Mike Williams is the biggest free agent that the LA Chargers have this offseason and whether or not the team should re-sign him has become a polarizing topic among Charger fans. Some argue that Williams is not worth the money while others argue his importance to the team. We have certainly planted our flag here at Bolt Beat regarding the topic.
Regardless of your stance on the issue, we have started to get some hints about the Chargers' intentions with Williams this offseason at the NFL Combine. The start of the combine means more media appearances for both Tom Telesco and Brandon Staley.
And while neither person has outright said what the team's intentions are (nor has the team franchise tagged Williams yet), we can read the tea leaves to conclude what the Bolts are likely going to do when it comes to Mike Williams.
All signs are pointing to Mike Williams returning to the LA Chargers.
While the defense was the worst part of the team last season both Telesco and Staley have expressed a desire to keep a focus on the offensive side of the football. Telesco specifically told the media that he does not want the offensive to take a step back and wants to continue finding Justin Herbert protection and weapons on offense.
Staley reinforced the point that the Bolts want to add help on offense. The second-year head coach did say that they plan on bringing in "a whole bunch" of new personnel to help Herbert, which some may spin as proof that the team is moving on from Williams.
However, it is pretty clear that the team is focused on getting Herbert as much help as possible this offseason and there is not an option that is definitively better at receiver right away than Williams. Chris Godwin and Davante Adams are the only free-agent receivers that can say they are better and Adams will likely return to Green Bay and Godwin is coming off of an ACL injury. Both would cost more.
Letting Williams walk when the team is focused on getting better on offense is pretty counter-productive, don't you think? It is more likely that the team brings in a new tight end to replace Jared Cook, a new starting right tackle and right guard and a second running back.
Staley had a tongue-in-cheek comment about Williams when appearing on 'Good Morning Football' where he mentioned his name in passing like he was on the roster, which may reveal that his mindset is that Williams is coming back in 2022.
Most importantly, Staley answered perhaps the most direct question about Mike Williams since his end-of-season press conference back in January. Again, Staley did not confirm anything, but we can read between the lines and understand the intent of the Chargers.
"We're big fans of Mike Williams."@chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley with some high praise for @darealmike_dub pic.twitter.com/oy72VDj6gd
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) March 3, 2022
The intent appears to be to bring Mike Williams back. It may just be a matter of time before we get news that the two sides agreed to a deal.