The Remaining Cost for New York Jets After Mike Williams Trade

The New York Jets don’t have wide receiver Mike Williams, but his presence will linger for the next two seasons.

Sep 29, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Mike Williams (18) celebrates a first down reception during the second half against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Jets took a flier on Mike Williams this offseason, hoping that he would be able to overcome an injury to become a key No. 2 or No. 3 receiver for them opposite Garrett Wilson.

For a variety of reasons it just didn’t work out for Williams, and the Jets moved on at the trade deadline. New York shipped him to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a fifth-round pick next year.

But the impact of his signing will linger through 2025. Why? The salary cap.

Per Spotrac, which tracks player salaries, the Steelers will only have to pick up the remainder of Williams’ base salary, which is $627,500. He can be a free agent after the season.

While New York got a draft pick in return, they’re also stuck with nearly $8 million in dead money through 2025.

How?

New York signed him to a one-year, $10 million deal in the offseason. That included a $3.3 million bonus with $8.3 million guaranteed.

Because of that, the Jets have to keep the guaranteed money on their cap but can spread it out over the next two years.

So, Williams will count $2.09 million against the Jets’ cap in 2024 and then $5.87 million against their cap in 2025.

Right now, that’s the vast majority of the Jets’ dead cap figure for next year, per Spotrac. Right now, New York has nearly $6 million in dead cap money in 2025.

The Jets signed him on the one-year deal after he tore his ACL last year and missed the majority of the season. He got a late start due to the injury and only had 12 catches for 166 yards. But his time with the Jets will be remember for one incompletion that turned into an interception against Buffalo.

Late in that game, as the Jets were trying to rally in the fourth quarter, Williams slipped while trying to catch a pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, which led to an interception that ended the game.

Afterward, Rodgers put the blame on Williams, saying the veteran receiver was supposed to run a “red line” route, which meant that the 30-year-old receiver was several yards away from where Rodgers said he was supposed to be.

Williams then missed two workouts leading up to the next game for “personal reasons.” He returned late in the week, spoke to the media and said there was no hard feeling between he and Rodgers, whom he said reached out to him personally during the week to clarify what he said.