Mike Williams: Playing with Jets, Rodgers 'a great fit for me'
Mike Williams generated interest from multiple teams in free agency, but the opportunity to play with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and receiver Garrett Wilson enticed him to pick the New York Jets.
"I just felt like it was a great fit for me," Williams said on Wednesday, a day after signing a one-year deal with the Jets. "Aaron, I want to be able to play with him, pick his brain, learn from him. Playing alongside Garrett kind of reminded me of Keenan (Allen) a little bit. Similar style of play, great route-runners. 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've got a pretty good opportunity ahead of us. Just looking forward to it."
Williams spent the last seven seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he and Allen formed one of the NFL's best duos.
The 29-year-old has been a solid deep target since entering the league as the seventh overall pick in 2017. He's topped 1,000 yards in a season twice and has averaged 15.6 yards per catch in his career, which is the second-best mark in the NFL since 2017 among players with at least 300 catches. He also led the league with 20.4 yards per reception in 2019. Injuries, however, have been an issue for Williams, as the Clemson product has played just one full campaign since turning pro.
Williams is used to catching passes from great quarterbacks: he played with Philip Rivers and Justin Herbert as a member of the Chargers. The wideout is now looking forward to the possibility of helping Rodgers.
"For sure, it makes my job a lot easier," Williams said, according to NFL.com's Nick Shook. "Also, makes their job easier too, having a guy like me out there to go out there to compete with them. Yeah, I've been pretty privileged having good quarterbacks throughout my career, so looking forward to working with Aaron and getting together with the rest of the guys and see where it goes."
Rodgers joined New York in a trade from the Green Bay Packers during the 2023 offseason but suffered an Achilles injury four snaps into his Jets debut. Now surrounded by new weapons and a revamped offensive line, the four-time NFL MVP will try to help the AFC East team snap a postseason drought that dates back to the 2010 season.
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