The Jets have signed Mike Williams,one of the NFL's most explosive and dynamic wide receivers in the NFL, who formerly played for the Chargers.
Williams, a first-round pick (No. 7) by the Chargers in 2017 out of Clemson, has spent his entire career with the Bolts playing in 80 games (62 starts) over the last seven seasons and racking up 309 receptions for 4,806 yards and 31 touchdowns. He exceeded 1,000 yards receiving in 2019 (49-1001-2) and in 2021 (76-1146-9) and led the league in yards per catch in 2019 (20.4).
With a 6-4- and 218-pound frame, Williams developed a reputation asone of the league's premier jump-ball and deep pass receivers -- and the advanced metrics have proved it.
Since 2018, Williams leads the NFL with 15.8 yards per reception (minimum 250 catches). From 2018-23, 22.1% of Williams' targets came on deep throws ,according to Next Gen Stats. That is the fifth-highest percentage among players with at least 250 targets.
In addition, for all players with 200-plus catches since 2023, Williams' 11.4 yards at catch per reception -- as opposed to YAC -- is the second-best in the NFL behind only five-time Pro Bowl WR Mike Evans (12.2). In summary, over the past six seasons, the Jets' newest weapon is one of the top-two playmakers in getting downfield before making his grabs.
In 2023, Williams played in three games (all starts) and recorded 19 receptions for 249 yards and a touchdown before tearing his ACL against the Vikings in Week 3. Despite having Pro Bowl QB Justin Herbert, the Chargers offense lackeda big-play threat without Williams. The team went 4-10 without him in the lineup and averaged 18.5 points per game, as opposed to 28.6 with him.
As rookie in 2017, Williams played in 10 games (1 start) while dealing with a herniated disk, tight hamstrings and knee issues. He caught 11 passes for 95 yards in Year 1 but bounced back in Year 2 with a team-leading 10 touchdown receptions. Over the following four seasons, Williams played in 59 of a possible 65 games (53 starts) before getting injured last fall. Heading into the 2024 offseason, Williams said he feels "great" about his recovery.
"I am slightly ahead of my recovery and on the right pace," Williams told reporters following Week 17, approximately three months after surgery. "I am taking it one day at a time. It is a process, but I am getting ahead of it."
During Williams' fourth and final season playing for Clemson, he racked up 98 receptions for 1,361 yards and 11 touchdowns. That year the Tigers went on a tear going 14-1 and winning the College Football Playoff National Championship game over Alabama. Over Clemson's two playoff games, he totaled 14 receptions for 190 yards and a touchdown.
