The playoffs-or-bust Jets might be the least likely two-win team to be trade-deadline sellers in the history of the NFL.
And yet Mike Williams almost certainly will be dealt any day now after he caught one pass for 15 yards and saw his workload approximately cut in half (19 offensive snaps) against the Steelers. It was the end of a week in which he was called out for running a bad route by Aaron Rodgers and was pushed down the receiver depth chart by the arrival of the Rodgers-endorsed Davante Adams.
A couple of new trade partners for the Jets might have emerged because of injuries around the league in Week 7, but what is Williams worth on the market? The Adams acquisition decreased the Jets’ leverage, and his own production (11 catches for 160 yards) is trending toward a seven-year low – except for last year’s abbreviated three-game season due to a torn ACL.
“His strengths are his size, catch radius and being a target in the red zone, so he still brings value even coming off the ACL,” one NFL executive said. “He can still run. If you were looking to nitpick, the explosive twitch out of brakes is going to take a while before it returns. Because he was [a free agent] last offseason, nobody is going to give up more than a late-round pick.”
Receiver is the most frequently traded position in the NFL, and teams seeking help will have other alternatives to Williams even after Adams and Amari Cooper (Browns to Bills) already were moved.
The Giants’ Darius Slayton, Broncos’ Courtland Sutton, Panthers’ Diontae Johnson and Titans’ DeAndre Hopkins figure to be available. The Bengals and Rams could face tough decisions on whether to shop the franchise-tagged Tee Higgins and former NFL Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp, respectively, if they fall out of the playoff race.
The Jets, who took on all of Adams’ owed money from the Raiders, likely will have to eat some of Williams’ one-year, $10 million contract to facilitate a deal. There is $5.876 million spread out over four void years at the end of the contract, per spotrac.com.
“His contract will obviously be an issue for some teams,” the executive said.
Donovan Peoples-Jones (sixth-round pick) and Van Jefferson, Mecole Hardman and Chase Claypool (late-round pick swaps) were all dealt near last year’s in-season deadline.
Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)
There is a perception that the Steelers are the favorites to land Williams but tabled discussions because the teams played last week. They have been looking for a complement to pair with George Pickens ever since trading Johnson to the Panthers and missing out on Brandon Aiyuk when he re-signed with the 49ers just before the start of the season.
San Francisco 49ers (3-4)
Ayiuk suffered a season-ending torn ACL and MCL during Sunday’s loss, and the oft-injured Deebo Samuel was hospitalized with fluid in his lungs and a form of pneumonia, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. It’s Super Bowl-or-bust.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3)
In the same game that Mike Evans re-aggravated a hamstring injury, Chris Godwin suffered a season-ending broken leg. The revitalization of quarterback Baker Mayfield had a lot to do with those two receivers.
Los Angeles Chargers (3-3)
Would Williams’ former team – who let him walk in free agency as part of a salary-cap cleanse – want him back? The Chargers only have one 200-yard receiver (rookie Ladd McConkey, 265) – not enough weapons for $262.5 million quarterback Justin Herbert.
Kansas City Chiefs (6-0)
Patrick Mahomes can make scraps look gourmet, but with tight end Travis Kelce’s production way down and Marquise Brown and Rashee Rice sidelined, Williams could be a better complement to speedster Xavier Worthy than JuJu Smith-Schuster.