Mike Williams saga takes unexpected twist ahead of NY Jets' Week 7 game

NY Jets wide receiver Mike Williams has found himself the subject of trade rumors in recent days following his team's acquisition of Davante Adams. The overall assumption was that Williams may have played his final game as a member of the Jets.

Williams was not spotted at Jets practice on Wednesday and was again listed as a DNP on Thursday, further fueling rumors that his time with the organization was coming to an end. But the situation changed quickly on Friday.

Williams was a full participant in practice on Friday and appears in line to play in Week 7. Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich told reporters after practice that Williams is expected to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football.

Ulbrich insisted that the Jets have a good game plan for Williams in that Steelers game. It's still very possible Williams is eventually traded, but he appears to be sticking around for at least one more week.

Mike Williams will play for the NY Jets in Week 7

Teams have reportedly been calling the Jets to check in on Williams' availability since the Adams trade earlier in the week. The Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints, and the Jets' Week 7 opponents, the Steelers, have all reportedly reached out about a Williams trade.

Trading Williams does make some degree of sense. The eight-year veteran is now the fourth wide receiver on the Jets' depth chart, and his struggles to get on the same page with Aaron Rodgers have become increasingly apparent.

Williams has fallen down on game-sealing interceptions in each of the last two games, prompting Rodgers to publicly call him out for his imprecise route this past Monday night. That's only served to add fire to the growing flame that is his trade market.

To his credit, Williams has remained professional about the situation. He told reporters on Friday that he was concerned about the Adams trade and that he wasn't upset by Rodgers' comments. Although he did stop short of refuting reports that he wants to be traded, simply saying "I am where my feet are."

The Jets are a better football team with Williams on their roster, and the team implemented more verticality into their offense in Week 6. The Jets utilized more deep and intermediate routes in their passing game, which provides some optimism about Williams' role moving forward.

If the Jets are going to keep Williams on their roster — at least in the short term — they'd be wise to stop using him on slants and hitches. Stop confining him to the slot. Let Williams work the boundary and provide a vertical element to the Jets' offense. They don't call him "9 Route Mike" for no reason.

A Mike Williams trade is still a strong possibility for the Jets as we approach the trade deadline next month, but for at least one more game, he will take the field with Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback.

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