Jets' Aaron Rodgers expands on controversial Mike Williams comments

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers raised eyebrows when he said following the New York Jets' 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night that wide receiver Mike Williams ran a route incorrectly on a play that resulted in a late interception.

Shortly after it was learned Tuesday that the Jets would be acquiring star receiver Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders, Rodgers expanded on his Williams take during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show." 

"It was two verticals to the right side and Mike needed to get to the red line, which would have been a big gain," Rodgers explained, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "So I wasn’t calling Mike out for anything but his responsibility and the details on that play. I have a lot of love and respect for Mike. He does some nice things for us. On that play, he wasn’t in the right spot." 

Earlier in the day, Awful Announcing shared via X (formerly known as Twitter) how former Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason said during Tuesday's edition of the WFAN morning program that he "was shocked" Rodgers publicly called Williams out after the Jets fell to 2-4 on the season. It was subsequently reported on Tuesday afternoon that the Jets are planning to make Williams available to other teams with Adams joining Gang Green ahead of the Week 7 "Sunday Night Football" matchup at the 4-2 Pittsburgh Steelers. 

"We all should be held to a standard," Rodgers continued during Tuesday's interview. "I hold myself to a standard of greatness and when it hasn’t been there — which it hasn’t been at certain times — I’ve stood up and said, 'I’ve got to play better. I wasn’t good enough tonight.' Hopefully, it’s an example for everybody else to start with themselves."

According to Ryan Phillips of Sports Illustrated, Rodgers also challenged his teammates "to go out there, win games and get on a run" beginning with the Pittsburgh contest. While SNY's Connor Hughes suggested on Tuesday afternoon that Williams will be part of the Jets' passing attack at Acrisure Stadium this weekend, it certainly sounds as if the 30-year-old is at least in danger of having his role significantly reduced with Adams ready to serve as Rodgers' favorite target.