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Mike Williams (Clemson)

Jets Shopping WR Mike Williams

October 15th, 2024 at 12:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

A crunch-time Mike Williams slip played a key role in the Jets losing to the Bills on Monday night, perhaps pushing the Davante Adams trade across the goal line. With Adams en route to New York, the team is looking to find a trade partner for Williams.

Some around the league are wondering if the Jets will gauge Williams’ trade value, according to veteran insider Josina Anderson, and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio adds that is indeed happening. The Jets are attempting to trade the recent free agency pickup, who is tied to a one-year deal worth $10MM.

Signing Williams shortly after his Chargers release, the Jets waited for the former top-10 pick to be cleared from his ACL rehab. The team has since used the eighth-year veteran on 53% of its offensive snaps. A fit with Aaron Rodgers has proven elusive, and Allen Lazard — a player who had fallen to healthy-scratch status in 2023 — has largely usurped Williams in Gang Green’s target tree. Williams has just 10 receptions for 145 yards through six games.

Last week brought rumblings of this path forming for the Jets, who are now 2-4 after a game that featured an open Williams slipping on the MetLife Stadium turf as Taron Johnson swooped in for a pivotal interception. With desperation sinking in, the Jets have both acquired Adams for a conditional third-round pick and may well be ready to end the Haason Reddick impasse with a trade as well. Williams is now part of this equation, with Adams — after three missed games due to a hamstring injury — in play to suit up in Week 7.

Postgame, Rodgers said Adams ran the wrong route on the play that ended a potential Jets go-ahead drive. Quarterbacks regularly take blame for wideouts’ mistakes, but a candid Rodgers did not in this particular instance. Rodgers doubled down during his Pat McAfee Show appearance Tuesday, indicating (h/t ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) Williams “wasn’t in the right spot.” In the coming days, Williams may well be tasked with learning another team’s scheme.

The Panthers and Steelers also scheduled Williams meetings this offseason, but the WR’s Jets visit producing a deal nixed both. It is now worth wondering if Pittsburgh, which has been connected to a receiver trade in the months since, would still be interested.

The Chargers had made the Clemson product part of their route back to cap compliance, cutting Williams first and then trading Keenan Allen to the Bears. The Jets had pursued Allen as well. Months later, two-thirds of their starting WR corps figures to include ex-Packers. Lazard, who caught Rodgers’ latest Hail Mary effort Monday, has 26 receptions for 354 yards and five touchdowns this season. Lazard’s five TD catches lead the league, coming after he scored all of one TD in 2023. The Jets have Lazard tied to a four-year, $44MM deal; they passed on cutting the former UDFA due to his 2024 base salary being guaranteed.

Williams has two 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, the most recent coming in 2021, when Justin Herbert became the AFC’s Pro Bowl starter. Williams totaled 1,146 yards and nine touchdowns that season, being used more as a midrange target compared to a deep weapon. The 6-foot-4 wideout had been tied to a three-year, $60MM Bolts deal entering 2024, but back and knee injuries hampered him during his final years in Los Angeles. A prior history of nagging injuries will also factor into Williams’ trade value.

The 30-year-old receiver will not come close to fetching what Adams did in a deal, and with $6.47 of Williams’ base salary remaining, the Jets may need to take on some of that amount to boost trade compensation. The Jets can aim for a Day 3 pick, and Williams may be the next WR dealt on a market that may or may not include DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, Diontae Johnson and Amari Cooper. Some significant movement could commence ahead of this year’s deadline (Nov. 5).

Raiders To Insist On Second-Round Pick For Davante Adams; Team Willing To Pay Part Of WR’s Salary?

October 4th, 2024 at 10:30pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Davante Adams has emerged as the early crown jewel of the NFL’s trade deadline, with multiple interested teams reaching out to the Raiders to gauge their desired compensation for the three-time All-Pro.

Adams’ market is impacted by his hefty contract, ongoing injury, and desire to reunite with either Aaron Rodgers in New York or Derek Carr in New Orleans. The veteran receiver is owed just shy of $1MM per week for the remainder of the season with $35.6MM and $36.6MM salaries in 2025 and 2026, respectively, though neither future year features any guaranteed money. While several teams, including the Jets, could afford Adams’ remaining 2024 salary without any other financial moves, others, like the Saints, would have to free up enough cap space to afford him.

