Aaron Rodgers was live on the air Tuesday when the news of his team’s latest big trade broke.
The New York Jets quarterback Rodgers was making one of his regular appearances on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.” Right in the middle of the action, McAfee interrupted the conversation to pass along the news that Jets wide receiver Mike Williams had been traded to an AFC contender for draft-pick compensation. Rodgers then gave his snap reaction on the air.
“Mike’s a quiet guy, just kinda goes about his business,” said Rodgers. “Mike had a rough injury last year, a [torn] ACL, it’s tough to come back from. And he worked his a– off all offseason … But I felt like he was getting better throughout the early part of the season.
“But Mike’s a good guy,” added Rodgers. “He’ll be good in that locker room. Obviously, they have a lot of great veteran leadership. He’s had a nice career. Sometimes a change of scenery is great for certain guys … We kinda knew with [new Jets receiver] Davante [Adams] coming in that there would be less targets for everybody … So if this gives Mike more opportunities, that’s awesome. And we wish Mike well.”
Here is the full video.
Aaron Rodgers reacts in real time to the Mike Williams trade: pic.twitter.com/h6fBQXFrwA
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 5, 2024
That was a pretty diplomatic answer there from Rodgers and perhaps one in contrast to their actual relationship as teammates. The former 1,000-yard receiver Williams joined the Jets in the offseason and never quite hit it off with Rodgers. In fact, Rodgers publicly called out Williams a few weeks ago for being responsible for a game-ending interception.
The 30-year-old Williams had been rumored as a likely trade candidate ever since then, especially after the Jets’ trade addition of Adams. Now Williams should be getting a more meaningful offensive role with his new team, and Rodgers sounds happy for him.
