LA Chargers: 4 mistakes that must be avoided this offseason

4. Getting rid of Mike Williams

There has been some buzz among Charger fans that Mike Williams might not be on the team next season. Williams is playing under his fifth-year rookie option, which pays him $15 million — making him one of the highest-paid receivers in the league.

Is Williams worth $15 million? Not at all. However, with the ability to free up money via less impactful players, I just really do not see the purpose of cutting Williams to save money.

Tyron Johnson has been positive this season but I do not trust him to be a full-time WR2 and I do not like the depth behind him if they were to get rid of Willams. Williams may not have a $15 million impact, but he has a big impact.

And what are the Chargers going to spend that cap space on? We already outlined that they should not overspend on veteran free agents. Are they going to release Williams to save a few bucks and then sign a mediocre receiver to replace him?

You could make the case that they should draft a wide receiver but there are too many other needs to release Williams only to draft his replacement. The team would have to spend early draft capital to get a surefire replacement, and I just cannot justify spending a second-round pick on a receiver with how the roster is constructed.

And no, a trade is not going to happen. No team is going to take on a $15 million Williams salary for anything more than a fourth-round pick. That simply is not worth it.

If there was a legitimate contingency plan to replace Williams without losing much production then I would understand this. However, there isn’t and there really isn’t a point in cutting him.

The point of this offseason needs to be to make Justin Herbert’s life easier next season. Cutting his third-most targeted weapon does not do that.