The Pittsburgh Steelers have spent the past few months trying to trade for a wide receiver and they finally made that happen on Tuesday.
With just hours to go before the NFL trade deadline, the Steelers were able to pull off a deal with the New York Jets for Mike Williams, CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones has reported. The Steelers first called the Jets about a possible Williams trade more than three weeks ago, but the two sides weren’t able to get a deal done until Tuesday.
To make the trade happen, the Steelers will be sending a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Jets. According to ESPN, the Steelers will take on the remainder of Williams’ contract for this season. The veteran is a free agent in 2025.
“Mike had a rough injury last year, that ACL and it’s tough to come back from and he worked his ass off all offseason,” said Aaron Rodgers, reacting to the trade on The Pat McAfee Show. “That’s a tough injury, I had that injury and it’s the mental part that takes the longest. We kinda knew with Davante coming in that there would be less targets for everyone. … If this gives Mike more opportunities that’s awesome.”
The Steelers haven’t been very shy about the fact that they were looking to get a receiver. During the offseason, they attempted to land Brandon Aiyuk, who ended up signing an extension to stay in San Francisco. Last month, the Steelers also got in on the Davante Adams sweepstakes, but they came up short with Adams going to the Jets.
The fact that Adams went to New York likely helped the Steelers land Williams. With both Adams and Garrett Wilson on the roster, Williams became expendable with the Jets. The 30-year-old receiver only caught 12 passes in nine games with New York this season, but he did average an impressive 13.8 yards per reception. Williams is also just two years removed from a 2022 season with the Chargers where he caught 63 passes for 865 yards. However, his numbers went way down in 2023 after his season got cut short due to an ACL injury.
Williams will now go from catching passes from Rodgers to catching passes from Russell Wilson. Williams will join a receiver group that already includes George Pickens, Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson.
The Steelers actually came close to making a trade for Christian Kirk in late October, but the deal fell apart after the Jaguars receiver broke his collarbone in Week 8. Williams might not have been Pittsburgh’s first option, but he should be able to contribute in Arthur Smith’s offense.
