Chargers' Mike Williams gets honest about that horrible Jets experience

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams had a bad time during his brief stint away from the team.

Williams will admit as much, too.

Speaking with reporters after agreeing to a free-agency return to reunite with Justin Herbert, Williams got blunt about the last year of his NFL journey.

“Last year was terrible for me for sure, I’m just being honest,” Williams said. “It was terrible. Probably the worst year I’ve had in the league by far. So I’m just putting it in the past, that was the past, and I’m trying to make it feel like it didn’t happen for me.”

Chargers fans know the deal. Williams suffered a torn ACL in 2023, then got cut by the franchise’s new regime as it reset the cap and team-building approach.

And boy did things get worse for Williams from there. He signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets, only to become the public pinata of one Aaron Rodgers, who doubled down on his criticism of Williams for a mistake.

Williams then got traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a fifth-round pick. He caught a game-winning touchdown there, but it was one of just nine catches with the team before he entered free agency again.

Now, Williams returns home with his franchise quarterback and gets to run in an offense with Ladd McConkey on a playoff team with room for quite a bit more. It’s a boon for Williams and Chargers fans alike, as an odd year for all involved is now past and big things seem to await in the future.

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams — Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

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