The Raiders are willing to eat some of Adams’ remaining salary to facilitate a trade, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, who adds they are determining how much they are onboard with paying. General manager Tom Telesco is seeking a second-round pick in exchange for Adams, possibly as a directive from Raiders owner Mark Davis, who has repeatedly stated a desire to keep Adams in Las Vegas. Other league decision-makers believe that a third-round pick plus additional Day 3 capital or a depth player could be enough to get a deal done.

The Raiders were approached about Adams at last year’s trade deadline, including an offer worth more than a second-round pick, per Jones. Las Vegas never seriously entertained moving its star wideout, a decision the team could regret in hindsight if Adams is traded for less in the coming weeks. Last year’s trade deadline brought an interesting Davis decision to keep Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler running his team before firing the HC-GM duo hours later. Meanwhile, Adams stayed and also expressed a continued preference to stay in Vegas this offseason. That has since changed, and his hamstring injury may ensure he is done in Silver and Black.

Adams’ trade saga is further complicated by the injury that will sideline him for a second straight game after not practicing this week. The injury is minor, but legitimate, so any acquiring team will want to ensure they are getting the best, most healthy version of Adams possible. Waiting for him to fully recover would also reduce the financial burden for Adams’ next team, as the Raiders will continue to pay his salary and per-game roster bonuses as long as he is on the active roster.

Adams is angling for a reunion with Rodgers after the duo’s success in Green Bay, and the Jets are one of the few teams that can afford his 2024 salary outright. The Raiders, however, are intent on inciting a bidding war to push their compensation closer to the second-round pick they desire. Another half-dozen teams have been linked with Adams, including the Saints, Steelers, Bills, Cowboys, Ravens, 49ers, and Chiefs. While the Cowboys have disavowed any interest, Adams should still have a robust list of suitors that should help drive up his trade value.

Team expectations will play a role in negotiations as well: if multiple teams have made similar offers, the Raiders will try to predict which one will finish with the worst record and accept their deal, resulting in better draft pick. The Steelers operated this way with Chase Claypool at the 2022 deadline.

If the Jets are able to acquire Adams, some around the league believe they could look to dealing veteran receiver Mike Williams to open up roster space and wide receiver snaps for their new All-Pro, according to Jones. Trading Williams would also clear $1.2MM in cap space for the Jets, making it slightly easier to fit Adams into their budget, though they would be responsible for Williams’ $1.5MM dead cap hit in 2024 and $5.9MM dead cap hit in 2025 (due to void years), per OverTheCap.

Assessing Jets’ Compensation In Potential Davante Adams Trade

October 3rd, 2024 at 9:15pm CST by Ely Allen

One of the most popular potential new destinations for Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams is New York. The Jets form an obvious connection to Adams due to the presence of a few former Packers, including offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and wide receiver Allen Lazard. But what would it take to make this deal happen? Connor Hughes of SportsNet New York dove into this hypothetical today, looking into just what options were available for the Jets.

For starters, Las Vegas reportedly wants draft compensation. The Jets do not lack for that this year. They currently have their full cache of draft picks in 2025 (minus a seventh-round pick that was sent to Kansas City along with Mecole Hardman in return for a sixth-round pick). In addition to the Chiefs’ sixth-round pick, the Raiders also hold an additional third-round pick from the Lions, who received a fourth-round 2024 draft pick in exchange.

They’ll have six picks in 2026. Their second- or third-round pick will go to Philadelphia depending on the playing time and sack production of Haason Reddick. Based on Reddick’s holdout for a new contract, it’s looking more likely to be their third-round pick that changes hands. The Jets also gave up their seventh-rounder in 2026 along with undrafted rookie cornerback and return man Brandon Codrington in exchange for the Bills’ sixth-round pick, and they sent John Franklin-Myers to Denver for their sixth-rounder, as well.

New York doesn’t just have draft compensation to offer, though. If the Raiders are looking for a receiver in return for Adams, the Jets would likely be willing to part ways with one, since too many mouths to feed on offense can be a detriment at times. Garrett Wilson is surely not on the table, but Hughes notes that Lazard, Mike Williams, Xavier Gipson, and Malachi Corley could all be included in a trade package.

Lazard and Williams aren’t too likely to be included. In a resurgent year with his former Packers quarterback, Lazard leads the team in receiving yards (206) and touchdowns (3). Williams started the season slow as he works his way back from offseason knee surgery but has improved each week en route to eight catches for 120 yards. The young receivers, Gipson and Corley, have been virtual non-factors this year on the offense, but Gipson’s return ability and Corley’s third-round draft stock could both add value to a trade package.

