In the latest wrinkle to Mike Williams’ strange Jets week, the wideout — who didn’t practice on Wednesday or Thursday — participated fully Friday for the first time since the Jets traded for Davante Adams and will play Sunday against the Steelers, he said.
Williams carried a personal designation on the injury report, and he worked on a side field Thursday during the portion of the practice open to the media.
Both Williams and head coach Jeff Ulbrich declined to elaborate on the reason for his absences and whether they were connected to the acquisition of Adams, the six-time Pro Bowler who will significantly cut into the snaps available for a struggling Williams.
Mike Williams during practice on Oct. 17, 2024. Bill Kostroun/New York PostBut when asked if he would prefer a trade to a team with more opportunities, a scenario that teams have reportedly inquired about, Williams said he’s “where my feet at.”
“That’s the main thing for me,” said Williams, whose training camp was delayed while recovering from a torn ACL and whose regular season opened with a snap count. “I came here for a reason. I’m here. So I’m excited for this weekend, finish the preparation [Saturday], play Sunday night.”
His role, though, could look drastically different after the Jets shipped a conditional 2025 third-round pick to the Raiders and reunited Adams with former Packers teammate Aaron Rodgers, especially given the context of a recent route gaffe.
In the final two minutes of the loss to the Bills on Monday, Williams ran the wrong route on a game-sealing interception and was publicly criticized by Rodgers — his route needed to be “down the red line,” Rodgers said in a reference to the line on their practice field near the sideline.
Williams wasn’t bothered by Rodgers’ criticism, and they spoke one-on-one after the quarterback initiated contact.
Ulbrich said the pair have a good relationship.
“I just gotta be on the red line,” Williams said with a smile.
Rodgers and Williams are still attempting to build cohesion — “day-by-day, practice-by-practice, game-by-game,” Williams said — and have connected just 10 times on 17 targets for 145 yards and zero touchdowns.
Williams’ one-year deal in March came with an unwritten expectation that he would emerge as Rodgers’ No. 2 option behind Garrett Wilson, and through the first month-plus of a 2-4 Jets season, the reality has been anything but that.
Williams’ disappointing start encapsulated the overarching issues facing the Jets offense, and Tuesday, general manager Joe Douglas took one final stab at providing a jolt for the unit by swinging a trade seemingly a year in the making.
Mike Williams slipped on this game-ending interception. Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesThey already had switched play-callers from Nathaniel Hackett to Todd Downing, and that worked at times against Buffalo.
They already had fired head coach Robert Saleh, too.
This time, Douglas tried to rekindle a Rodgers-Adams connection that served as one of the NFL’s best during their eight years together in Green Bay.
In 2022, Adams went to the Raiders via trade and encountered a dysfunctional offense.
One year later, Rodgers went to the Jets, tore his Achilles and returned to a sputtering unit. In potentially their final chance to play together, they’ll be tasked with salvaging a sinking campaign.
But when Douglas’ blockbuster combined with Allen Lazard’s resurgence — 354 yards and five touchdowns through six games after just 311 and one last year — and Wilson’s unchanging status as the top receiver, it complicated Williams’ future.
The Chargers, Steelers and Saints were among teams “reaching out” to the Jets about a potential trade, according to The Athletic, and Williams’ consecutive absences only fueled speculation before he temporarily quelled that Friday by saying the trade for Adams doesn’t “really affect me.”
“It’s elite,” Williams said of the Jets’ new-look receiver room. “Probably one of the best rooms in the league. Excited to learn from [Adams] and everything he’s been through in this league and the receiver that he’s been — probably been top two, top three in this league for a while. So excited to learn from him and pick his brain on some things.”
Where Williams fits in alongside Adams and the rest of the offense, though, remains unclear.
The deal certainly impacts him.
But an intention to play Sunday makes it appear that Williams and the Jets will, at the very least, attempt to figure everything out.






