Mike

Williams

Garafolo is just confirming the obvious as Williams barely practices this week due to “personal reasons.” Those reasons are he got under-bussed by Aaron Rodgers right as the Jets finally acquired Davante Adams. Having a rough year as he tried to earn Rodgers’ favor, Williams has at least appeared healthy. He will undoubtedly draw legit interest ahead of the Nov. 5 trade deadline, and should have a new home sooner rather than later, albeit one that is unlikely to make him WR4 relevant.

Williams was back in the Jets’ facilities on Thursday after being away on Wednesday but still didn’t get on the practice field. His personal absence is likely due to the impending trade rumors surrounding him ever since the Jets went out and traded for Davante Adams. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports earlier that the Chargers, Steelers, and Saints have all inquired about Williams’ availability. It’s possible the veteran receiver could be on the move ahead of the deadline.

Williams’ future with the Jets is very much in question, as the Jets have reportedly fielded multiple trade offers for him since they acquired Davante Adams from the Raiders. Williams will presumably be on the practice field later today, but whether or not he plays in Week 7 is to-be-determined.

Both the Steelers and Saints were players in the Davante Adams sweepstakes but were out-willed by Aaron Rodgers and the Jets — as many expected. It should come as no surprise that both teams are now interested in Williams, who has become available following the Jets’ trade for Adams. Williams, who is on a one-year deal he signed earlier this offseason, has been lightly used thus far. He has just 10 catches for 145 scoreless yards on 17 targets, and has been played well behind Allen Lazard, per PFF. The good news for Williams, is he appears healthy since returning from a torn ACL he suffered last season, and he should have plenty to offer a team that’s interested in his services. A return to the Chargers is interesting given his familiarity with Justin Herbert, but he’d be playing in a completely different offense with Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman now running things

Aaron Rodgers called Williams out for running a wrong route in the Jets’ Week 6 loss to Buffalo. New York then traded for Rodgers’ buddy Davante Adams and PFT’s Mike Florio later reported that the Jets will attempt to trade Williams. It doesn’t take much dot-connecting here to realize Williams has likely played his last snap with Gang Green.

Certainly there’s no reason for Williams to want to stick with the Jets after the Adams trade, and it appears the Jets recognize this as well. Williams is on a one-year, $10 million deal with a ton of void years. He’d be an interesting fit on a number of teams, but the type of teams he’d help the most (the Bills and Chiefs immediately come to mind) are not teams that the Jets would want to help. Williams has been targeted 17 times in six weeks and has just 145 scoreless yards on the season.

Aaron Rodgers made sure to call out Williams for apparently running an incorrect route late in the fourth quarter, resulting in a game-ending interception from Rodgers. Williams is likely done as a relevant part of the New York offense now that he’s on the wrong side of the mercurial Rodgers. It won’t help that the Jets on Tuesday acquired longtime Rodgers ally Davante Adams. Williams is at best the team’s No. 4 wideout.

Not only did he fail to come down with any of his three looks, but a slip on his third target resulted in an interception with under two minutes remaining in the game with the Jets down by three. Williams continues to play well behind Allen Lazard in the WR2 role for the Jets, making his fantasy value fleeting, at best.

Williams had an 18-yard catch to set the Jets up in the red zone for Garrett Wilson’s touchdown, but was largely irrelevant in a game where Aaron Rodgers dropped back 57 times. He was also the intended target on Rodgers’ final interception, a back-shoulder ball that Stephon Gilmore stepped in front of. Williams will be hard to trust — with just one 50-yard game to his name this season — against the Bills in Week 6. He’s clearly behind Allen Lazard as New York’s WR2 as things stand.

Williams’ playing time was ramped up from Week 3, just as beat writers had predicted. Williams ran a route on 37 of the Jets’ 54 drop backs and nearly came down with a touchdown from Aaron Rodgers. He led all New York pass catchers in receiving. With Rodgers and Garrett Wilson struggling to find chemistry, Williams could be the beneficiary in the coming weeks. He has a rough matchup in Week 5 against the Vikings.