As for Reddick, Hughes reports that there is belief that he could be included, but as of today, that is not the case, though the situation remains fluid.

Another factor in the trade could come from the Raiders’ side of things. Financially, taking on this year of Adams’ contract at this time would require the Jets to pay him around $13MM this year. It’s expected that, in order to lessen the financial burden of taking on Adams, the Jets could request that Las Vegas restructure their deal with Adams before trading him. The request would entail the Raiders converting a portion of his remaining salary for the year into a signing bonus (that would be paid by Las Vegas), lowering the remaining salary for New York to pay. The restructuring part of the agreement would likely need to be compensated for with an additional late-round draft pick.

Like Reddick’s involvement, everything about this situation remains fluid. General manager Joe Douglas has lots of options if he and the Jets decide that Adams is worth pursuing. They won’t be lacking for competition to land the talented wide receiver, though, so every one of those options could prove to be a valuable trade piece in the making.

Jets WR Mike Williams Expected To Play Week 1

August 31st, 2024 at 9:40am CST by Ben Levine

About a year after tearing his ACL, Jets wide receiver Mike Williams is expected to be active for Week 1. The offseason acquisition told reporters this week that he’s healthy and excited to take the field with his new squad.

“[I] feel good,” Williams said earlier this week (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini). “I mean, this is what I expected. I was putting the work in this whole time to make myself available to perform this season, so it’s all paying off at the right time.”

Williams was limited to only three games with the Chargers last season before tearing his ACL. Despite the injury, he was still able to garner interest as a free agent, and he ultimately caught on with the Jets via a one-year deal. The veteran started training camp on the PUP before eventually participating in 11-on-11 drills this past week.

Coach Robert Saleh warned that the wideout may not be at 100 percent to start the campaign, and that may impact his early-season role. Williams also refused to speculate on how he’d be used in Week 1, but he told reporters that he’s excited to join a deep receiving corps that also features Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard.

“It’s going to be crazy,” Williams said of the offense. “Aaron [Rodgers], he’s hitting all cylinders right now, him and [Garrett]. Everybody else is making a lot of plays against the defense that we have.”

Williams twice topped 1,000 receiving yards during his seven-year stint with the Chargers. His best season came in 2021, when he finished with 76 receptions for 1,146 yards and nine touchdowns.

Jets Activate WR Mike Williams From PUP List

August 7th, 2024 at 3:07pm CST by Adam La Rose

Mike Williams has reached a notable checkpoint in his ACL rehab. The free agent addition was activated from the active/PUP list by the Jets on Wednesday.

Williams was limited to three games in 2023, his final one with the Chargers, as a result of the injury. It was clear in March that being back to full speed in time for the start of training camp was not a goal for team or player in his case. Returning to health in advance of the regular season, though, was a target. Today’s move clears Williams to take part in practice.

The longtime Bolts deep threat was released in one of many cost-shedding moves Los Angeles undertook this offseason. Williams’ latest health issue limited his long-term earning power on the open market, but he managed to land $8.3MM in guarantees on a one-year pact. His Jets contract includes $5MM in incentives, so plenty will be riding on his ability to remain healthy on his new team. Today’s news is a positive step toward taking the field when the regular season starts.

The top of the Jets’ receiver depth chart is of course led by Garrett Wilson. The former top-10 picks faces high expectations for 2024 with a healthy Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, but New York’s other pass-catchers are the subject of questions entering the season. Big-money 2023 free agent signing Allen Lazard did not have a strong debut Jets campaign, while third-round rookie Malachi Corley will likely face an acclimation period at the NFL level as he develops his route running in particular.

That should leave Williams, 29, in place to occupy a key role on offense this season. The Clemson alum has twice topped 1,000 yards in his career, and his yards per reception mark has ranged between 13.1 and 20.4 every year since his rookie campaign. Providing New York with a dependable deep threat would be crucial to the team’s ability to deliver a bounce-back season on offense; it would also help Williams’ free agent stock ahead of 2025.

