The New York Jets dealt veteran wide receiver Mike Williams to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a fifth-round pick at the 2025 NFL Draft, according to multiple reports on Tuesday, just hours before the league’s 2024 trade deadline.
The 30-year-old veteran, who once boasted two 1,000-yard seasons in a three-year stretch between 2019 and 2021, was in his first year with the Jets, where he was initially believed to serve as the team’s No. 2 receiver behind Garrett Wilson.
Such sentiments never transpired. In nine games, he caught just 12 passes for 166 yards with zero touchdowns. By comparison, his final season with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023 — which was cut short to just three games due to injuries — featured 19 receptions for 249 yards and a touchdown.
Allen Lazard, a former Packer who had reunited with Aaron Rodgers, instead served as the team’s No. 2 receiver until they swung a blockbuster trade for All-Pro Davante Adams.
In just three games with the Jets, Adams posted two more catches than Williams had in nine. His addition made it all but certain that Williams would continue to be phased out of the offense.
For a team with playoff aspirations, New York’s 3-6 start provides one of the larger disappointments in the NFL this season. They already fired head coach Robert Saleh and promised more changes to a sputtering offense that has yet to hit its full potential despite having a future Hall of Famer in Rodgers calling the shots.
Getting Williams for draft capital helps build Gang Green’s chest of future assets because it is clear that more needs to be done to make this team a legitimate contender.
In Pittsburgh, Williams will get his chance to be a true No. 2 receiver on a team that had been desperate for pass-catching depth this season. The Steelers sit atop the AFC North at 6-2 despite having just one wide receiver, George Pickens, log more than 15 receptions through the team’s first eight games.
