With the NFL trade deadline upon us, the New York Jets were a team that many people were keeping a close eye on.
They are all in on winning with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, evidenced by the moves they have already made. Future draft picks have been sacrificed to upgrade the roster as much as possible presently.
The results haven’t been great, as the team is 3-6 with an uphill climb to get into position to earn a playoff spot. That left some people wondering whether they would keep throwing assets away to fix the roster again.
That didn’t happen.
Instead, they did the right thing, trade from a surplus to acquire a solid future asset.
Veteran wide receiver Mike Williams, who has been involved in trade rumors since Davante Adams was acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders, has been traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick.
The deal was announced by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Coincidentally, it was completed while Rodgers was making his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. The future Hall of Famer was able to provide his opinion on the deal, speaking highly of him despite some headlining-grabbing miscues between the two.
Rodgers believes that a change of scenery could do well for Williams and that he will be a great fit in the Steelers locker room. There should be more opportunities for him to produce in the passing game as well as the competition for targets is less in Pittsburgh.
He could immediately slide into the No. 2 role in their passing offense behind George Pickens once he is acclimated to the offense. His ability to stretch the field and win on deep balls should fit well with Russell Wilson being so willing to take shots.
As Rodgers mentioned, some people do forget that Williams is coming off a serious knee injury suffered last season. The star quarterback praised his now-former receiver for the work he put in to get healthy.
It takes time to knock off the rust and he was starting to show some signs of his old self. Alas, it wasn’t enough for the Jets to keep him.
Even with Allen Lazard hitting injured reserve, the team decided it was best to part ways. Malachi Corley will now step into a more prominent role behind Adams and Garrett Wilson in the passing offense.
