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07/17 15:10 CDT Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams decides to retire from NFL
at age 30
Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams decides to retire from NFL at age 30
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) --- Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams
has retired from the NFL at age 30.
His agent, Tory Dandy, told general manager Joe Ortiz on Wednesday night, hours
before the Chargers became the first NFL team to open training camp Thursday.
Williams signed a $6 million, one-year deal in mid-March to return to the
Chargers for his second stint with the team. On Monday, he was placed on the
physically unable to perform list with an undisclosed injury and two days later
called it quits.
"It's obviously a tough situation," quarterback Justin Herbert said. "Football,
at the end of the day, is a game and there's more to life than just football
and I'm just hoping for the best for him."
Williams played eight seasons in the NFL, including stints with both the New
York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024.
"I don't want to say shocking," safety Derwin James said of the news, "but
definitely I'd love to have him out there with me."
Coach Jim Harbaugh made no mention of Williams' decision when he spoke to media
earlier Thursday.
"Mike has always done such a great job of just showing up and working. He's
been an excellent leader and teammate," Herbert said. "That's what we
appreciate and love the most about him. It's definitely tough to replace a guy
like that. There's not too many guys like Mike and we're definitely going to
miss him."
The Chargers drafted Williams in the first round with the seventh overall pick
in 2017. He had 330 career receptions, 5,104 receiving yards and 32 touchdown
receptions over his eight-year career.
Williams' pro debut was delayed by a back injury that caused him to miss
training camp. He sat out the first six games of the regular season before
seeing action. He was sidelined by a knee injury in Week 13.
In 2021, Williams and Herbert built a rapport early on, with Williams totaling
six receiving TDs and 471 receiving yards in the team's first five games. That
set the stage for a breakout season, with Williams setting career highs in
receptions (76), targets (129) and yards (1,146) while scoring nine TDs.
After the 2021 season, Williams signed a $60 million, three-year extension with
the Chargers.
In 2022, Williams had a back fracture that kept him out of the team's opening
playoff loss to Jacksonville. The following season, Williams sustained a
season-ending ACL tear in Week 3. He was released by the Chargers early last
year.
Soon after, Williams signed a one-year deal with the Jets. He was later
criticized by quarterback Aaron Rodgers for running the wrong route on a pass
intended for him, leading to a game-clinching interception in a loss to Buffalo.
Last November, the Jets traded Williams to the Steelers for a fifth-round draft
pick. He had a combined 21 receptions for 298 yards and a touchdown for both
teams.
Williams helped Clemson win the national championship in 2017 and then decided
to forego his senior year to enter the draft. In 2015, he broke a bone in his
neck after colliding with the goal post as he caught a touchdown pass.
With Williams gone, wide receiver Tre' Harris' holdout gains significance. The
second-round pick out of Mississippi has yet to report, but Herbert isn't
worried.
"He's done such a great job, especially in OTAs, of making up for that time,"
Herbert said. "Whenever that deal gets done and he comes back, he's not going
to miss a beat."
Harbaugh also downplayed Harris' absence, saying, "There's a business side to
football. Him and Joe Hortiz will get that worked out. I hope it gets done
sooner rather than later. That's facts, as the young people say."
The Chargers also signed tackle Ryan Nelson from the UFL.
Nelson started 22 of 28 games for the Michigan Panthers over the last three
years in the UFL, including an appearance in the league's championship game
last year.
Nelson, who is from nearby Buena Park in Orange County, played four seasons at
Virginia.
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