New Jets’ Receiver Mike Williams Reveals Injury Update, Timeline
It's been a crazy week for new New York Jets receiver Mike Williams.
The Los Angeles Chargers released the former seventh-overall pick out of Clemson in a salary cap move and have since seen the former 1,000-yard wideout fly to New York for free agent visits.
With other scheduled teams on the docket, it didn't take long for Williams to find a home with the Jets, while also declining interviews with other wide receiver-needy organizations.
Speaking to reporters in his introductory press conference, the 6-4 receiver touted Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers as a reason for his quick decision.
"For me personally I felt it was a great fit. Aaron (Rodgers), I want to play with him, pick his brain, and learn from him," Williams explained. "Playing alongside Garrett (Wilson) kind of reminds me of Keenan (Allen) a little bit. I feel we can complement each other. I feel like we have a pretty good opportunity ahead of us. Just looking forward to it."
Williams went on to say that while Rodgers did not directly recruit him, he is looking forward to playing with a four-time NFL MVP.
It may be some time before the former Super Bowl champion quarterback and his new offensive weapon work together on the practice field, though.
Williams tore his ACL early in the 2023 season and nearing the fifth month of his rehab. While he did acknowledge that he expects to be ready for the start of the regular season, Williams made clear that he wasn't going to rush his return.
"My main focus is coming in every day putting into work and just continue to grind. That's my thing. Everything is on schedule," Williams stated. "Everything is looking good. So just keep the main thing, the main thing and that's continued to get better every day and just focus on that."
In his prime, Williams was considered one of the best deep-threat wide receivers in the game. His 20.4 yards per reception in 2019 led the league while also posting two 1,000-yard seasons in three years from '19-'21.
Injuries have since derailed a promising start to a career, though. Whether it was a high ankle sprain or broken back in 2022, a hamstring injury in 2020, or other nagging issues, Williams is entering his first season with the Jets trying to prove he can be an effective pass catcher while staying healthy for a full year.
At the very least, it's why his first focus isn't about the numbers he could put up in an offense like New York's.
"I'm very confident I'm putting in the work to be able to do that," Williams said. "So I feel like I'm gonna get good results from this... my main focus right now is not the numbers, it's more so getting healthy. Getting everything back to 100% and then let the numbers speak for itself."
All eyes will be on the veteran wide receiver and how he gets acclimated to a new home once OTAs and training camp begin. If his rehab goes well enough, the Jets could be getting a receiver looking to make his mark and show previous concerns aren't exactly warranted.
At the very least, when healthy, Williams will give the Jets offense a weapon that the franchise has not had in quite some time - and level the playing field at the very least in the division.
