missed the rest of the season. The Jets brought Williams along slowly throughout the offseason and in training camp, but he never seemed to click with Rodgers when he got onto the field.
“Mike’s a quiet guy, just kind of goes about his business,” Rodgers said. “Mike had a rough injury last year, an ACL. That’s tough to come back from, and he worked his (butt) off all last season. He wasn’t around for a lot of training camp and was working on the side. But I felt like he was getting better throughout the early part of the season. I felt like his speed was getting better and starting to feel more comfortable with it.”
In New York’s 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 21, Rodgers threw to Williams during the final few minutes — but was intercepted when Taron Johnson intercepted the pass that was short of Williams and sealed the loss for the Jets. Rodgers later said Williams ran the wrong route. The wide receiver said he wasn’t bothered by the quarterback’s criticism and said the two spoke about it.
But Williams then became the subject of trade rumors.
Six days after New York’s loss to Buffalo, Williams caught a 15-yard pass in a 37-15 loss in Pittsburgh. And now he’ll be playing for those Steelers.
Pittsburgh has been looking for another outside receiver to put opposite Pickens since the team traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers in the offseason. The Steelers missed out on Brandon Aiyuk — who opted to remain with the San Francisco 49ers — and couldn’t land Adams or DeAndre Hopkins when both became available.
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Steelers coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged the team was looking to upgrade its roster in general for the stretch run, but also made it a point to acknowledge the rise in the quality of play of Austin and Jefferson.
“I just feel like we have a group that’s hardworking and capable and can’t wait to show the football world those capabilities,” Tomlin said Tuesday shortly before the trade. “And every time we step into a stadium, they get an opportunity to do so. And you seen some examples of it already.”
Just not enough to resist the chance to bring in Williams for a relatively low cost.
The move actually leaves the Jets a bit short-handed at wide receiver. New York still has starters Adams and Garrett Wilson, along with backups Xavier Gipson, special teamer Irvin Charles and rookie Malachi Corley, who had his first NFL touchdown run overturned last Thursday night against the Houston Texans when he dropped the ball before he crossed the goal line.
Allen Lazard, who had 30 receptions for 412 yards and is tied with Wilson with a team-leading five touchdown catches, is on IR with a chest injury.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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