3 best fits for Mike Williams

Highlights

• Former Chargers WR Mike Williams is a potential cut candidate due to his cap hit and injury history.
• The Bills need a WR2 to support aging star Diggs; Williams could be a perfect fit.
• Williams reuniting with former college teammate Deshaun Watson in Cleveland could benefit both players.

While the Los Angeles Chargers have yet to make an official move, their former seventh overall pick, Mike Williams, may be on the way out the door.

Prior to an unfortunate injury in Week 3, Williams notched 249 receiving yards on 19 catches in 2023. At 29 years of age, coming off a grade three ACL tear, and carrying a $20 million cap hit, Williams appears to be the ideal cut candidate for his franchise.

The Chargers have less cap space than all but two other NFL teams, as they sit about $25 million over the cap at time of publication. Williams would be one of four different Chargers with a cap hit of $30 million or more if he isn’t cut or his contract is not restructured. L.A. certainly has a lot of work to do this offseason to start off the Harbaugh-Herbert era in L.A. properly in 2024.

While he may not have fully lived up to the expectations that came with being a top ten pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, there’s still plenty of time left for Williams to leave his mark as a WR2 somewhere else.

3 Buffalo Bills

As Stefon Diggs ages, the Bills need to find a number two option

The Buffalo Bills are beginning to see their title window slip away from them as their star receiver grows yet another year older. Stephon Diggs will be 31 in November and Gabe Davis has failed to establish himself as a reliable number two option and is likely out the door via free agency anyway. The Bills do not have any other notable pass catchers, unless you’re inclined to believe that Khalil Shakir could be a top guy.

The Bills selected TE Dalton Kincaid with the 25th overall pick in the 2023 draft. Kincaid had a successful rookie season by many metrics, but it still wasn’t enough to elevate the team past the Kansas City Chiefs.

Should the Bills hope to make the most of the twilight years of Diggs’ career, they need to sign a WR2 immediately. At 6’4″ and 218 pounds, Williams could provide Josh Allen with an incredibly reliable set of hands who is also capable of winning jump balls: Williams finished in the top 10 in contested catches for five straight seasons from 2018-2022.

His play style perfectly offsets the skill set of Diggs, which could lead to a powerful 1-2 punch combination for Buffalo’s potent passing attack. Davis served as the main deep threat for Buffalo over the last few years, and that’s exactly the type of role that Williams thrives in. If Williams can stay healthy, he could certainly improve on Davis’ inconsistent performance week to week.

Given that Williams has never been able to truly contend for a Super Bowl in his entire NFL career, it would make sense for him to sign with a team that could adequately reward him for his talents.

2 Cleveland Browns

Former college teammates could reunite this offseason

Nearly a decade ago, the Clemson Tigers managed to combine two of the biggest threats in collegiate sports at the time. Deshaun Watson and Mike Williams absolutely tormented college kids for the better part of three years together.

The dynamic duo willed the Tigers to back-to-back NCAA Championship games, and won the rematch against Alabama in 2017, prior to both players being selected inside the top 15 of the 2017 NFL Draft. With Watson desperately needing to justify his contract with the Cleveland Browns this upcoming season, reigniting a Clemson-themed offense with Williams could help him get back on track in 2024.

Williams accounted for 2,411 of Watson’s 10,168 career passing yards in college. That’s also factoring in the 2015 season, when Williams only recorded two receptions for 20 yards. He was, by and large, Watson’s favorite target when available.

Signing Williams would give the Browns a readily available target behind stud WR Amari Cooper and could also help to motivate a faltering Watson. Given the sheer amount of cash that Cleveland unloaded on the controversial signal-caller, it would certainly behoove them to give Watson a wider range of weaponry before heading into the third of his five-year, $230 million deal.

1 Kansas City Chiefs

Despite winning the Super Bowl, the Chiefs could still use an upgrade at WR

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs brought the football world to its knees by winning their third Super Bowl in the last five years. Rashee Rice, who the team drafted with the 55th overall pick in last year’s draft, is still the only WR of note on the roster.

Mecole Hardman, despite making a triumphant return to Kansas City by making the Super Bowl-winning catch, is still far from a clearcut WR2. Factor in that the Chiefs just released deep threat Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and it seems rather obvious that the Chiefs are primed to make a move on a free agent wideout this offseason.

Given the nature of both parties’ situations, a Williams-Chiefs pairing could be a match made in heaven. Kansas City desperately needs a big-bodied, big play WR, and Williams desperately needs to land with a team that can make the most out of his dwindling career.

The Chiefs may not be the most loved by the majority of NFL fans—especially division rival Chargers fans—but they will definitely be a popular rumored destination for receivers this offseason. Simply put, no one is passing up a chance to play with Mahomes and the rest of the Kansas City cast right now.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.