The Jets begin their preseason slate on Saturday, and it would come as a surprise to see Williams play in that contest. The team will no doubt proceed with caution as he ramps up, but by virtue of being cleared for practice, he will have ample time to prepare for the season opener.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/18/24

July 18th, 2024 at 8:24pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Houston Texans

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

As a reminder, players who land on the physically unable to perform list or the non-football injury list can be activated at any time during training camp or the preseason. If players remain on either of those two lists following initial 53-man rosters, they’ll be forced to sit out the first four games of the 2024 season.

While the majority of the Dolphins’ injuries were expected, Isaiah Wynn‘s placement on PUP is a bit of a surprise. The offensive lineman continues to recover from a quadriceps injury that ended his 2023 campaign in October, but his rehab is apparently taking longer than expected. After mostly playing offensive tackle to begin his career, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says the former first-round pick is expected to be the “front-runner” at left guard once he’s healthy enough to see the field. Jackson also passed along that Salvon Ahmed‘s issue isn’t related to his season-ending foot injury from last season and is a result of a “minor medical issue.” The RB is firmly on the roster bubble heading into training camp.

AFC East Notes: Tua, Jets, Patriots, Miller

March 30th, 2024 at 12:49pm CST by Ben Levine

We previously heard that both the Dolphins and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa were hoping for speedy negotiations on an extension. However, it sounds like the two sides are temporarily pumping the brakes on a potential deal.

Daniel Oyefusi of The Miami Herald writes that while Tagovailoa’s next contract is the most “consequential matter” in Miami, it isn’t the most pressing. A source also made it clear that an agreement isn’t imminent and there’s “no rush” to finalize a deal.

When we last heard about the impending negotiations, there was a general sentiment that neither the Dolphins nor Tagovailoa wanted the extension talks to hang over training camp, much less the regular season. The two sides could simply be delaying talks until after free agency and the draft, which would still provide an ample amount of time to negotiate before practices start.

The former first-round pick is currently slated to play the 2024 season on a $23.17MM salary via the fifth-year option. Tua is coming off a career year where he set career highs in passing yards (4,624), touchdowns (29), and completion percentage (69.3). He also managed to get into all 17 games, a significant accomplishment after he missed 14 contests through his first three years in the NFL due to injuries and concussions.

More notes out of the AFC East…

  • The Jets recently added Mike Williams to their receivers room, but with the former Charger coming off a torn ACL, he won’t immediately be seen on the practice field. GM Joe Douglas told reporters that Williams will not be ready for the start of training camp, but there’s optimism that he’ll be good to go for Week 1 (per SNY’s Connor Hughes). Williams himself echoed that sentiment, telling ESPN’s Adam Schefter that it’s his goal to be ready for the regular season opener.
  • Two more Jets injury updates, both coming on the offensive line. After being limited to five games last season thanks to an Achilles injury, guard Alijah Vera-Tucker is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, coach Robert Saleh told reporters (via team reporter Caroline Hendershot). Meanwhile, new addition (and old friend) Morgan Moses revealed that he played through most of last season with a torn pec, telling the team’s website that he’s looking forward “to having two arms this year.”
  • While the Patriots have been busy re-signing their own free agents, the new regime is making it clear that they’re not following the same formula as Bill Belichick. ESPN’s Mike Reiss points to the recent release of special teams ace Chris Board, “who was a Belichick favorite.” While the former head coach/chief decision maker used to invest in top-of-the-market deals for key ST players, Reiss notes that new head coach Jerod Mayo and de facto GM Eliot Wolf “appear less willing.” Reiss also points to defensive back Myles Bryant, who “lost a top advocate in Belichick.” After spending the past four seasons in New England, Bryant remains unsigned, and the Patriots are only willing to bring him back if his salary is reflective of a “depth player” vs. a “key cog.”
  • After Von Miller was arrested on a domestic violence charge, the NFL considered suspending the Bills linebacker. However, commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters (including ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler) that a suspension “was not appropriate based on the facts,” although the case remains under review by the NFL. Miller told reporters in December that the allegations were “100% false.”

WR Mike Williams To Sign With Jets

March 23rd, 2024 at 11:10am CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 23: Williams’ deal will ultimately be listed as a one-year, $10MM pact with up to $5MM via incentives, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB. Coming off an ACL tear, Williams earned a $3.3MM signing bonus and will get $8.3MM in guaranteed money.

MARCH 19: Mike Williams‘ Tuesday New York trip will end his free agency tour. The former Chargers starter has agreed to join the Jets on a one-year deal worth up to $15MM, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.

