Jets QB Aaron Rodgers says Mike Williams ‘will be good in that locker room’ after trade to Steelers
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The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired New York Jets receiver Mike Williams on Tuesday afternoon. It’s believed that part of the reason Williams was made available — or that Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers pushed so hard to acquire Las Vegas receiver Davante Adams — was that Rodgers wasn’t wild about Williams as a pass catcher.
A lot of that stems from Rodgers’ comments about how Williams ran a route that resulted in an interception late in a game against Buffalo in Week 6.
Rodgers seemingly blames Mike Williams for the game losing int.
“There’s two verticals, Allen’s down the seam and Mike’s down the redline… so I’m throwing a no look to the redline. When I peak my eyes back there Mike’s running an ‘in-breaker’… it’s gotta be down the redline.” https://t.co/qEZvkKbquw pic.twitter.com/n910IMqUA8
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) October 15, 2024
A week later, Adams was a Jet playing against the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium and Williams’ role was minimized.
That said, Rodgers was largely complimentary of Williams when asked about the trade on Tuesday’s “Pat McAfee Show.”
“Mike’s a good guy. He’ll be good in that locker room. They’ve got a lot of veteran leadership,” Rodgers said of the Steelers. “He’s had a nice career. Sometimes, a change of scenery is great for certain guys. … If this gives Mike more opportunities, that’s awesome. And we wish Mike well.”
Williams was supposed to visit Pittsburgh as a free agent this offseason. But when he got an offer from the Jets, he decided to just sign in New York immediately for one year at $10 million.
It didn’t work out, though. Williams caught 12 passes for 166 yards. He had no touchdowns and was buried behind Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard and eventually Adams on the depth chart. Last week, in his Jets finale against the Houston Texans, he caught only one pass for 6 yards.
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Rodgers suggested a lot of the issues facing Williams this year were a result of his ACL injury last year while he was a member of the Los Angeles Chargers.
“Mike had a rough injury last year — that ACL,” Rodgers said. “It’s tough to come back from. He worked his (backside) off all offseason, wasn’t around for a lot of training camp, he was working on the side. But I felt like he was getting better throughout the early part of the season. It felt like his speed was getting better, and he was feeling more comfortable with it. That’s a tough injury. I had that injury. It’s the mental part that takes the longest.”
I wasn’t necessarily surprised to see Rodgers’ comments. I thought a little much was made about his postgame critique after the loss to the Bills earlier this season. He wasn’t saying Williams was a bad guy or a bad player. He just said he ran an incorrect route, which maybe he did.
Obviously, Rodgers preferred Wilson (a recent first-round draft pick) and former teammates Adams and Lazard. Just because Williams was a fourth choice there doesn’t mean that he won’t be an upgrade as a second option at wide receiver in Pittsburgh.
He’s not the second receiver I wanted. I would’ve preferred one of the bigger names they have pursued in recent months, like Adams, Brandon Aiyuk, Cooper Kupp or even Christian Kirk.
But it’s better than not trying to upgrade at all.