Why Mike Williams chose to sign with the Jets — it wasn’t just the sandwich
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Mike Williams found more things appealing about the Jets than just his famous breakfast sandwich.
“For me, personally, I just felt like it was a great fit for me,” Williams said Wednesday, one day after signing a one-year deal with the Jets. “Aaron [Rodgers], I want to be able to play with him, pick his brain, learn from him. Playing alongside Garrett [Wilson], he kind of reminds me of Keenan [Allen] a little bit. Similar style play, great route runners, and I feel like we can complement each other. The running game is pretty good. The defense is elite. I just feel like we’ve got a pretty good opportunity ahead of us. I’m just looking forward to it.”
The former Chargers wide receiver tore his ACL in Week 3 of last season. He said he had surgery 4 ¹/₂ months ago and expects to be ready for Week 1 of the 2024 season.
![Mike Williams opens a sandwich at the Jets facility after signing with the team.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/1770224348571288007-s-20-new-jet-78657195.jpg?w=1024)
He said “we’re gonna see” about being ready for training camp.
“I’m about 4 ¹/₂ months out, right on schedule,” Williams said. “My main focus is just coming in every day, putting in the work and just continuing to grind. Everything is on schedule. Everything is looking good.”
The Jets signed Williams as part of an offensive makeover after the team ranked 31st in yards per game last season.
They hope a healthy Rodgers can thrive behind a rebuilt offensive line and with Williams playing opposite Wilson.
Williams, 29, had a career year in 2021 with 76 catches for 1,146 yards and nine touchdowns.
His production slipped in 2022 as he played in just 13 games, and had 63 catches for 895 yards and four touchdowns.
Last year, his season was cut short in Week 3 by the ACL tear. Williams believes he can recapture the form he showed in 2021 and the ACL injury won’t hinder him.
![Mike Williams #81 of the Los Angeles Chargers scoring the winning touchdown in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/81-los-angeles-chargers-scores-78648851.jpg?w=1024)
“I’m very confident,” he said. “I’m putting in the work to be able to do that. I feel like I’m going to get good results from this. My main focus right now is not the numbers. It’s more so getting healthy, getting everything back to 100 percent, and the numbers will speak for themselves.”
Williams was a first-round pick of the Chargers in 2017. He has been able to play with Philip Rivers and Justin Herbert as his quarterbacks, and now will play with Rodgers.
“It makes my job a lot easier,” Williams said “It also makes their job easier, too, having a guy like me out there to go out and compete with them. I’ve been pretty privileged to have good quarterbacks throughout my career. I’m looking forward to working with Aaron and getting with the rest of the guys and see where it goes.”
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Williams visited the Jets on Tuesday and was greeted by a breakfast sandwich sent by a fan that became a social media sensation.
Williams was scheduled to visit with the Panthers and Steelers after the Jets, but they did not let him get out of the building.
"This what got the deal signed right here." – @darealmike_dub 😂
— New York Jets (@nyjets) March 19, 2024
🫡 @NYJ_Matt pic.twitter.com/k8WnqzHviP
“It was a crazy week,” Williams said. “I started off in Paris, flew to California the next day, flew out here, met with the staff. Great meetings. Everything went good, sitting down with the whole staff just going over a plan, a process and everything. Everything went smooth. I’m looking forward to the opportunity. I feel like I have a great opportunity ahead of me.”