Chargers' Mike Williams, former No. 7 overall pick, retires from NFL at age 30, per report
Williams caught 32 touchdowns in 106 career games played
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Former No. 7 overall pick wide receiver Mike Williams has informed the Los Angeles Chargers he will be retiring from the NFL, according to ESPN. Williams walks away from football at 30 years old after eight seasons played.
Williams signed a one-year deal to return to the Chargers earlier this offseason, but he was placed on the physically unable to perform list this week. Now, he has made the tough decision to hang up the cleats for good.
Williams spent last season with the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers, who sent the Jets a fifth-round pick for the veteran's services at the trade deadline. In 18 total games played between the two clubs, Williams caught just 21 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown. His best outing came in the Jets' ugly Week 4 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos, in which Williams caught four passes for 67 yards.
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The former College Football Playoff National Champion and Clemson legend put together two 1,000-yard receiving campaigns with the Chargers from 2017-2023, and led the NFL in yards per reception with 20.4 in 2019. Williams started what would end up being his final season with the Chargers in 2023 on a heater, catching 19 passes for 249 yards and one touchdown in three games before tearing his ACL vs. the Minnesota Vikings. In that contest, Williams caught seven passes for 121 yards and a touchdown prior to the injury.
In 106 career games played, Williams caught 330 passes for 5,104 yards and 32 touchdowns. With Williams now out of the picture, Justin Herbert's wide receiving corps is headlined by Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston, plus rookies Tre Harris and Keandre Lambert-Smith.
