Mike Williams' return to Los Angeles won't happen after all.
The veteran wide receiver informed the Chargers that he plans to retire after eight seasons, the team announced on Thursday.
The No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft walks away having compiled 5,104 yards and 32 touchdowns, including two campaigns over the 1,000-yard mark.
Williams, 30, dealt with injuries throughout his career, including missing the first six games of his rookie season due to a back issue. He played a full slate of games just twice in his career, in 2018 and 2024, when he participated in 18 regular-season games after a midseason trade from New York to Pittsburgh.
A field-stretching boundary threat, at his peak, Williams was a big-play weapon, leading the league with 20.4 yards per catch in 2019. The 6-foot-4 Clemson product could pluck the ball away from smaller defensive backs and was an excellent red-zone weapon, marked by a 10-touchdown season in 2018.
Injuries, however, were a bugaboo.
A late-season back injury late in 2022 and a 2023 ACL tear in Week 3 sapped Williams of much of the explosiveness he used to high-point balls over defenders. Last season, his first outside of L.A., he netted just 21 total catches for 198 yards and a single TD in 18 games with the Jets and Steelers.
What does Williams' retirement mean for Chargers?
Williams signed a deal this offseason to return to Los Angeles. He was initially put on the physically unable to perform list to start training camp this week, with general manager Joe Hortiz saying Wednesday that Williams was dealing with something minor. That turned out to be something bigger, ultimately leading the wideout to hang up his cleats for good.
Williams' retirement makes the Chargers uber-young in the receiver room. Ladd McConkey profiles as Justin Herbert's go-to target for a second year in a row, and the club hopes Quentin Johnston puts it together after taking baby steps forward in 2024. The club also drafted second-rounder Tre Harris and fifth-rounder KeAndre Lambert-Smith.
It's possible the club could add a veteran during camp or early in the season. A man by the name of Keenan Allen remains a free agent. Chargers fans might know a thing or three about him.
Other prominent veteran free agent options include Amari Cooper and Gabe Davis.
