Chris Williams (born September 16, 1987) is an American professional free agent

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...

wide receiver of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a c ...

(CFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

New Mexico State New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's tw ...

. Williams was signed by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

in 2009. He made his professional debut for the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fie ...

(CFL) in 2010. Williams has also been a member of the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conferenc ...

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) ( French: Le Rouge et Noir d'Ottawa) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Starti ...

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first seas ...

and

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes ( French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Cana ...

High school

He was born in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...

and attended

Rio Rancho High School Rio Rancho High School is a public high school located in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States. It is a part of the Rio Rancho Public Schools. History The state rejected the proposal of Rio Rancho High School, however Intel Corp. offered to bu ...

Rio Rancho, New Mexico Rio Rancho ( es, Río Rancho) is the most populous and only city in Sandoval County, New Mexico, Sandoval County, part of the expansive Albuquerque metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. A small portion of the city extends into north ...

, where he was a letterman in football, basketball and track. In

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, he was named to the first-team All-state team after rushing for nearly 2,100 yards and 33

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

s as a senior in 2004. He was also named to the first-team All-state

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

team. Also an outstanding

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete, Williams scored 26 points at the 2005 Class 5A State Championships, where he captured the state titles in the

200-meter dash The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

(21.51 s), 400-meter dash, the

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

(6 ft, 11in) was a member of the state champion

4 × 100 m relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

and the state champion 4 × 400 m relay squads. He won the state high jump and 200-meter dash title in 2004, and State High Jump in 2003. He won a total of 9 state titles in track in his high school career.

College

Williams played college football for

. Williams was the Aggies’ top receiver in 2006, playing in all 12 games. He became the ninth player in school history to earn All-American honors as he was named to the SI.com All-America Honorable Mention team. Williams led the nation in receiving yards per game (117.9) and catches per game (7.66). His 1,861 all-purpose yards also ranked fourth in the nation. In 2007, Williams started the Aggies first eight games before suffering a season ending injury to his shoulder. In just eight games, Williams caught 56 passes for 772 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also returned five kicks for 116 yards and six punts for 100 yards. Despite missing five games, Williams was named a finalist for the

Biletnikoff Award The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was creat ...

, he also earned second all-WAC honors as voted on by the WAC coaches.

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

He signed with the

as an undrafted college free agent on April 30, 2009. He was waived/injured on August 24 and subsequently reverted to

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

. He was released with an injury settlement on August 25.

Cleveland Browns

Williams was signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

on November 9. He was released on November 18.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Williams originally signed with the

on October 18, 2010 and spent two weeks on the team's practice roster. He was re-signed on May 18, 2011. On September 3, 2012, during the last

Labour Day Classic The Labour Day Classic (french: Classique de la fête du travail, branded as OK Tire Labour Day Weekend for sponsorship reasons) is a week of the Canadian Football League (CFL) schedule played over the Labour Day weekend (which includes the firs ...

played at

Ivor Wynne Stadium Ivor Wynne Stadium (formerly Civic Stadium) was a Canadian football stadium located at the corner of Balsam and Beechwood avenues, two blocks west of Gage Avenue North in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The stadium was the home of the Hamilton Tiger ...

, Willams recorded his sixth return touchdown of the year, setting a new CFL record for return touchdowns in a single season. It was also the third consecutive game in which Williams had returned a punt for a touchdown, which also established a new CFL record. Williams finished the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

with 16 touchdowns, 1,298 receiving yards and 1,117 punt return yards. After an outstanding season Willams did not want to return to the Tiger-Cats under his current contract of less than $50,000, and on March 15 he tweeted the following, ""Im beefin with my squad im not going back." On April 4 it was announced that Williams had contacted the

Canadian Football League Players' Association The Canadian Football League Players' Association (or CFLPA) represents Canadian football players in the Canadian Football League (CFL). The association was established in 1965, when local lawyer John Agro became concerned by the number of Hamilton ...

to see if the Tiger-Cats violated a provision within the collective bargaining agreement that could lead to the final year of his contract with the Tiger-Cats being voided. Williams claims that the Ticats did not offer him the one year plus an option, but rather just the two-year plus an option contract. After failing to show up for mandatory training camp at the start of June 2013 the Tiger-Cats placed him under suspension. Neither Williams nor his agent has made any contact with the Tiger-Cats, despite the team trying to communicate with them. On June 4, 2013 an independent arbitrator ruled that Williams' contract with the Tiger-Cats was legal and binding. However, almost 3 months later on August 29, 2013, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice over-ruled the decision of the independent arbitrator, declaring Williams is not bound to any contractual obligations with the Tiger-Cats, making him a free agent in the view of the CFL Players Association. The CFL has announced that they would appeal the decision. On October 2, 2013 the Hamilton Tiger-Cats announced that Williams was free to sign with any NFL team, but they would reserve his CFL rights through the

2014 CFL season Fourteen or 14 may refer to: * 14 (number), the natural number following 13 and preceding 15 * one of the years 14 BC, AD 14, 1914, 2014 Music * 14th (band), a British electronic music duo * ''14'' (David Garrett album), 2013 *''14'', an unrele ...

