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.