The Los Angeles Chargers were in a tough situation with the salary cap, so they had to make some tough decisions. One of those decisions was to cut wide receiver Mike Williams, a former No. 7 overall pick by the team.
The Chargers released Williams to save $20 million against the salary cap. Though the team is saving money through the move, Williams still has a $12.46 million dead cap hit ($7 million from his signing bonus and $5.46 million through a restructuring bonus).
The Chargers are currently cap compliant thanks to the move, but they may still attempt to shed more salary in the coming days.
Though cutting Williams was a big step toward getting under the cap, the Chargers still have some work to do. Maybe negotiating a contract restructuring with Khalil Mack and/or Joey Bosa would do the trick in the easiest way possible.
Williams had mixed results over his seven seasons with the Chargers. He was frequently injured and never fully produced the way the team had hoped. His best statistical season came in 2021, when he had 76 catches for 1,146 yards and nine touchdown catches.
Williams is coming off a torn ACL that limited him to three games last season. He is expected to draw plenty of interest in free agency.
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