Michael K. Williams (born October 4, 1994) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

for the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the sport, athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level (NCAA Divis ...

and was selected by the Chargers seventh overall in the 2017 NFL draft. He has also played for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

and

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

Early life

Williams attended Lake Marion High School & Technology Center in

Santee, South Carolina Santee is a town in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, Orangeburg County along the Santee River river valley, Valley in central South Carolina, United States. It has become a resort town of note located centrally north-south along the Atlantic Se ...

, where he played on the

team. He had 66 receptions for 1,296 yards and 11

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

as a junior, and he had 60 receptions for 1,395 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior. Williams was rated by Rivals.com as a four-star recruit. He committed to

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

to play

College career

Williams played in all 13 games as a true freshman in 2013, making three starts. He finished with 20 receptions for 316 yards and three touchdowns. Williams returned as a starter his sophomore year in 2014. He finished the year with 57 receptions for 1,030 yards and six touchdowns. In 2015, in the first game of the season against the Wofford Terriers, Williams fractured a bone in his neck after colliding with the goal post just as he was catching a touchdown pass from quarterback Deshaun Watson on his team's first offensive series of the game. He sat out the rest of the season and received

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

status. In 2016 as a redshirt junior, Williams returned to his starting role and started all 15 games for Clemson, recording team highs in receptions (98), yards (1,361), and touchdowns (11). He caught touchdown passes in 9 games (including 3 against rival

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

) and had over 100 yards receiving in 5 games. In the National Championship Game against

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, Williams caught eight passes for 94 yards and one touchdown. Williams completed his bachelor's degree in sociology in December 2016. On January 10, 2017, hours after Clemson defeated

35–31 for the national championship, Williams announced that he would forgo his senior year and enter the 2017 NFL draft.

College statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

Coming out of Clemson, Williams was considered a top prospect and projected as a first round pick by the majority of draft experts and analysts. He attended the

NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

, but only performed the

bench press The bench press or chest press is a weight training exercise where a person presses a weight upwards while lying horizontally on a weight training bench. The bench press is a Compound movements, compound movement, with the primary muscles involved ...

vertical jump A vertical jump or vertical leap is the act of jumping upwards into the air. It can be an exercise for building both endurance and strength, and is also a standard test for measuring athletic performance. It may also be referred to as a ''Sargent ...

, and broad jump. He performed the 40-yard dash, 20-yard dash, and 10-yard dash at Clemson's

Pro Day The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

and also ran positional drills. Williams was ranked the best

in the draft by

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

, the second best wide receiver by Pro Football Focus, the third best wide receiver by ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'', and NFLDraftScout.com ranked him the third best wide receiver in the draft.

Los Angeles Chargers (first stint)

2017 season

The

selected Williams in the first round with the seventh overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft. He was the second wide receiver selected (No. 5, Corey Davis) in the draft. On May 11, 2017, the Chargers signed Williams to a fully guaranteed four-year, $19.74 million contract with a signing bonus of $12.50 million. Williams participated in rookie

minicamp A mini-camp, also spelled minicamp, is a short camp held by National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL) teams usually in spring of each year. The camp usually only lasts 3 days, but the length varies by a day or two depending ...

, but missed organized team activities and was expected to miss the start of training camp due to a mild herniated disc in his lower back. On July 30, 2017, it was announced by head coach Anthony Lynn that Williams was expected to miss the entire training camp due to his back injury. He was inactive for the first six games of the regular season and made his professional regular season debut in Week 6. He made his first career reception on a 15-yard pass by quarterback

Philip Rivers Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football for the ...

in the fourth quarter of their 17–16 victory at the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

, before being tackled by safety Karl Joseph. On November 19, 2017, Williams caught a season-high five passes for 38-yard during a 54–24 victory against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

in Week 11. Williams was sidelined for the Chargers' Week 13 win against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

after sustaining a knee injury in the first quarter of their 28–6 victory at 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

the previous week. He finished his rookie season in with 11 receptions for 95 yards in ten games and one start.

