The NFL trade deadline is only a few days away, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have yet to make a move. They’ve been after a wide receiver for months, but they haven’t been able to seal the deal. Brandon Aiyuk and Davante Adams both slipped through their grasp. Now, it looks like Mike Williams of the New York Jets is the most likely target left. Former NFL general manager Rick Spielman would like to see the Steelers get that deal done.
“I would love to see him come to the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Spielman said recently on CBS Sports HQ. “They have [George] Pickens. They have Van Jefferson, they have [Calvin] Austin [III] as well, but they don’t have another big receiver.
“What we’ve seen in Russell Wilson since he became the starter, you know he’s going to stretch the field downfield vertically with some of the deep passes he throws. To have another big body receiver, I know he’s coming off his second ACL [surgery], but [Williams] has been an explosive playmaker downfield.”
That is solid reasoning from Spielman. Jefferson isn’t short, but he doesn’t exactly play like a big receiver. The rest of the Steelers’ receiver room is undersized as well. In contrast, Williams stands at 6-4 and weighs over 200 pounds. When healthy, he’s an expert jump-ball receiver.
That’s the key though. Williams has an extensive injury history, and it’s unclear if he can be the same player he once was. Spielman is incorrect that Williams tore his ACL twice, but he did suffer the injury in 2023. That’s part of the reason why the Los Angeles Chargers cut him. His price tag was not worth the chance that he wouldn’t be the same player.
However, when Williams was a free agent earlier this year, he did have a visit scheduled with the Steelers. Unfortunately, the Jets signed him before that could happen, but there are dots to connect between him and Pittsburgh. The Jets might be less inclined to trade him now though.
Receiver Allen Lazard has been a consistent player for the Jets this year, but he was recently placed on injured reserve. That means the Jets, who still want to contend for a championship, might not want to trade away any of their receiver depth.
Iin Week 9, with Lazard out, Williams still only caught one ball for six yards. That kind of performance might make the Jets comfortable moving him. That likely doesn’t inspire much confidence with Steelers fans either. However, consider that the Jets have Adams and young star Garrett Wilson as their top two receivers. There isn’t a lot of room left for Williams.
In Pittsburgh, Williams would likely contend for the No. 2 receiver role. Jefferson has held that spot this season. He has taken a step forward with Wilson at quarterback, but he still hasn’t been great. If Williams has some explosiveness left, he might pair perfectly with Pickens as a downfield threat. That would allow Wilson to throw moonballs all day long. We’ll see if the Jets want to make that deal.