The veteran wide receiver had booked meetings with the Panthers and Steelers, but after the Jets saw their Odell Beckham Jr. visit nixed, they will not let Williams leave the building without a contract. The team has been on the hunt for a big-name wide receiver since before last year’s trade deadline, and while more pieces may be coming, Williams represents a key part of the puzzle around WR1 Garrett Wilson.

Released by the Chargers just before the 2024 league year began, the 29-year-old receiver set up meetings with the Jets, Panthers and Steelers. His Charlotte and Pittsburgh trips were to follow this one. Williams has only played with Pro Bowl-caliber quarterbacks during his career. The former Philip Rivers and Justin Herbert target will not take a step back in quality — assuming another major injury does not occur, of course — with Aaron Rodgers set to target the former first-round pick next season.

Not dissimilar to 2022, the Jets had been connected to a slew of receiving options since they acquired Rodgers. Efforts to trade for Davante Adams, Tee Higgins and Mike Evans did not pan out, though the team was still exploring the trade market as of Sunday.

Its 2023 Beckham pursuit ended when the veteran wideout canceled his New York trip following a Baltimore agreement. Beckham remained on the Jets’ radar as of Tuesday afternoon, and while that may still be the case due to his relationship with Rodgers, Williams will give a team starved for a WR2-level target an option after its 2023 setup — largely hamstrung by QB issues following Rodgers’ Achilles tear — failed to deliver much of consequence.

The Chargers needed to trim more than $25MM from their payroll to move under the salary cap last week; Williams became the first domino to fall. The Bolts released the seven-year veteran months after his ACL tear. While the base value of Williams’ Jets deal is not known, he still generated a market despite finishing his past two seasons sidelined. A back fracture wrapped Williams’ 2022 season early, stripping Herbert of a key weapon ahead of a disastrous wild-card outing in Jacksonville.

While injuries have nagged Williams for most of his career, he has not been taken out of action too often. From 2018-21, Williams missed only three games in total. In 2022, a sprained ankle forced him out of action weeks before the back injury — sustained in a meaningless Week 18 game that became a lighting rod around Brandon Staley — ended his season. Williams suffered the ACL tear in Week 3, giving him more time to build up ahead of the 2024 season. The Jets will bet on the 6-foot-4 target, who has been one of this period’s best deep threats.

Chosen seventh overall in 2017, Williams has two 1,000-yard seasons on his resume. The Clemson alum led the NFL with 20.4 yards per catch in Rivers’ final Los Angeles season, and he reached a career-high 1,146 yards in 2021, helping Herbert become the AFC’s Pro Bowl starter. The Chargers did well to make Williams more than a long-range threat that year, with OC Joe Lombardi incorporating him more as a midrange weapon alongside Keenan Allen.

The Chargers had not ruled out re-signing Williams, but after seven years of the Williams-Allen tandem, the Bolts are moving on from both. They sent Allen to the Bears for a fourth-round pick last week. The Jets guaranteed Allen Lazard $22MM at signing, keeping the ex-Packer in the picture, but they traded Mecole Hardman — to wrap what turned out to be a messy tenure — and have Randall Cobb unsigned. While the Jets had Tyler Boyd on their radar, Williams represents a higher-ceiling prize at this rather crucial point on the team’s timeline.

WR Mike Williams Adds Pittsburgh To Visits

March 17th, 2024 at 9:06pm CST by Ely Allen

The Steelers have made plenty of headlines over the past week, and it doesn’t seem like they intend to stop any time soon. Pittsburgh has completely transformed their quarterbacks room, and now they have set their sights on their wide receiving corps. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, former Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams will visit the Steelers this week.

Now, this doesn’t ensure that Williams will be the latest addition to this new-look Steelers team, necessarily. Williams already has visits in place with the Jets and Panthers, as well. The Jets are set to host the veteran wide receiver on Monday, while the Panthers’ visit will follow the next day. Unless any other suitors come out of the woodwork, it can be assumed that Pittsburgh will follow shortly after Williams is done in Carolina.

In Pittsburgh, Williams would be joining a wide receivers room that has already undergone some serious change. Former Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson will see Williams before Pittsburgh does after getting traded to the Panthers this week in exchange for cornerback Donte Jackson and a late-round pick swap. They replaced him by signing former Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson.

