Was bringing back wide receiver Mike Williams to the Los Angeles Chargers the right move? In taking stock of the Chargers’ 2025 free agency adds so far, the wide receiver room ended up in my “loser” category because of this choice. The Chargers could’ve added a real difference-maker, and they still can, but for now they’ve played it fairly safe in bringing back a guy who’s already been in power blue for several seasons. Putting aside the want for a Tee Higgins, let’s take a look at Williams and really determine if he should’ve been brought back and, ultimately, if he can be that high-powered receiver he once was.
Mike Williams’s History With The Los Angeles Chargers
Despite the Keenan Allen of it all, Williams was able to contribute in a really meaningful way in LA. Drafted in the first round at pick number seven in 2017, his NFL draft profile had some negatives, especially after the neck injury he sustained at Clemson, but otherwise was really positive about his future in the league. Lance Zierlein said in his analysis that Williams “looks the part of a WR1 and has shown an ability to work all three levels of the field after coming back from his 2015 neck injury.”
Some of his strengths included the use of his “long arms and big hands” that “can go get throws at their highest point, snatching 50/50 balls away from his in-air competitors,” and that his “ball tracking is impeccable.” Though Williams didn’t start out with monster numbers that first season, he quickly skyrocketed with 10 receiving touchdowns in 2018, over 1,000 receiving yards in 2019, and career highs in receptions (76), and receiving yards (1,146) in 2021. And even in Williams’s last full year with the team before his ACL injury in 2023, he didn’t put up incredible numbers but still had 19 receptions.
Williams ended up being exactly what his profile said he would be, and there are too many highlights of him to count. During 2022 in the Week 14 game against Miami, in the third quarter, on a second-and-five, quarterback Justin Herbert launched the ball, and Williams stayed ahead of cornerback Xavien Howard just enough so that it fell right into his hands for a 56-yard gain. And then there’s the famous one-handed catch, with toes in bounds, that Williams made during Week 17 against the Rams.
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In that second quarter, the throw was a little high but he just palmed it with one hand, secured it while spinning midair, and somehow came down in bounds before falling to the sideline. The Chargers have been missing an x-factor, that truly number one, can beat anyone receiver. The one who you think doesn’t have the ball when he comes down but 100% does. And Williams was great at those things, but there were also problems.
Williams has been hurt a lot. Besides the ACL tear, he had a herniated disc during his first season. He had a couple of back injuries, including one sustained because former head coach Brandon Staley played him in a meaningless Week 18 game in 2022 against the Broncos when the Chargers had already made the playoffs, which kept him sidelined for the Wild Card matchup against the Jags. He was also absent from other games that season due to injury.
Additionally, with wide receiver Ladd McConkey’s dominance in his rookie year, it’ll be interesting how the target share between him and Williams shakes out, which may make it harder for Williams to turn in those big performances of earlier years. Though the skills are there, Williams, in the last few years, has come with a bit more risk than reward, which is the worry for the Chargers.
The Verdict
Last season was a weird blimp on Williams’s radar. He didn’t get much of a chance to prove himself in either New York or Pittsburgh, so given his chemistry with Herbert, hopefully, this season will be different, and fingers crossed his good health carries into a complete season. Ultimately, the Chargers seem to have taken the easy way out instead of really committing to this position group with a game-changer.
Now, if they draft someone else to really elevate the unit, I can see Williams being a good complement, but for now, it’ll come down to health for Williams, and I’m not banking on that. It’s great to see a familiar face, but not when the Chargers need so much help to make this offense fire on all cylinders this season.