Charger Report

Chargers could opt to sign 6-time Pro Bowler after Mike Williams curveball

The Los Angeles Chargers should reunite with a veteran wide receiver after Mike Williams' retirement.
Los Angeles Chargers receiver Mike Williams.
Los Angeles Chargers receiver Mike Williams. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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The Los Angeles Chargers were thrown a curveball recently when wide receiver Mike Williams decided to call it a career.

Granted, not much was really expected of Williams after he had a down year in 2024, but his retirement does leave what was already a shaky Chargers wide receivers room in a tougher spot.

Ladd McConkey developed into a star in 2024, but he's still only got one year of experience under his belt. Los Angeles is will also be depending heavily on Tre Harris, an unproven rookie, and Quentin Johnston, who is best described as a roller coaster.

The Chargers should be on the lookout for more options, and one of the best ones remaining is someone they're very familiar with: Keenan Allen.

Pro Football & Sports Network's Jacob Infante thinks that's exactly who the Chargers should bring in.

"At 33 years old, Allen isn’t the athlete he once was, and he wasn’t ever an elite speedster at his peak. However, he’s still an incredibly smart slot receiver who knows how to work himself open. There’s still plenty of value he can bring as a No. 3 receiver for a playoff contender, assuming he doesn’t just jump back in with the Chargers," Infante wrote.

Allen developed into one of the game's better receivers in his time with the Chargers and tallied five seasons of 1,100 yards or more over his final seven with the team, including a 1,243-yard year in 2023.

Allen's down season in 2024 has led to concerns about a possible decline, though. The six-time Pro Bowler posted just 744 yards last season, his lowest total in a full or close-to-full season since 2014.

However, there were a lot of things going on in Chicago that could have made more of an impact than Allen's age.

He had a lot of competition for targets, a rookie quarterback and played in an offense that was the definition of dysfunctional.

In Los Angeles, Allen would reunite with Justin Herbert, who he has had success with before. On top of that, there's zero doubt that Herbert would be a massive upgrade for Allen.

Even if Allen's skills are diminished, the Chargers don't need him to carry the unit. Instead, they just need another set of reliable hands for Herbert to throw to, a role Allen can easily fill.

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Mike Moraitis
MIKE MORAITIS

Mike Moraitis is a freelance writer who has covered the NFL for major outlets such as Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News. He has previously written for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and FanSided, and got his start in sports media at Bleacher Report.