EL SEGUNDO — Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams told the team he planned to retire rather than continue his standout NFL career after eight seasons, a club spokesman confirmed while the opening day of training camp was underway Thursday morning.
Williams spent seven of his eight years in the NFL with the Chargers.
After splitting the 2024 season between the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers, Williams re-signed with the Chargers on a one-year, $6-million contract in March. It seemed to be a natural reunion given Williams’ history with the team and, especially, with quarterback Justin Herbert.
Williams was hampered by an unspecified injury during spring practices, including minicamp last month. The Chargers placed him on the PUP list earlier this week, but General Manager Joe Hortiz said Wednesday afternoon that he expected Williams back on the field sooner than later.
It was anticipated that Williams would help bolster the Chargers’ wide receiver corps this coming season, giving Herbert additional options beyond second-year standout Ladd McConkey, who set franchise rookie receiving records last season with 82 catches for 1,149 yards.
Tony Dandy, Williams’ agent, then informed Hortiz later Wednesday that Williams intended to retire. Williams leaves the game at age 30, having caught 330 passes for 5,104 yards and 32 touchdowns over 106 games in the NFL, including 88 with the Chargers, the team that drafted him in the first round in 2017.
Williams was unavailable for immediate comment.
“I want what’s best for Mike,” Herbert said. “It’s a tough situation. I have so much respect for him. Football, at the end of the day, is just a game. We’re definitely going to miss him. He’s going to be tough to replace him. … Those 50-50 balls weren’t really 50-50 balls because he’d find a way to catch them.”
The Chargers posted a photo of Williams with the words “Thank You” on their social media account.
“Oh man, I love him as a brother,” Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. said of Williams after the first practice of camp. “I’m going to miss him a lot. I built a bond with him and Keenan Allen. I’m going to support him. I don’t want to say it’s shocking, but I’d like to have him out there with me.”
Coach Jim Harbaugh spoke with reporters before practice and before the news of Williams’ retirement broke. ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the story with a post on X (formerly Twitter), citing an unnamed source, while the Chargers were going through their first drills of training camp.
Harbaugh’s next media availability is scheduled for Monday.
More to come on this story.