The Los Angeles Chargers agreed to terms with receiver Mike Williams, the team announced. The deal is for one year and up to $6 million, according to multiple reports.
Williams was the 149th-ranked player in The Athletic’s free-agent rankings and the No. 19-ranked receiver. He spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Chargers, after being selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2017 draft. And now he is back for a second stint.
How he fits
Williams was one of Justin Herbert’s favorite options through the quarterback’s first four NFL seasons. In that span, Williams caught 206 passes for 3,046 yards and 19 touchdowns. He was a great match for Herbert’s immense arm strength because of his 50-50 ball prowess, and Williams made plenty of clutch catches, most notably in the fourth quarter and overtime of a Week 18 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021. Williams will be in a different offense under Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman. But the built-in chemistry with Herbert will make that transition easier. Williams played for three different offensive coordinators with Herbert at quarterback: Shane Steichen in 2020, Joe Lombardi in 2021-22 and Kellen Moore in 2023.
2025 impact
The Chargers had a glaring hole in their receiver room heading into this offseason: an X receiver who could win outside the numbers, especially in contested-catch situations. They needed that player to take some of the attention away from slot receiver Ladd McConkey, who had a record-setting rookie season but was being double- and even triple-teamed by the end of the season. Davante Adams was an option for this role, but he ended up signing with the Los Angeles Rams. There were not many other viable possibilities on the free-agent market. Williams always made sense for multiple reasons. He fits the skill set the Chargers need. He has the existing rapport with Herbert. And he was not going to break the bank. Now, the Chargers have a veteran player who can fill the role, and they have more flexibility heading into the draft. They can find an X receiver of the future, with Williams as a contingency for 2025.
Cap update
The deal was reported as “up to $6 million,” which implies some incentives. We will project a rough estimated cap hit of $4 million for Williams.
That leaves the Chargers with an estimated $48.46 million in total space. Factoring in draft pick compensation, the Chargers have an estimated $45.27 million in effective space. And budgeting $8 million for in-season moves — practice squad, trades, etc. — the Chargers have an estimated $37.27 million in remaining space to spend on 2025 cap hits.
Outlook
Williams signed a three-year, $60 million extension before the 2022 season. He was cut for cap reasons before the league year in 2024. Williams tore his ACL three games into the 2023 season. He then signed with the New York Jets before being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last season was a down year for Williams, coming off the injury. He only caught 21 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown in 18 games split between the two teams. But Williams was always going to need time to heal and rebound from a significant knee injury. Expecting an immediate return to high-level production was not very realistic. Now he will be close to two years removed from the injury when the 2025 season begins. The Chargers were able to buy low after the down year, and they could get excellent value on this deal if Williams and Herbert are able to rekindle some of their magic.
Required reading
(Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie / Imagn Images)
Daniel Popper is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Los Angeles Chargers. He previously covered the Jacksonville Jaguars for The Athletic after following the New York Jets for the New York Daily News, where he spent three years writing, reporting and podcasting about local pro sports. Follow Daniel on Twitter @danielrpopper
Erasmo Fetzer
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