Jets' Mike Williams says playing with Aaron Rodgers, Garrett Wilson was key to him signing with team
Mike Williams (81) looks on before an NFL football game between the Chargers and Dolphins, Sept. 10, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. Credit: AP/Kyusung Gong
Mike Williams got a taste of what being a Jet is like and how truly hungry their fan base is.
A fan, whose twitter handle is @NYJ_Matt, sent a Taylor ham, egg and cheese sandwich to the Jets facility Tuesday for Williams, who was meeting with the team. After signing with the Jets, Williams ate the sandwich and attended a Nets game in Brooklyn, where he received a loud ovation and another brown bag with food inside.
Imagine what will happen if Williams helps the Jets end their 13-year playoff drought. That’s certainly the hope for the Jets and their fans.
The Jets signed the 6-4 receiver to give Aaron Rodgers a big target and Garrett Wilson some much-needed help. Williams cancelled visits with the Steelers and Panthers after meeting with the Jets and inked a one-year deal worth up to $15 million.
“I just felt like it was a great fit for me,” Williams said during a Wednesday Zoom call. “Aaron, I want to be able to play with him, pick his brain, learn from him. Playing alongside Garrett, kind of reminds me of Keenan [Allen] a little bit, similar style play, great route runners and I feel like we can complement each other in that area.
“The running game is pretty good, defense is elite. I just feel like we got a pretty good opportunity ahead of us. Just looking forward to it.”
Although Williams can’t wait to play with Rodgers, he said the two hadn’t spoken and that the Jets quarterback “didn’t recruit me.” Williams was getting Rodgers’ number Wednesday and would reach out to him.
The Jets desperately needed a Wide Receiver 2 to pair with Wilson. Williams was a good complement to Allen with the Chargers. Williams, who was released by Los Angeles before the start of free agency, was the best receiver available.
“We want to have as many playmakers as we can on the team and take as much pressure off of Garrett, Breece [Hall], Aaron,” Douglas said after the season. “So we want to add as many high caliber players as we can.”
Williams, the No. 7 overall pick in 2017, has caught 298 passes for 4,711 and 31 touchdowns since 2018. His 15.8 yards per catch in that time is the highest in the NFL for players with more than 200 receptions.
His most productive season was 2021. Williams caught 76 passes for 1,146 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s returning from a torn ACL that he suffered in Week 3 last season, but Williams has no doubt he will be the same player he was prior to the injury.
“I’m very confident,” Williams said. “I’m putting in the work to be able to do that. I feel like I’m going to get good results from this. My main focus right now is not the numbers, it’s more so getting healthy, getting everything back to a hundred percent and the numbers will speak for itself.”
Williams expects to be ready for Week 1. He couldn’t say whether he would be a full-go in training camp, though. He’s 4 ½ months removed from surgery. Williams said everything’s “right on schedule.”
The 29-year-old Williams described this as a “a crazy week.” He was in Paris, flew to California and then to New Jersey. Williams said “everything went smooth” with his meeting with the Jets.
When it was over, Williams ate the breakfast sandwich that the fan sent him. The Jets posted video on their social media account. The whole situation went viral and was talked about on ESPN and the NFL Network.
“I heard about it on Twitter like a couple of days before,” Williams said. “The sandwich was actually pretty good, for real for real.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
