Just days after it was announced that Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams would start training camp on the PUP list, the former first-round pick has chosen instead to retire.
The Chargers took Williams with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Clemson. After a serious neck injury threatened his career in college, he bounced back to be a productive receiver in the league, spending seven seasons with the Chargers before signing with the New York Jets last year in free agency. The Jets traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of the league's trading deadline, but it ended up being a down year for Williams as he caught a total of just 21 passes on the season.
In seven seasons with the Chargers, he reeled in 309 receptions and had 31 touchdowns. Unfortunately, injuries have caught up to him.
The Chargers signed Williams to a one-year deal this offseason, a surprising move to some. The team was looking at getting Justin Herbert a player he was familiar with and a big-bodied target down the field all at once. The team still took Tre Harris out of Ole Miss in the second round of the draft, a sign that it didn't want to put too much on Williams' plate.
Williams ranks 10th in Chargers history in receptions and receiving yards and is 13th on the team's all-time list in touchdown receptions.
With Harris also yet to sign his rookie deal, the team is going to have to give some serious thought to bringing in at least one more wide receiver. Keenan Allen, another former Chargers great, is still available.
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