Clemson Tigers Legend Retires After 8-Year NFL Career

“Sources: Veteran WR Mike Williams has informed the #Chargers that he plans to retire, walking away after eight seasons, with two eclipsing 1,000 yards,” Rapoport wrote on X. 

Williams was entering his ninth year in the league. The 30-year-old spent seven years LA Chargers after the team selected him out of Clemson with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He spent last season with the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers before returning to Los Angeles this offseason on a one-year deal. 

Williams was undergoing an undisclosed injury throughout the summer, practicing on the side during the team’s offseason activities. He was placed on the physically unable to perform list ahead of training camp.

Over his professional career, Williams recorded 330 receptions for 5,104 yards and 32 touchdowns, rushing one in on the ground as well. While his final season between New York and Pittsburgh was a quiet one, the receiver caught a game-winning 32-yard touchdown against the Washington Commanders in Week 10. 

The Chargers drafted Williams out of Clemson after a 2016 season that saw him named second-team All-American and First Team All-ACC. The standout recorded 98 receptions and 1,361 yards, which are the second-most and third-most in a single season in program history. 

Williams caught 11 receiving touchdowns that year, including one in Clemson’s national championship win over Alabama, recording 94 yards off of eight receptions in the game. 

The receiver saw three full seasons with the Tigers, missing out on his junior year due to a fractured neck. Overall, Williams finished with 177 receptions for 2,727 yards and 21 touchdowns across 30 starts as a Clemson player.

When he left for the 2017 NFL Draft, he finished with the third-most receiving touchdowns, was fourth in receiving yards, and fifth in receptions in program history. 

While his football career may be coming to an end, college football and NFL fans alike will enjoy his contested catches, highlight-reel touchdowns, and an overall entertaining career.