Highly paid Mike Williams has room to improve in Chargers’ receiving corps
As the Chargers prepare for the NFL draft, The Times will examine their roster. Part 1 of 8: wide receivers and tight ends.
Only nine wide receivers in the NFL are scheduled to have a larger cap hit in 2021 than Mike Williams.
His $15.68-million number is the result of the Chargers exercising the fifth-year option of his rookie contract.
The personal windfall means Williams will have a higher salary this season than Jarvis Landry, DeAndre Hopkins and Michael Thomas, each of whom has made multiple Pro Bowls.
Williams, the seventh overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, never has been a Pro Bowl choice. He has one 1,000-yard season and another 10-touchdown season and is one of the league’s best at going over defensive backs to win 50/50 balls.
Quarterbacks are expected to be the first three picks of the NFL draft for the first time since 1999 with Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence taken No. 1 overall.
But there’s plenty of room for Williams to be more productive and consistent, making this season the most significant yet of his still young career.
Williams, 26, at times disappeared last year, a somewhat odd development given the award-winning emergence of rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, who relied heavily on Keenan Allen and Hunter Henry.
Averaging slightly more than three receptions a game, Williams became even less of a downfield threat than Jalen Guyton and Tyron Johnson, both of whom possess the speed to stress secondaries.
Henry, who was targeted 93 times in 2020, is now gone, having departed for New England via free agency.
And, while the Chargers would love to see Guyton and Johnson build off what they achieved last season, they would also welcome more from Williams, who has four career 100-yard games. Allen had four 100-yard games in 2020 alone.
Entering his ninth season, Allen simply has become one of the NFL’s best and most dependable wide receivers. He has made four consecutive Pro Bowls and averaged 1,195 yards annually during that time.
His career statistics already are superior to the recently retired Julian Edelman, a receiver some longtime NFL observers have argued belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Chargers players joined the movement Friday and released a statement that indicated many of them will not participate during voluntary in-person offseason workouts.
Edelman does have three Super Bowl titles to Allen’s two playoff victories. But — given this context — Allen, by the time he’s through, should be a sure thing for Canton.
Remember, he doesn’t turn 29 until April 27. Also remember, more than just relying on physical gifts, Allen thrives with a smart, precise style that should permit him to continue producing at a high level for years.
Allen will make $15.7 million this season, putting him immediately ahead of Williams on the salary scale for NFL wide receivers. The Chargers would be delighted if the two could be just as comparable on the field in 2021.
Under contract for 2021: Allen ($15.7 million), Williams ($15.68 million), Jared Cook ($4.5 million), Stephen Anderson ($920,000), Joe Reed ($865,078), Guyton ($850,000), Jason Moore ($850,000), K.J. Hill ($806,206), Johnson ($780,000), Donald Parham Jr. ($780,000), Matt Sokol ($660,000), John Hurst ($660,000).
Free agents: After losing Henry, the Chargers signed Cook, a two-time Pro Bowl selection entering his 13th season, to be their tight end.
Draft: Most projections have the Chargers taking an offensive tackle or cornerback in the first round, but some have them selecting a wide receiver, one of the deepest positions in this draft. Adding another tight end at some point in the draft seems like a certainty.
Roster decisions: One player to watch this summer will be Reed, a versatile 2020 fifth-round pick who had an underwhelming rookie season.
NEXT: Defensive backs.
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