Mike Williams’ career with the New York Jets wasn’t what he envisioned it’d be. He signed with the team without taking other visits, including one scheduled with Pittsburgh, hoping to be part of a Super Bowl contender teeming with talent. QB Aaron Rodgers, RB Breece Hall, fellow WR Garrett Wilson, and a top-ten defense. It was the right recipe. Instead, he caught 12 passes in nine games and was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers at the deadline.
Speaking to reporters one day after being dealt, Williams reflected on why his time with the Jets went belly-up.
“Not having OTAs, training camp, all that to get the chemistry right with Aaron,” Williams said via the team website. “He’s real detailed. Like what he like. So I feel like me not being able to go in there and transitioning as quick probably what went wrong.”
Williams tore his ACL early into the 2023 season with the Los Angeles Chargers, knocking him out for the rest of the season. His rehab and recovery bled over into his time with the Jets. Instead of running routes and catching passes during the spring and summer, he was returning to full health. Doctors cleared him for the season opener, but he entered the season cold, missing valuable team-building reps to get on the same page as Rodgers.
It led to serious consequences. On at least two occasions, Williams ran an incorrect route, including one that resulted in a game-losing interception against the Buffalo Bills. After the game, Rodgers publicly called him out for not running the “red line” with correct spacing downfield next to the sideline. Hours later, the team traded for former Rodgers’ teammate and good friend Davante Adams.
Williams was unable to carve out a role even after WR Allen Lazard went down with a chest injury. He caught just one pass on a pair of targets in a Week 9 win over the Houston Texans. Even with depth on the team thin, New York shipped him out for a 2025 fifth-round pick.
Now Williams arrives to a division leader and playoff contender like Pittsburgh. And another veteran quarterback in Russell Wilson who has a much different personality than Rodgers.
“Russ, everybody sees it,” Williams said. “He puts the work in. Time in, time out, a leader on and off the field. So just very thankful to have a guy like that. Quarterback of this team, a leader, put us in the right positions to be successful.”
Similar to New York, Williams will have to pick things up on the fly. But he’s fully recovered from the injury and in an offense that suits his skillset more. Pittsburgh’s passing game is less precise and more willing to let its talent go up and make plays. Williams can still make tough contested catches. If he can come down with a few of those over the next nine weeks, he’ll push the offense another step forward.
