Panthers Expected To Host WR Mike Williams For Visit

Mike Kaye reports that the Panthers plan to host former Chargers WR Mike Williams for a visit next week. 

Williams’ market has been slow-moving since he was released by the Chargers earlier in the week. 

The Bears were mentioned as a possibility but that was before they traded for Keenan Allen. 

Carolina would be an interesting landing spot for Williams, given that they could use a veteran receiver, but there are questions about his recovery from a torn ACL. 

It seems likely he would be asked to sign a one-year contract to help establish his value. 

It’s worth mentioning that signing him to a contract won’t impact a team’s 2025 compensatory picks, given that he was released this offseason. 

Williams, 29, was selected with the No. 7 overall pick by the Chargers out of Clemson in the 2017 NFL draft. He was entering the final year of a four-year contract worth $19.75 million which included a signing bonus of $12.50 million when the Chargers picked up his fifth-year option. 

Williams made a base salary of $15.68 million in 2021 under the fifth-year option. He was in line to be an unrestricted free agent in 2022 when he signed a three-year, $60 million extension with the Chargers. 

He was due base salaries of $12 million and $17 million over the final two years of the deal when Los Angeles cut him loose. 

In 2023, Williams appeared in three games for the Chargers and recorded 19 receptions on 26 targets for 249 yards and one touchdown.

We have him included in our Top 100 Available 2024 NFL Free Agents list.