Former Jets WR already injured again in rough start to 2025 reunion

The Mike Williams reunion tour in Los Angeles is off to a familiar start, and not in a good way. The former New York Jets wide receiver was officially placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list by the Chargers just before the start of training camp this week.

Williams missed nearly all of 2023 after suffering a torn ACL, struggled to make an impact in his brief stint with the Jets, and was traded midseason to the Steelers. Now, the injury bug appears to have resurfaced again.

It’s a frustrating turn of events for a player the Jets once hoped would stabilize their WR2 spot opposite Garrett Wilson a year ago. Instead, they ended up flipping Williams at the deadline for a fifth-round pick that would eventually turn into Miami linebacker Francisco Mauigoa.

While the Jets' wide receiver situation remains a mess outside of Wilson entering 2025, Chargers fans have quickly been reminded of something both they and Jets fans already knew. It’s unfortunately difficult to count on Mike Williams at this stage of his career.

Ex-Jets WR Mike Williams already battling the injury bug again

Williams’ time in New York was rather forgettable, to say the least. The Jets signed the veteran wideout to a one-year, $10 million deal in the 2024 offseason with the expectation that he would be the team’s WR2 opposite Wilson.

Williams would miss most of the summer recovering from his ACL injury, and by the time he returned to the field at the start of the year, he looked like a shell of his former self. It didn't help that he struggled to establish chemistry with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

In nine games with the Jets, Williams caught just 12 passes for 166 yards and zero touchdowns. He also found himself at the center of a now-infamous "red line" incident with Rodgers, who publicly criticized his wide receiver's route-running. That moment proved to be the beginning of the end for Williams in Florham Park.

Williams was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers shortly after, where he went on to appear in another nine games and caught just nine passes for 132 yards and one touchdown. The 2024 season was effectively a wash, and both sides moved on.

The former Clemson standout returned to Los Angeles on a one-year, $6 million deal, reuniting with Justin Herbert and the team that originally drafted him. But Williams' comeback tour is already off to a rocky start with a stint on the PUP list to open training camp.

It's an unfortunately familiar headline for a receiver who has battled persistent injury issues throughout his career. Ultimately, the Jets took their shot, cut their losses, and now get to watch the fallout from a safe distance.

More NY Jets news and analysis: