Steelers, Jets Depth Chart, Salary Cap, NFL Draft Picks After Mike Williams Trade

If you bought a Mike Williams New York Jets jersey, hopefully you have the receipt handy.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Jets are trading the eighth-year wide receiver to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 fifth-round draft pick. He became the odd man out in New York's receiving corps following the midseason arrival of Davante Adams.

Dealing Williams saddles the Jets with some dead money for this year and next, while the Steelers don't have to assume much financial burden.

Pittsburgh now has eight picks in the 2025 NFL draft and still has a fifth-rounder in its pocket courtesy of the Los Angeles Rams from the Kevin Dotson trade. New York is up to eight selections as well, with two in the fifth round.

Here's how the respective offenses look following the swap:

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Jets Offense Depth Chart

• QB: Aaron Rodgers, Tyrod Taylor 
• RB: Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, Isaiah Davis 
• WR: Davante Adams, Irvin Charles 
• WR: Garrett Wilson 
• WR: Xavier Gipson, Malachi Corley 
• TE: Tyler Conklin, Jeremy Ruckert 
• LT: Tyron Smith, Olu Fashanu 
• LG: John Simpson 
• C: Joe Tippmann, Alec Lindstrom 
• RG: Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jake Hanson 
• RT: Morgan Moses, Max Mitchell

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Steelers Offense Depth Chart

• QB: Russell Wilson, Justin Fields 
• RB: Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, Cordarrelle Patterson 
• WR: George Pickens WR: Mike Williams, Scotty Miller 
• WR: Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III 
• TE: Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington 
• LT: Dan Moore Jr. 
• LG: Isaac Seumalo, Spencer Anderson 
• C: Zach Frazier, Ryan McCollum 
• RG: Mason McCormick, Max Scharping 
• RT: Broderick Jones, Calvin Anderson

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With New York placing Allen Lazard on injured reserve, ESPN's Rich Cimini wrote on Oct. 31 that "the Jets are more likely to retain Mike Williams instead of making him available for trades."

His usage in a 21-13 win over the Houston Texans pointed to how Lazard's absence did little to increase his role. He finished with one reception for six yards on two targets.

If Williams was going to remain such a peripheral figure, then it made sense to deal him now and get any sort of compensation back.

For the Steelers, the potential of him in the same offense as George Pickens is tantalizing.

In nine appearances with the Jets, Williams had 12 catches for 166 yards. His 13.8 yards per reception are up slightly from 2023 (13.1), though his longest has only gone for 22 yards so far.

It's tough to say for certain the 30-year-old is still the same downfield threat he was before his season-ending torn ACL in 2023. His skill set might be a little too close to that of Pickens so that they kind of cancel each other out, too.

The price wasn't too steep for Pittsburgh, though, and this is ultimately only a one-year commitment if things don't work out. General manager Omar Khan made a sensible gamble.