Mike Williams is headed from Los Angeles to New York.
Wilson had 95 catches, 1,042 receiving yards and three touchdowns last year. The Jets didn’t have another wide receiver with more than 23 catches and 311 receiving yards.
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Williams has topped 1,000 receiving yards twice in his career, including a career-best 76 catches and 1,146 receiving yards in 2021.
Mike Williams coming off injury but a proven commodity
Williams has been one of the NFL’s top deep threats. He’s produced 309 catches, 4,806 receiving yards and 31 touchdowns since being drafted No. 7 overall in the 2017 NFL draft. He has a big catch radius and thrives at hauling in contested catches.
Williams suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Week 3 of last season, but the wideout is expected to be healthy by the start of the regular season.
Jets had an active free agency
New York’s added tackle Tyron Smith, tackle Morgan Moses, guard John Simpson, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, cornerback Isaiah Oliver, defensive tackle Leki Fotu, quarterback Tyrod Taylor and Williams this offseason as they attempt to bolster their roster for the 2024 season.
The free-agent wide receiver is signing a one-year contract, worth up to $15 million with the New York Jets, a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed to Rate Soccer News. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because deal has not yet been publicly announced.
Williams was released by the Chargers last week as Los Angeles attempted to get under the salary cap.
Williams is a major free-agent addition for the Jets. The 6-foot-4 wideout was one of the top remaining free agents still available. He provides quarterback Aaron Rodgers another threat on the outside alongside wide receiver Garrett Wilson
The New York Jets’ 2023 season was over before it started when quarterback Aaron Rodgers ruptured his Achilles in the first quarter of Week 1, sending shockwaves through the NFL.
There was so much hope for Gang Green, too. Rodgers would finally take the team over the top. The Jets’ defense was Super Bowl-ready; all that was lacking was a competent offense, making Aaron Rodgers the missing piece.
Now, one year later, optimism around the Jets has returned. Rodgers will be back for the season opener, and general manager Joe Douglas has been busy adding upgrades in free agency.
Here are my grades for the New York Jets’ primary offseason moves so far.
Tyron Smith, LT
Smith brings stability to a left tackle spot that the Jets have long struggled to fix. Sure, he’s 33 and hasn’t been the beacon of good health in recent seasons, but he’s better than any left tackle New York has fielded in quite some time.
Grade: B
Morgan Moses, RT (via trade)
The New York Jets’ offensive line rebuild included a trade for Baltimore Ravens right tackle Morgan Moses, who returns to the Big Apple after starting 16 games for the Jets in 2021. Moses, like Tyron Smith, is 33 years old and likely entering the final lap of his career, but he has at least another season or two of quality play left in the tank.
Grade: B
Mike Williams, WR
I really like the Jets’ decision to sign Williams, whom I consider a bargain at $15 million in 2024. Sure, he’s coming off a torn ACL, but he suffered the injury last September and will be nearly one year removed from surgery by the time Week 1 rolls around. Williams gives Aaron Rodgers an Alpha outside receiver who, combined with Garrett Wilson, will form a dynamic 1-2 punch in the passing game.
Grade: B+
Javon Kinlaw, DL
Kinlaw is a former Draft Twitter favorite who never lived up to his first-round hype in San Francisco. He signed a one-year prove-it deal with the Jets and will be a rotational player in their defensive front. I wasn’t high on Kinlaw as a draft prospect, and I’m not surprised he’s at this point in his career. He’ll be an OK backup in 2024.
Grade: C-
Tyrod Taylor, QB
If the 2023 season taught us anything about the New York Jets, it’s that they need a quality backup quarterback behind Rodgers. Zach Wilson wasn’t that guy, and while Tyrod Taylor isn’t a world-beater, he’s an upgrade over Wilson. Jets fans certainly hope they won’t see any of Taylor in 2024, but if pressed into action, he has enough talent to keep New York in a playoff hunt.
Grade: C+
Solomon Thomas, DL
Thomas is a 2017 first-round bust who’s been relegated to a series of one-year contracts (for three seasons in a row) with the Jets. He’s coming off a career-best five sacks in 2023, so maybe there’s still some untapped upside in the former Stanford star.
Grade: C
John Simpson, G
Simpson was an underrated prospect from Clemson who proved in 2023 that he has the baseline skill set to be a quality starting guard in the NFL. He’s still a young player (26) with upside. Simpson signed a two-year deal worth up to $16 million, which will be considered a bargain if he continues his progression.
Grade: C+
Greg Zuerlein, K
Kicker alert! Legatron returns to the New York Jets on a two-year, $8.4 million contract after a 2023 season in which he connected on 35 of 38 field goal attempts. One could argue that he was the Jets’ best player on offense last year. With a healthy Aaron Rodgers in place, Zuerlein will be even more lethal. It was a good move to bring him back.
Grade: B+
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