Jefferson showed promise during a sophomore season in Los Angeles in which he caught 50 balls for 802 yards and six touchdowns for the Super Bowl-winning Rams. Since then, an injury limited Jefferson’s 2022 season and a midseason trade to Atlanta handicapped him last year. Jefferson will pair up with third-year receivers George Pickens, who took over the WR1 duties in Pittsburgh last season, and Calvin Austin III atop the depth chart.

Adding Williams would be an extremely complimentary move to the room. It would allow Austin to continue developing without having too much put on his shoulders too soon, and it wouldn’t require too much from Jefferson, either, allowing him to blossom again in a WR3 role. At the same time, Pickens wouldn’t need to fret about losing all of his targets. He can look to Williams’ several years alongside Keenan Allen as proof of what a WR1 can do with Williams across from them.

In reporting the Steelers’ addition to Williams’ list of visits, Schefter also mentioned that, after clearing up some cap space and trading away Allen, the Chargers have expressed interest in bringing Williams back on a new deal. Without Allen and Willams, Justin Herbert‘s targets consist of Josh Palmer, Quentin Johnston, and Derius Davis, as well as new tight ends Will Dissly and Hayden Hurst.

Williams is certainly shopping himself around with three visits scheduled already and more potentially on the horizon if he doesn’t sign a deal. For now, he will peruse the options of catching passes from Bryce Young or Andy Dalton, Aaron Rodgers or Tyrod Taylor, and Russell Wilson or Justin Fields.

Panthers To Host Mike Williams, Michael Gallup; Jets To Meet With Ex-Chargers WR

March 16th, 2024 at 11:03pm CST by Ely Allen

Last year, the Panthers made a number of big moves in order to acquire receiving weapons for their rookie quarterback, Bryce Young, signing wide receivers Adam Thielen and DJ Chark and tight end Hayden Hurst before also drafting Ole Miss wide receiver Jonathan Mingo in the second round.

Carolina continues to strive to build around Young this offseason. After trading for Steelers veteran Diontae Johnson, the team is set to host two more wideouts to add to their corps.

Newly released wide receiver Michael Gallup didn’t have to wait long to hear from interested teams. He’ll head to Carolina this week for a free agent visit, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The Cowboys cut ties with Gallup yesterday following his third straight season in which he failed to amass 500 receiving yards. Gallup showed promise over the first three years of his career.

After a rookie season in which he caught 33 balls for 507 yards and two touchdowns, he exploded onto the scene with double the receptions, 1,107 yards, and six touchdowns in a successful sophomore campaign. He followed that up with 843 yards and five touchdowns in the 2020 season before entering his current slump.

Last night, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer informed us that the Panthers would also host former Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams for a visit next Tuesday. Los Angeles released Williams this week in order to clear $20MM of cap space as the team desperately tried to get within salary cap compliance. Williams is coming off a year in which he missed 14 games due to a torn ACL. He’s still 29 years old, though, and is only two years removed from a year in which he had career highs in receptions (76), receiving yards (1,146), and touchdowns (9).

Carolina isn’t the only scheduled visit for Williams. Per Sheena Quick of FOX Sports, the veteran wideout will visit the Jets the day before heading to Carolina.

New York has used the free agency period so far to completely rebuild their offensive line and secure a more reliable backup quarterback behind Aaron Rodgers. Now the team will need to focus on adding to a wide receiving corps that saw only Garrett Wilson surpass running back Breece Hall in receiving yards in 2023. The Jets did reportedly consider trading for Williams’ former teammate, Keenan Allen, but the veteran ultimately found himself in Chicago. Barring any other additions, Williams would be joining Wilson, Allen Lazard, and Xavier Gipson in New York.

In Carolina, Gallup and Williams both represent decent fits for a room with two experienced wideouts already in place. A top-three group of Thielen, Johnson, and Mingo seems like it’d be an adequate corps to roll into the 2024 season with, but adding Gallup or Williams doesn’t necessarily make it a crowded room. Williams is clearly the bigger get of the two and would challenge Thielen or Johnson for a WR1 or WR2 role, but he has plenty of experience sharing the spotlight during his several years with Allen in California. Gallup, too, has worked in crowded rooms before, and would fit more squarely as a WR3 or WR4, allowing Thielen and Johnson to comfortably take the lead.

The Panthers will have a chance to sell a fit to both receivers in the coming week. Despite a league-worst 2-15 record last year, Carolina has made it clear that their strategy from the last offseason hasn’t changed. They intend to build their offense around Young, and they’ll look to bring in Williams or Gallup to assist with that.

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