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Aaron Rodgers reacts to Steelers landing Mike Williams

Posted on by Pranco
Aaron Rodgers reacts to Steelers landing Mike Williams

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers had nothing but good things to say about his former teammate Mike Williams when he responded to the trade in real time on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday. The Pittsburgh Steelers sent a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Jets in exchange for Williams.

‘Mike’s a good guy. He’ll be good in that locker room. They have a lot of veteran leadership,” Rodgers said. “He has had a great career. Sometimes a change of scenery is great for certain guys. … If this gives Mike more opportunities, that’s great. And we wish Mike the best.

Williams, 30, is a 6-foot-1, 218-pound receiver who will provide immediate size and experience to the group of receivers playing next to George Pickens. In terms of contested targets since 2018, Williams has the third-highest receiving grade (94.1), second in receptions (91) and second in receiving yards (1,495), according to Pro Football Focus.

In 2021 with the Los Angeles Chargers, Williams caught 76 passes for 1,146 yards (15.1 average) and nine touchdowns. However, injuries have diminished his production over the past two years.

“Mike had a bad injury last year – that ACL,” Rodgers said. “It’s hard to come back. He worked on his (back end) all offseason, wasn’t there much in training camp, he worked on the side. But I felt like he got better at the beginning of the season. It felt like his speed was improving and he was feeling more comfortable with it. That’s a serious injury. I had that injury. It’s the mental part that takes the longest.”

Williams never developed a solid rapport with Rodgers, recording just 12 receptions for 166 yards and no touchdowns in seven games. He got it too publicly proclaimed by Rodgers for taking the wrong route on the play that became the game-clinching interception in a loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Williams was placed on the trade block after the Jets landed wide receiver Davante Adams in a blockbuster trade on October 15. The Steelers were immediately interested in Williams, but those talks were put on hold around the Week 7 game between the teams at Acrisure Stadium. . Ultimately, Steelers general manager Omar Khan was able to finalize a deal to land the veteran playmaker before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.