Mike Williams Trade Rumors: Steelers, Chargers, Saints Eye Jets WR After Davante Deal

The Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints have reached out to the New York Jets about the availability of wide receiver Mike Williams, The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported on Thursday.

The Jets acquired star wide receiver Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this week. Adams is now set to join Allen Lazard and Garrett Williams as the Jets' top targets for Aaron Rodgers, potentially leaving Williams the odd man out.

According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Jets are 'trying to find a suitor" for the veteran wideout (0:53 in video):

Williams spent the first seven seasons of his NFL career with the Chargers. He has made 10 catches for 145 yards through his first six games with the Jets.

He received just 17 targets over that span and had a drop during Monday's loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Rodgers went on to publicly criticize Williams after the game, blaming the wideout's missed route for the fourth-quarter interception that ended the Jets' hopes of a comeback.

Williams missed Wednesday's practice for personal reasons, but returned to the team facility on Thursday, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

Williams' final campaign for the Chargers was cut short by a torn ACL in Week 3. He was released in March, a move that saved Los Angeles $20 million in cap space.

The wide receiver now comes with a more manageable cap hit of just over $2.7 million, per Spotrac. That makes him a conceivable acquisition even for the Saints, who with just about $2.7 million in effective cap space are one of the most salary-strapped teams in the NFL, per Over the Cap.

Only the Tennessee Titans have fewer passing yards than the Chargers so far this season as Justin Herbert has struggled to connect with a wideout depth chart led by Ladd McConkey. Adding a veteran already familiar with Herbert back into the system could be a way to boost the team's passing game.

The Steelers, a team connected to both Brandon Aiyuk and Davante Adams when the star wideouts were reportedly on the trade market, are still working to build out their pass-catching depth behind George Pickens or Pat Freiermuth. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on Wednesday that Pittsburgh appears "to be the next team up" for a wide receiver trade.

The Saints are meanwhile in need of another wideout now that the team's top two receivers are sidelined with injuries, with Chris Olave recovering from a concussion and Rashid Shaheed undergoing meniscus surgery after suffering a knee injury in Week 6. Given the team's tight cap situation, a minimal cap hit like Williams' may make him an ideal target for general manager Mickey Loomis.

NBC Sports' Mike Florio and NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported earlier this week that the Jets would try to trade the veteran wide receiver. The team has just under three weeks left to do so prior to the Nov. 5 deadline.