While there’s plenty of excitement brimming from the Los Angeles Chargers fanbase thanks to the arrival of Jim Harbaugh, the front office will have even tougher decisions to make over the next few weeks. One of the biggest challenges the Chargers will face this offseason is trying to get back under the NFL salary cap limit.
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As of right now, the Chargers are actually over the spending limit by $20 million. Obviously, new general manager Joe Hortiz will have to cut costs, which could mean releasing one of the team’s biggest playmakers.
Has Mike Williams Played His Last Down With Los Angeles Chargers?
Despite their challenges in 2023, it’s no secret that the Los Angeles Chargers have a lot of talent on the roster. It all starts at the top with Justin Herbert, but he’s still on his rookie contract, which saves the Chargers a lot of money.
Other veterans such as Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, Keenan Allen, and Mike Williams aren’t as cost-effective. Each of those four stars is set to have a cap hit north of $30 million in 2024. Three of those four players have either been recognized as an All-Pro or a Pro Bowl caliber talent. That is, everyone aside from Williams.
The Chargers saw how much they missed Williams’ production after their 6-foot-4 receiver was limited to just three games due to injury. Yet, when compared to the other three names above, Williams is clearly the odd man out.
As the Chargers get creative while looking to get under the salary cap while still making other improvements to the roster, Williams sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s possible he’s played his last down in a Chargers uniform.
Ari Meirov of the 33rd Team recently named a possible cap casualty for all 32 NFL teams, and when it came to the Chargers, Williams was his pick. By releasing the 29-year-old receiver, the Chargers could see cap savings of $20 million, yet they’d also incur $12.4 million in ‘dead money.’
As mentioned, the Chargers will have several tough decisions to make, but it’s hard to envision them picking Williams over Allen. Especially when knowing that Quentin Johnston still has plenty of room for growth, and already profiles as the perfect replacement for their aging receiver coming off an ACL injury.
In a perfect world, the Bolts would keep their star receiver trio together, but that may not be possible when keeping other needs in mind. We should find out what decision the team makes soon enough with free agency set to kick off on March 13.
