It has not officially happened yet but it is only a matter of time until the LA Chargers cut Mike Williams to save room on the salary cap. Even after the NFL added more money to the cap, the Chargers still need to free up over $20 million to become cap-compliant this offseason.
Cutting Williams will free up $20 million in cap space for the Chargers to work with. Considering Williams is about to hit 30 years old and is coming off a torn ACL, it is a no-brainer for the Chargers to part ways and save money in the process.
It may no longer be in the best interest of the Chargers to keep Williams but he still has value in the NFL. Williams will likely sign a deal similar (if not slightly more) to what DeAndre Hopkins signed a year ago. That puts Williams value at around $15 million per season. There are several teams needing wide receiver help that can afford that.
4 teams that may sign Mike Williams after he gets cut by the Chargers:
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts have a wide receiver problem to solve this offseason with Michael Pittman Jr. hitting free agency. Colts GM Chris Ballard said that Pittman will be a Colt next season, though, so it appears the team is gearing up to bring him back.
Even after signing Pittman the Colts will have plenty of cap space to spend and the best thing a team can do in that position is spend to help a young quarterback. That is exactly what Indy can look to do with Williams, especially considering he won't get top-line receiver money.
The big connective force between Williams and the Colts is head coach Shane Steichen, who coached Williams as the offensive coordinator of the Chargers. That connection could be enough to get Williams in the door to be a deep-ball threat for Anthony Richardson.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots have the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and the team should be taking its next franchise quarterback with the pick. There is some speculation that New England may take Marvin Harrison Jr. or even trade the pick for someone like Justin Jefferson but that would not make a whole lot of sense.
Neither of those guys will be any good if they have Mac Jones throwing them the football. Could the Patriots just sign a veteran like Kirk Cousins to play quarterback? Sure. But the best long-term solution is to draft a QB and get him some weapons to help now while continuing to add resources to the WR room as time goes on.
That is why the Patriots are a potential destination for Williams. New England has the third-most cap space in the league with $78 million in room heading into the offseason. That is more than enough to afford Williams at his price, and even pay a bit more than other competing teams if need be.
The wide receiver class is actually very thin this year so unless the Pats can land Mike Evans, Williams is probably the best they can do in terms of a veteran wide receiver. For a team that might have a rookie quarterback, getting one of the best veteran receivers on the market is huge.
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are another team with a young quarterback that should be looking to capitalize on a rookie quarterback window. See the trend here? Unlike Richardson and whoever the Patriots draft, CJ Stroud is 100% the real deal and is every bit of a franchise quarterback. He is already one of the top-10 quarterbacks in the sport and Houston should do everything to make his life easier.
Stroud had a pretty solid receiving corps last season that he probably elevated with his play. Nico Collins had a breakout year and rookie Tank Dell was a massive game-changer for Houston. Those two alone are enough to start a great room but the Texans should not stop there if they have the means to add more.
Noah Brown is hitting free agency this offseason and Williams can take his place on the roster. Brown did not have a big reason for the Texans but he has a similar profile to Williams. Williams is essentially the much better version of Brown, which can give the Texans an offensive boost.
Tight end Dalton Schultz is also hitting free agency and it is unclear if he is going to return next season. If Houston ends up losing both Schultz and Brown in free agency then it makes sense to replace the duo with someone who is better than both of them.
Williams would add a new wrinkle to the Texans' offense and would be a veteran who the young receivers can learn from.
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers do not have as much cap space as the other teams listed but the team still has enough to sign Mike Williams and make other moves this offseason. After all, the Panthers don't have to pay a first-round pick this year, which is the most expensive player to come out of a draft class.
It is pretty easy to connect the dots on why the Panthers should want someone like Williams on the roster. Bryce Young needs more weapons than Adam Thielen and there really are not many other avenues for the Panthers to add top-tier talent. Because of that, signing someone like Williams almost becomes a necessity.
And in a perfect world, this could actually be a very fruitful signing for the Panthers. Williams is not someone who is going to create a ton of separation in the passing game but he is one of the best contested-catch artists in the entire world. That can help a young quarterback like Young, as Williams can end up saving him in certain circumstances.
Plus, there is a hometown dynamic here that no other team in the league. Williams was born in South Carolina, went to high school in South Carolina and went to college at Clemson. The Carolina Panthers may be in North Carolina, but this is the closest thing to a homecoming that Williams can have outside of going to the Atlanta Falcons (who don't have a need for him).
The Panthers may be desperate enough to pay Williams more than any other team and Williams would have the chance to be the concrete WR1 back near his hometown. It may not be the best situation when it comes to winning football games, but for personal reasons, the Panthers have to be considered.