Aaron Rodgers’ immediate reaction to Jets’ Mike Williams trade

On Tuesday, the New York Jets traded wide receiver Mike Williams to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a fifth round draft pick, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. The Jets’ receiving game had seen some increased production since the arrival of Davante Adams via a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders two weeks ago, making Williams the potential “odd man out” for the team.

As fate would have it, quarterback Aaron Rodgers just so happened to be a guest on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show at the same time that the Williams news was reported, giving viewers a real time look into the future Hall of Famer’s candid reaction.

“Mike’s a quiet guy. Just kind of goes about his business,” said Rodgers, via Adam Schefter on X. “Mike had a rough injury last year, that ACL, it’s tough to come back from, and he worked his a** off all offseason, wasn’t around for a lot of training camp, he was working on the side. But I felt like he was getting better throughout the early part of the season… Mike’s a good guy. He’ll be good in that locker room. Obviously a lot of great veteran leadership. He’s had a nice career, and sometimes a change of scenery is great for certain guys. I mean, it was great for me, it was fun. You kind of get re-enthused.”

Rodgers also spoke on how the Adams trade may have affected the Jets’ decision.

“We kind of knew with Davante coming in that there’d be less targets for everybody,” said Rodgers. “(Garrett Wilson) is leading the league in targets. He’s going to get his targets. And (Davante) is a dynamic player, he’s going to get his targets. So if this gives Mike more opportunities, that’s awesome, and we wish Mike well.”

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