Big Money Jets Veteran Skips Practice Amid Trade Rumors

Heavy on Jets

Well, that’s not a good sign.

New York Jets wide receiver Mike Williams was MIA from practice on Wednesday, October 16.

The first injury report ahead of the Week 7 contest versus the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football was released. Williams was listed as a DNP [did not participate in practice] for “personal” reasons.

NFL Insider Jordan Schultz shared on social media on Tuesday, October 15 that the Jets “are planning to make WR Mike Williams available for trade after acquiring Davante Adams. Williams signed a 1-year deal this offseason and the current receiver room is just too crowded.”

Jets Reporter Explains There Will Be an ‘Odd Man out’ After the Davante Adams Trade

On Tuesday, October 15 the Jets executed a blockbuster trade with the Las Vegas Raiders to acquire Davante Adams.

Adams was a full participant in practice on Wednesday with his hamstring injury. He will make his debut against the Steelers for the Jets in Week 7.

The arrival of Adams significantly shakes up the Jets wide receiver room.

Jets reporter Nick Faria of Athlon Sports told me on “Boy Green Daily” that Williams “is probably going to be traded, he is going to be the odd man out.”

Williams, 30, is on a one-year deal for $10 million in 2024.

When asked what kind of trade compensation could he fetch, Faria told me, “A bucket of baseballs. No, seriously it’s just not a lot of compensation. This is a receiver coming off of ACL surgery, clearly not 100%, learning an offense, just doesn’t make a lot of sense to keep him on the roster to be this fourth or fifth option for his current salary.

So the Jets are going to try and see what they can get out of him in a trade. I don’t know if there is going to be a team willing to do that. Maybe Pittsburgh? Maybe even New England if they’re looking for a big body wide receiver that can help Drake Maye out. That’s not out of the realm of possibility. I just look at where this Mike Williams situation is… people need to remember he is coming off of a serious injury. Serious injuries, like an ACL, do not take 9 to 12 months and they’re back to who they were beforehand. There is a process that comes into this.”

ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler revealed that Williams is “open to a trade and the team knows that. I’m not expecting a deal this week, but stay tuned.”

NFL Insider Ari Meirov said if the Jets don’t trade Williams ahead of Week 7, “it would not surprise me if he’s a healthy inactive.”

Williams and Aaron Rodgers Haven’t Been on the Same Page for the Jets

The former Clemson product has appeared in all six games for the Jets so far this season. He has recorded 10 receptions for 145 receiving yards and has averaged 14.5 yards per catch.

Williams was the intended target on plays that ended up being interceptions for Aaron Rodgers over the last two games.

In Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings, Williams never turned around on a back-shoulder pass from Rodgers that was picked off. In Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills, Williams ran the wrong route which resulted in an interception.

After the game, Rodgers was asked about that end-of-game sequence and seemingly got frustrated with Williams being in the wrong spot.

He caught flak on social media for going after his teammate at the press conference.

“I wasn’t calling Mike out for anything other than his responsibility & the details in that play. I have a lot of love & respect for Mike, he’s done some nice things for us [but] on that play he wasn’t in the right spot. You can make more of that if you want to but we should all be held to a standard. I hold myself to the standard of greatness & when it hasn’t been there, which it hasn’t been at certain times, I’ve stood up there & said I’ve gotta play better,” Rodgers explained on Tuesday, October 15 on “The Pat McAfee Show.”