2018 season

In Week 2, Williams recorded his first professional touchdown in the 31–20 victory over the Bills. The following week, against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

, he had four receptions for 81 receiving yards and two touchdowns. In Week 15 against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, Williams had his best game of the season as he caught seven passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns, plus rushing for 19 yards for a touchdown. He caught a late go-ahead two-point conversion with four seconds left in a 29–28 victory despite being down 14–28 with five minutes left. For his performance in Week 15, Williams was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. He finished the 2018 season with 43 receptions for 664 receiving yards and ten receiving touchdowns.

2019 season

In Week 9 against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

, Williams caught three passes for a season-high 111 yards in the 26–11 win. This was Williams' first game with at least 100 receiving yards of the season. In Week 13 against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

, Williams caught five passes for 117 yards in the 23–20 loss. Overall, in the 2019 season, Williams recorded 49 receptions for 1,001 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. He led the NFL in yards per reception with 20.4 in the 2019 season.

2020 season

On April 30, 2020, the Chargers exercised the fifth-year option on Williams' contract. In Week 5 against the

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 National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

on ''Monday Night Football'', Williams recorded five catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns during the 30–27 overtime loss. In Week 16 against the Broncos, Williams recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by

Drew Lock Paul Andrew Lock (born November 10, 1996) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Missouri Tigers football, Missou ...

on a Hail-Mary attempt with no time left in the game to secure a 19–16 win for the Chargers. In the regular season finale against the Chiefs, he had six receptions for 108 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 38–21 victory. Williams finished the 2020 season with 48 receptions for 756 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns in 15 games.

2021 season

In Week 3, against the Chiefs, Williams had seven receptions for 122 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 30–24 victory. In Week 5, against the Browns, he had eight receptions for 165 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 47–42 victory. In Week 18, against the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

, he had nine receptions for 119 receiving yards and one touchdown in the 35–32 overtime loss. Williams had a breakout season in 2021, setting career highs in receptions (76), targets (129), and yards (1,146) while scoring nine touchdowns. He showed rapport with ascending Chargers quarterback

Justin Herbert Justin Patrick Herbert (born March 10, 1998) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks football, Orego ...

, particularly to start the season, totaling six receiving touchdowns and 471 receiving yards in the Chargers' first five games. On March 8, 2022, Williams signed a three-year, $60 million contract extension with the Chargers.

2022 season

In Week 2, against the Chiefs, Williams had eight receptions for 113 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 27–24 loss. In Week 4, against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

, he had seven receptions for 120 receiving yards in the 34–24 victory. In the following game, against the Browns, he had ten receptions for 134 receiving yards in the 30–28 victory. In Week 14, against the

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

, he had six receptions for 116 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 23–17 victory. In the final three minutes of the last game of the regular season against the

, Williams suffered a small transverse process fracture in his back, which kept him out of the team's only post-season game, which they lost to the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

. Williams recorded 63 receptions for 895 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns in 13 games in the 2022 season.

2023 season

In Week 3, against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

, Williams suffered an ACL tear in the third quarter, and was ruled out for the season. He ended his 2023 campaign with 19 receptions for 249 yards and one touchdown, which Williams received from fellow wide receiver Keenan Allen in Week 3. On March 13, 2024, Williams was released by the Chargers.

New York Jets

On March 19, 2024, Williams signed a one-year contract with the

. In Week 6, Williams was criticized by quarterback

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears foo ...

for running the wrong route on a pass intended for him, which resulted in a game-clinching interception in a loss to the

. In nine games with the Jets, Williams finished with 12 receptions for 166 yards.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On November 5, 2024, the Jets traded Williams to the

in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Five days after being traded, Williams played in the Steelers' Week 10 matchup against the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...

, where he caught a 32-yard game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter as the Steelers won 28–27. Over his time with the Jets and Steelers in the 2024 season, he had 21 receptions for 298 yards and a touchdown.

Los Angeles Chargers (second stint)

On March 12, 2025, Williams returned to the Los Angeles Chargers on a one-year, $6 million deal.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

References

External links

*
Los Angeles Chargers bioClemson Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Mike 1994 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportsmen American football wide receivers Clemson Tigers football players Los Angeles Chargers players New York Jets players People from Orangeburg County, South Carolina Players of American football from South Carolina Pittsburgh Steelers players