New Orleans Saints

On October 3, 2013, he was signed by the

. The move came just one day after he was granted free agency.

Chicago Bears

On December 26, 2013, Williams was signed by the

. On November 9, 2014, Williams took a kickoff back 101 yards for a touchdown and tied an NFL record with 10 kickoff return attempts. He was waived/injured on December 3, 2014 to make way for the signing of

Jay Feely Thomas James "Jay" Feely (born May 23, 1976) is a former American football placekicker and current sportscaster. He started his career with the Florida Bobcats in the Arena Football League as a street free agent in 1999 before playing for seve ...

as injury cover for

Robbie Gould Robert Paul Gould III (; born December 6, 1982) is an American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played with the Chicago Bears from 2005 to 2015, during which he became the franchise's all ...

when he was considered doubtful for the game against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

on December 4.

Ottawa Redblacks

On April 21, 2015, the

of the

announced that they had signed Williams to a one-year contract. Williams finished the season with the third most receiving yards in the league with 1,214 yards on 88 receptions with 5 touchdowns. In January 2016 Williams and the Redblacks agreed to a contract extension. Through the first 3 games of the 2016 season Williams broke the CFL record for most receiving yards to in the first three games of a season; a record set by

Allen Pitts Allen Pitts (born June 28, 1964) is a former receiver for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League from 1990 to 2000. He attended Cal-State Fullerton and played his entire professional career as a receiver for the Calgary Stampeders. ...

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

who went on to finish the '94 season with more than 2,000 receiving yards. Williams was named the CFL Top Performer of the Month for the month of July after amassing 38 receptions for 625 yards with 6 touchdowns in the first 6 weeks of the season (there was no Top Performer for the two playable weeks in the month of June). Partway through their Week 16 match-up against the Roughriders Williams was forced to leave the game early with a knee injury. A few days later it was announced that he had sustained a torn ACL and would miss the remainder of the 2016 season. In 14 games played Williams finished the season with 1,246 receiving yards on 77 receptions with 10 of them going for touchdowns.

BC Lions

Upon entering free agency, Williams signed a two-year contract with the

on February 17, 2017. Williams had a down season in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, catching only 38 passes for 415 yards and only one touchdown.

Montreal Alouettes

Following a disappointing 2017 season in BC, Williams was traded to the

in exchange for Gabriel Knapton on December 12, 2017. Williams started out the 2018 season playing well for the Alouettes, catching 15 passes for 283 yards with one touchdown in four games.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (II)

Following the sixth week of the 2018 season Williams was traded to the

along with defensive lineman

Jamaal Westerman Jamaal Akeem Westerman (born February 21, 1985) is a former American football defensive lineman who is currently a college football coach for Rutgers. He was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college footba ...

and two first round picks for quarterback

Johnny Manziel Johnathan Paul Manziel ( ; born December 6, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the FCF Zappers of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) and was also a mem ...

and offensive linemen Tony Washington and

Landon Rice Landon Rice (born February 28, 1988) is a professional Canadian football offensive lineman for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played CIS football at the University of Manitoba and attended Crocus Plains Regional ...

. Williams played in four games for the Tiger-Cats in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, catching 10 passes for 114 yards. He suffered a non-contact knee injury in Week 11 and underwent surgery shortly thereafter.

Career statistics

NFL stats

CFL stats

References

External links

*
Canadian Football League profile

BC Lions profile
*
New Mexico State Aggies profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Chris 1987 births Living people American football return specialists American football wide receivers American players of Canadian football BC Lions players Canadian Football League Rookie of the Year Award winners Canadian football return specialists Canadian football wide receivers Chicago Bears players Cleveland Browns players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Hartford Colonials players Miami Dolphins players New Orleans Saints players New Mexico State Aggies football players Ottawa Redblacks players People from Rio Rancho, New Mexico Players of American football from Fort Worth, Texas Montreal Alouettes players