Pittsburgh acquired Mike Williams from the Jets for a 2025…

Pittsburgh made this trade at the 2024 deadline because its offense needed another outside receiver for a playoff push. The Steelers sent a 2025 fifth-round pick to New York for Mike Williams, a former 1,000-yard receiver who had been working his way back from a 2023 knee injury. The Jets had signed Williams only months earlier, but their season had unraveled and the arrival of Davante Adams made him more expendable.

Williams produced an immediate highlight, catching the winning touchdown in his Steelers debut against Washington. Over the rest of the regular season, however, his role stayed modest. He finished his Pittsburgh regular-season stint with nine receptions for 132 yards and one touchdown, then caught one pass for 37 yards in the playoff loss to Baltimore. He was useful as a vertical complement, but he never became a major part of the passing offense and did not remain with Pittsburgh beyond the season.

New York’s compensation matured into the 162nd pick in 2025. The Jets selected Miami linebacker Francisco Mauigoa, who quickly moved from special-teams projection to meaningful defensive work. He appeared in 12 games, started eight and recorded 45 tackles as a rookie. That does not make him a proven long-term starter yet, but it gives New York inexpensive continuing value from a player it was prepared to move.

The original C+/C+ even grade no longer fits the realized outcomes. Pittsburgh can defend the decision because fifth-round capital is a reasonable price for a veteran rental during a playoff season, and Williams did make one memorable game-winning play. But the total receiving production was light, while the Jets turned the pick into a rookie who has already started half a season.

A B for New York and C- for Pittsburgh better reflects the trade today. The Jets received the more durable asset without sacrificing a player who became important elsewhere.