On Friday, January 2, Isaiah Williams was the recipient of the 2025 New York Jets Curtis Martin Team MVP award.
This is an award voted on by the players on the roster.
Williams, 24, wasn’t on the Jets roster to start the season. He officially joined the team as a Xavier Gipson replacement after a disastrous mistake versus the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1.
The Jets stole Williams off the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad on September 10. However, he made two brutal mistakes during the Week 4 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football. A fumbled kickoff resulted in a Dolphins touchdown, and he fair caught a ball at his own three-yard line. That doomed the team.
A few days later, Williams was cut by the Jets. He got to stew about his football future for a few days before the Jets decided to bring him back.
Williams never looked back.
According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, he became the third special teamer in franchise history to win the team MVP award. Williams joined Bruce Harper (1980) and Pat Leahy (1990).
That is a noteworthy fun fact. However, Brian Costello of the New York Post brought up an even more compelling storyline, “Wow. [The] Jets named Isaiah Williams the team MVP. Has a team MVP ever been cut during the season?”
Head Coach Aaron Glenn Talks Williams’ Impact
“Yeah I thought that was really special. I think from the outside… even from the inside, I don’t think anybody thought that he’d be voted MVP. I’m saying that just because of the name, but when you look at what he did and the road he has traveled, I think it has been pretty exciting for him and this team. Especially since the players vote for that. That’s what makes it more special,” Coach Glenn explained.
“Going into the season finale at Buffalo on Sunday, Williams is second in the NFL in kickoff-return average at 30.2 and sixth in punt-return average at 14.1. In the Pro Bowl voting, he was named a second alternate at return specialist,” Jets senior contributor Randy Lange wrote.
“And to display his versatility, Williams moved solidly into the WR rotation beginning with Cincinnati. He put in 303 offensive snaps in the last nine games, during which he caught 21 passes for 169 yards and ran three times for 34 yards,” Lange added.
Williams Breaks Silence on Winning the Award
“I was speechless. It’s an honor,” Williams told the media after being named team MVP.
Great News for Jets Fans
The good news for Jets fans is after a team MVP season in 2025, Williams is here to stay for the forseeable future.
He is under contract next season for $1.05 million. In 2027, Williams is set to be a restricted free agent. That means another cheap year of team control.
The Jets don’t have to pay Williams real big money until the 2028 offseason. One of the biggest bargains in the NFL for one of the best return men on the planet.
The Bad News About This Williams Award
What a story.
A player who didn’t start the season with the team, got cut midway through it, and then earned the MVP award?
I mean that is a Hollywood script.
There is one big downside to the Williams announcement. The fact that a player who had that path to the award is also an inditement of the rest of the team.
No one else was worthy of the award? That is a big reason the Jets are 3-13.
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